This is the best walking taco casserole! It’s an easy-to-make recipe with layers of crunchy Fritos corn chips, melty cheese, and juicy ground beef loaded up with salsa, tomatoes, and cream cheese in a baking dish.
This easy dinner puts a fun spin on a taco casserole, inspired by the popular Midwestern walking taco. For more easy Tex-Mex recipes, try my tamale pie and King Ranch chicken casserole.
If you’ve ever tucked into a walking taco at a football game or made one at home, you’re going to LOVE this latest casserole. And if you’ve never heard of a walking taco before, you may love it even more! We scarfed down this walking taco casserole when we had friends over to watch the game recently. It’s a cheesy, flavor-packed meal with crunchy Fritos layered with savory, creamy taco meat amped up with chunky salsa and cream cheese.
Things to Love About This Walking Taco Casserole
- Big taco flavor. A walking taco casserole has everything I love about a classic taco, toppings and all, except somehow even better?! The taco meat layer isn’t just seasoned and savory, it’s rich and creamy.
- Easy to make. Despite the flavor this casserole packs into a baking dish, the ingredients are super simple. Just a few pantry items, affordable ground beef, and a bag of Fritos. Oh, and PLENTY of cheese! It’s prepped in 10 minutes with hardly any effort.
- Great for sharing. This recipe answers the question, “How do I make walking tacos for a crowd?” Instead of individual servings, everything is baked in a casserole dish. It’s perfect for potlucks and parties, and for putting a fun spin on family taco nights.
What Is a Walking Taco?
Whether you know it as a walking taco or a Frito pie, this is a deconstructed taco assembled inside a bag of partially crushed-up corn chips. The idea is to garnish the bag with taco meat and any taco or nacho toppings you’d like. It’s called a “walking” taco due to how easy it is to wander around with one in hand!
So, instead of assembling inside a chip bag, this recipe takes those ingredients and bakes them into a steamy, cheesy Mexican-style casserole. It might not be as easy to carry around on game day, but it’s 100% just as delicious!
Ingredients You’ll Need
I’ve included the important ingredients here along with some notes to ensure this walking taco casserole knocks your socks off. Scroll down to the recipe card after the post for the full list with amounts. You’ll also find a step-by-step with photos showing how to make this casserole below the recipe card.
- Olive Oil – Or another cooking oil, for browning the beef.
- Ground Beef – I like to use lean ground beef. You could also make this casserole with ground chicken, turkey, or pork.
- Onion – Yellow or white onion, diced.
- Taco Seasoning – This can be your favorite store-bought blend or homemade taco seasoning. In a pinch, fajita seasoning makes a good substitute since the ingredients are very similar.
- Canned Tomatoes – Any canned, diced tomatoes. You could also use Rotel.
- Salsa – I recommend shelf-stable chunky salsa for this recipe. If you use homemade salsa, consider cooking off some of the liquid beforehand so that it doesn’t make the filling watery.
- Cream Cheese – You’ll want to use the cream cheese that comes in bricks (not the spreadable, bagel-smear kind).
- Fritos – Or another type of corn chip (Doritos or even plain tortilla chips also work well here). You’ll need to keep half of the chips whole and crush the rest up using a ziptop bag and a rolling pin.
- Cheese – Freshly shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese, or a Mexican cheese blend.
Casserole Toppings
Garnish your walking taco casserole any way you’d garnish a classic taco. I top mine with chopped iceberg lettuce, cherry tomatoes, black olives, and sliced spring onion. There are loads of easy taco topping ideas:
Tips and Variations
- Let the casserole rest for 10 minutes before serving. This gives the filling a chance to set up so that it’s less “soupy” to scoop. It also lets the casserole cool off so the heat doesn’t wilt delicate garnishes, like fresh lettuce.
- Different protein. You can replace the ground beef in this casserole with another type of ground meat. Or, substitute leftover shredded beef or chicken carnitas. In this case, you can stir any pre-cooked meat right in with the rest of the filling ingredients without having to sear it in the pan first.
- More add-ins. For a different spin on this recipe, add 1 cup of corn and 1 cup of black beans. You could also add in diced bell peppers, spinach, or refried beans (borrow the homemade refried beans from my huevos rancheros tacos).
- Different flavors. I use plain Fritos, but you can play around with other flavors like Chili Cheese or Flamin’ Hot Fritos.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
- Refrigerate. Since the Fritos in this casserole tend to get soggy with time, it’s best to enjoy any leftovers within 3 days. Keep them stored airtight in the fridge without any toppings until you’re ready to reheat and serve.
- Reheat. Warm up this walking taco casserole covered under foil at 350ºF for 20 minutes, or until it’s heated through. You can also reheat portions in the microwave.
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Preheat the oven. Preheat your oven to 350ºF. Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
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Prep the onions and Fritos. Peel and dice your onion. Place 1 cup of Fritos corn chips in a zip-lock bag and crush them using a rolling pin.
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Cook the beef. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook the meat until browned. Drain any excess liquid from the beef.
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Add onions. Add the diced onion to the beef and cook, stirring for 3-4 minutes or until softened.
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Season the beef. Add taco seasoning and water. Cook for 3 minutes.
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Add the remaining ingredients. Stir in the canned chopped tomatoes, salsa, and cream cheese. Reduce heat to medium-low. Stir gently until the cream cheese is melted, then simmer for 8-10 minutes or until the mixture slightly thickens. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if needed.
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Assemble the casserole. Add 1 cup of whole Fritos chips at the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Spread the beef mixture over the Fritos. Top the beef with cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, and crushed Fritos chips.
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Bake. Cover the casserole with aluminum foil and bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 5 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and slightly golden. Take the casserole out of the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes.
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Serve. Top the casserole with shredded lettuce, halved cherry tomatoes, and sliced black olives before serving.
- Add 1 cup of corn and 1 cup of black beans for a different version. This will make the casserole more nutritious.
- If you have refried beans, they can also be added to the casserole.
- If Fritos chips are unavailable, you can substitute them with plain tortilla chips.
- Feel free to experiment with different Fritos chip flavors for a unique twist.
- Allow your casserole to cool for 10 minutes before you add garnishes. The heat from the casserole may ruin delicate lettuce.
Serving: 1.5cups | Calories: 480kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 88mg | Sodium: 714mg | Potassium: 576mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 865IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 295mg | Iron: 3mg
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
How to Make a Walking Taco Casserole
With just 10 minutes before it’s ready to bake, this casserole is speedy and delicious (my favorite combo, really). Here’s how to make it:
- Prep. While the oven preheats to 350ºF, peel and then dice the onion. Meanwhile, add about 1 cup of Fritos to a resealable bag and crush them up using your hands or a rolling pin.
- Cook the beef. Get your ground beef sautéeing in a hot skillet with oil. Season with a little salt and pepper and break it up while it browns.
- Add onions and seasonings. If needed, drain the grease, then stir in the onions and cook for another 3-4 minutes until they’re softened. Next, sprinkle in taco seasoning and water.
- Add the remaining ingredients. After 3 minutes, stir in canned tomatoes, salsa, and cream cheese. Lower the heat, and let the filling simmer and thicken for 8-10 minutes.
- Assemble the casserole. Now, spread the remaining cup of whole Fritos into the bottom of a greased casserole dish. Top with the beef mixture, followed by shredded cheese and a layer of crushed Fritos.
- Bake. Cover and bake this taco casserole at 350ºF for 15-20 minutes. Remove the foil in the last 5 minutes to get the topping nice and golden.
- Rest and serve. Afterward, give your casserole about 10 minutes to rest outside of the oven before digging in. Serve topped with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, black olives, or any of your favorite taco toppings.
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