Taco Casserole

You've had your weeknight fiesta!! Now you have TONS of leftovers. I know families that have told me, "We don't eat leftovers." Maybe you're the same way. It's okay! I enjoy making extras just so I have some left for an quick meal the following week!

This meal is great for 'cleaning out the fridge' after taco night. Any leftover meat, beans, rice, toppings...throw them all in! I've made this dozens of times and it never disappoints. Plus, it's different almost every time (depending on what kind of beans you made with tacos (black beans, refried beans, ranchero beans, etc...) or what kind of rice you make. There's no wrong way to make this dish!

I list the generic versions of the ingredients (because I'm super frugal and rarely buy name-brand, but I will list the name-brand items for reference. :)

Leftover taco meat
[If you aren't using leftovers, brown 1 lb ground turkey or beef, 1 small onion (diced) and taco seasoning]
Leftover rice
*I've made this with and without rice. If you don't have any, it's not a loss. Just move on without it.
Leftover beans
*If you're low on beans, you can use a can of chili style beans (Ranch Style Beans) as supplement
1 can diced tomatoes with green chiles (Ro-Tel) (undrained)
Cream of chicken soup (see recipe)
*Or use one store-bought can
8-10 oz corn tortilla chips (crushed, divided in half)
*These don't have to be name-brand. You're just smashing them up and using them as a layer.
*I have also used soft corn tortillas in place of chips - they're okay, but I found it makes it a little mushy. But if you have some you're wanting to use up because they're on their way out, they work just fine.
1-2 cups shredded cheese (any leftover cheese from taco night can go on here too)


In large saucepan, combine meat, rice, beans, tomatoes and soup. Simmer over medium-low heat until well combined and heated through. Turn off heat.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Spray 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Spread half the chips evenly along the bottom of the pan. Spread half the meat mixture across chips, then sprinkle half the cheese. Repeat the chip and meat layer. Don't add the other half of cheese just yet.

Cover the dish with foil and bake 30 minutes. Remove the foil and top with remaining cheese and let stand 5-10 minutes for cheese to melt. Cut into 8-10 pieces for serving.

You can top with shredded lettuce, salsa and sour cream, or any other toppings you had left from taco night.