Taco potato casserole is a simple but flavorful weeknight meal made with tender ground beef, black beans, and vegetables cooked in a flavorful homemade enchilada sauce and topped with a layer of thinly sliced potatoes! It is certain to be your family's new favorite meal. It's a healthy, hearty, and satisfying dish that comes together quickly and easily.
I find casseroles are an easy way to feed a large group or ensure smaller households have leftovers, and this recipe can easily be doubled. Plus they're an easy way to sneak in plenty of veggies and which may appeal to entice kids and other veggie haters to eat their veggies.
This easy taco casserole recipe is a hearty and flavorful dish that combines all the flavors you love in tacos into an easy-to-make one-dish meal. This post is also for all the corn allergies out there - I couldn't tolerate corn for nearly 3 years and it was terrible! So if that's use, don't worry, thinly sliced potatoes are delicious here and this makes a wholesome veggie-packed dish the whole family will love!
This recipe has the flavor of American-style tacos paired with lots of cooked vegetables and a cheesy potato topping. We're also making a fast and affordable homemade enchilada sauce, but feel free to use a store-bought version instead.
Why You Will Love This Taco Potato Casserole Recipe
Family-Friendly Meal: The flavors of this taco potato casserole will be a hit with adults and kids.
Great Way to Incorporate More Veggies Into Meals: If you're struggling to eat enough veggies or trying to get a picky eater to eat them, this Mexican potato casserole might just work! Well, Mexican-American / Southwest US-style casserole!
Easy to Make: Casseroles are the ultimate one-dish meal and so easy to make especially for busy weeknights.
Ingredients
Here's a look at the ingredients you need to make this taco casserole with potatoes for dinner tonight. Everything is pretty easy to find in most grocery stores.
Canned Tomatoes: Diced tomatoes are the foundation for the homemade red enchilada salsa.
Jalapeño garlic, onion, oregano, cumin, and ancho chili flakes: these flavorful ingredients are going to get blended into a smooth and simple enchilada sauce.
Ground Beef: Ground beef makes a budget-friendly option for this dish. You can choose the percent fat beef that best fits into your grocery budget. If you're using ground beef with a higher percentage of fat be sure to drain it very well after browning it. Feel free to use another ground meat here instead.
Spices and Herbs: Dried pantry spices work perfectly and keep this recipe so easy! You will need oregano, cumin, and cayenne pepper.
Vegetables: We're adding red bell pepper, a carrot, and spinach to layer in some flavor, nutrients, and color!
Black Beans: Adding additional fiber to this taco potato casserole recipe, but beans also bump up the protein. You could also use other beans such as pinto beans if you'd prefer.
Potato: We are using Yukon Gold potatoes here, but any any type of potato works well - and you can also use sweet potato!
Cheddar cheese: For the cheesy topping on potato taco casserole. You can easily swap out the cheddar cheese for another cheese you have on hand or enjoy. For an additional pop of flavor, Pepper Jack cheese works great, and I personally love this with cotija cheese.
Dietary Modifications and Variations
Paleo: Not as written, but skip the beans and cheese and it will be.
Vegetarian Taco Casserole: It's not vegetarian, but you can double or triple the beans or even use crumbled tofu or lentils. If you want to make it vegan you can skip the cheese or use a dairy-free cheese option.
Other Vegetables: If you want to add more veggies, canned corn or diced zucchini would both work well here.
Other Ground Meats: You can easily make this taco potato casserole with any type of ground meat including chicken, turkey, or pork.
Skip the Homemade Sauce: If you want to save some time you can use a canned enchilada sauce in place of the homemade sauce.
How to Make Taco Potato Casserole
Here's a look at the main steps involved in making this recipe. Be sure to check the recipe card for the full details.
Add the diced tomatoes, jalapeño, onion, garlic, cumin, oregano, ancho chili flakes, and salt to a blender and blend until smooth.
Cook the ground beef with some additional oregano, cumin, cayenne powder, and salt until it's brown on all sides. Remove it from the skillet and set it aside.
Cook the diced onions, carrot, and red bell pepper in a bit of olive oil in the same skillet as the beef until fragrant and partially cooked.
Add the cooked beef, fresh spinach, and a half cup of the sauce to the skillet and cook until the spinach is wilted.
Grab a casserole dish. Add the beef mixture, black beans, another half cup of sauce, and half of the shredded cheese to the casserole dish and mix.
Spread it out in the dish and cover with about a cup or so of the remaining sauce.
PRO TIP: Use a mandolin or a very sharp knife to slice the potato thinly. You want to slice them about ⅛-inch slices. A mandolin is easiest but if you must use a knife be very careful!
Thinly slice the potatoes and arrange them on top of the casserole. Sprinkle with a few pinches of salt.
Cover the casserole dish tightly with foil and bake for 25 minutes on 425ºF. Remove the dish from the oven and sprinkle with the remaining shredded cheese.
Return the casserole to the oven uncovered and cook for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese has developed some browning. Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 10-15 minutes before serving.
How to Store
Leftovers: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days.
Freezer: Wait until the dish is fully cooled. At that point, it will thicken up enough that you should be able to scoop out portions and place them in a freezer container. It is best to freeze in a single layer to keep the potato layer on top, or place parchment paper between the servings before stacking. Freeze for 3-6 months in a sealed container. Defrost in the fridge overnight.
Reheat: Reheat in the oven at 425ºF for 10 minutes or in the microwave covered with a paper towel.
Serving Suggestions
The easiest way to serve this dish is by cutting through the top layer of potatoes with a knife and then using a large spoon or spatula to serve it on plates. This dish is perfect for everyday meals and weeknights, but can be a great alternative to chili if you want to double it and serve a crowd!
Toppings: This taco potato casserole tastes great on its own but you can definitely add some toppings to jazz it up. Some great options include pico de gallo, restaurant-style salsa, guacamole, or sour cream.
Leftover sauce: I usually end up with a bit of the sauce leftover. It's great to use for breakfast huevos rancheros, a small batch of chilaquiles, or to serve with migas.
Expert Tips
Ensure the ingredients are evenly distributed in the casserole dish for even cooking.
Slice the potatoes thin -- about ⅛ of an inch -- so they cook fully and then get a little crispy on the edges once you remove the foil.
Cook covered at the start of cooking. This keeps the heat inside the dish, allowing the potatoes to fully cook.
Allow to cool completely before storing in individual servings to make it easier to transfer to your storage containers.
Recipe FAQs
How do I prevent the potatoes in the casserole from becoming mushy?
We're adding potatoes to the top layer here, and thinly slicing them, then removing the foil for the last bit of cooking helps them cook fully without becoming mushy.
Can I make potato taco casserole ahead of time?
Sure you can! You have two options. One is to prep up the entire dish except for adding the cheese on top. When you're ready to cook it, remove the dish from the fridge and cook as directed (ONLY if you have a tempered dish that is safe to move from the fridge directly to the hot oven). You may need to cook covered an additional 10-15 minutes since the dish will be slightly cold.
You can also cook the dish all the way through and then reheat for dinner 2-3 days later, adding a little bit more cheese to freshen it up at serving time.
Taco potato casserole with tender ground beef, black beans, and vegetables cooked in a flavorful homemade taco sauce and topped with a layer of tender sliced potatoes is certain to be your family's new favorite meal.
1small yellow onionor ½ a medium onion, peeled and quartered
1whole jalapeño
4clovesgarlic
1 15 -oz candiced tomatoes
1teaspooncumin
1teaspoonoregano
½teaspoonancho chili flakesor other
¾teaspoonfine saltmore to taste
Yields about 1 ¾ - 2 cups sauce
Casserole:
1poundground beef
2teaspoonsoregano
1teaspooncumin
¼teaspooncayenne powder
¾teaspoonsalt
1mediumyellow oniondiced
1red bell pepperdiced
1mediumcarrotdiced
115 oz can black beansdrained and rinsed
3cupsfresh spinachroughly chopped
1potato6-8 ounces
3ouncesshredded cheesecheddar or other
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425ºF.
Roughly chop 1 small onion (or half a medium onion), remove the stem from the jalapeño and cut in quarters, and peel 4 cloves of garlic. Add to blender with the diced tomatoes, cumin, oregano, ancho chili flakes, and salt. Blend until smooth and set aside.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the ground beef, along with the ‘taco seasoning’ which includes oregano, cumin, cayenne powder, and salt. Brown on all sides and them remove from skillet and set aside.
In the same skillet, add just a teaspoon of olive oil (or use a touch of oil from the beef), add the diced onions, carrot, and red bell pepper. Sauté about 5 minutes or until fragrant and partially cooked. Add the cooked beef back to the skillet, along with the fresh spinach, and ½ cup of the sauce. Cook for another 1-2 minutes, until the spinach is wilted.
Pour this mixture into a casserole dish and combine with the black beans and half the shredded cheese, along with another ½ cup of the sauce.
Mix well, then spread out and cover with about a cup of the remaining sauce. (I usually end up with about ⅓ cup of sauce leftover, which I use for breakfast!)
Meanwhile, using a mandolin or very sharp knife, slice the potato thinly - I recommend thinner than ⅛th inch slices here. If using a knife, be very careful! Arrange the potatoes atop the casserole in your preferred orientation. Sprinkle with a few pinches of salt.
Cover tightly with foil and bake for 25 minutes on 425ºF.
Remove from the oven and remove the foil, then sprinkle with the remaining shredded cheese. The potatoes should be fully cooked. Return to the oven for 10-15 minutes or until cheese has developed some browning.
Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 10-15 minutes. To serve, I recommend cutting through the top layer of potatoes with a knife and then using a large spoon or spatula to serve onto plates. Top with chopped cilantro, and serve with additional toppings such as sour cream, avocado, and lime wedges.
Notes
Homemade sauce: You can use canned enchilada sauce if you prefer to save the first step in the recipe.
Use fresh grated cheese for a creamier texture. Pre-shredded cheese contains other ingredients to keep it from clumping that may not melt as smoothly.
Ensure the ingredients are evenly distributed in the casserole dish for even cooking.
Slice the potatoes thin -- about ⅛ of an inch -- so they cook in less time.
Cook covered at the start of cooking. This keeps the heat inside the dish helping it to cook more quickly.
Allow to cool completely before storing in individual servings to make it easier to transfer to your storage containers.
Freezing: If you wait until this is fully cooled, it will thicken up enough that you should be able to scoop out portions and place them in a freezer container. It is best to freeze in a single layer to keep the potato layer on top. Freeze for 3-6 months in a sealed container. Defrost in the fridge overnight and reheat in the oven at 425ºF for 10 minutes or in the microwave.
Nutrition: just a reminder that nutrient numbers and the below nutritional label is just an estimate.
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