Ground Beef Dorito Casserole

Whip up this marvelous Dorito casserole! It’s a Dorito taco casserole with Dorito layers on top and bottom. This easy dinner is quick to prepare and packed with Mexican flavor. Try this simple casserole recipe for dinner. It is the Taco Tuesday dinner the whole family can enjoy. This hearty casserole is easy to prepare for a weeknight plate. Add your usual taco toppings and ring that dinner bell.

Our Dorito casserole recipe includes seasoned ground beef, refried beans, Rotel, cheese, sour cream, and crunchy Doritos. Top with fresh salsa for added flavor, or add guacamole for an extra kick. The best part is that this is a house favorite that makes for an easy dinner option that takes minimal effort. Check out our Mexican layered casserole for another dinner idea.

This Mexican casserole recipe is hot and cooks up in no time, making it a simple, no-fuss dinner even picky eaters will try. Another idea is this condensed soup dinner idea list. We are a sucker for easy dinner ideas that is a total comfort food. Our son loves this ground beef Doritos casserole.

Why make this Dorito casserole recipe…

Easy Casserole: Cook the meat and mix in the ingredients. Assemble the casserole and toss it in the oven to bake.

Budget-Friendly Dinner— This is a great budget-friendly dinner option. Only a few ingredients areneeded for the Mexican casserole.

Stores Well Leftove r—If you happen to have leftovers, store them in an airtight container. Then, reheat in the microwave for a quick whip.

Versatile—You can easily change this casserole by mixing in ground chicken, rotisserie chicken, ground turkey, etc. This recipe is a great way to create a custom dish you enjoy.

Mexican Food—This is an easy, budget-friendly Mexican-inspired dish! The taco meat is so easy to throw together and gives this dish tons of Mexican flavors.

Ground Beef – You are welcome to use ground pork, chicken, or even turkey. Or use cooked diced chicken or shredded.

Onion – Yellow or white onion will work best for this recipe. Finely dice the yellow onion.

Taco Seasoning – Any brand you like or make homemade taco seasoning.

We used Doritos—c lassic nacho cheese for this recipe. You will crush tortilla chips for the bottom and top of the casserole.

Sour Cream – The sour cream adds a nice creamy texture.

Refried Beans— This is an extra item you can add to the dish. We loved the refried beans mixed in with the meat mixture. They added a lot of flavor to the dish.

Shredded Cheese – we used a Mexican cheese blend but any of your usual cheese blends works.

Rotel— Rotel is diced tomatoes and green chiles. Do not drain the can, as the liquid helps keep the filling moist rather than dry.

Swaps and Substitutions

• Use a different flavor of Doritos—like Cool Ranch Doritos or even taco-flavored. Or go classic and reach for regular tortilla chips.
• Leave out refried beans or swap in black beans for a twist on flavor to the ground beef mixture.
• Mix in drained corn, black olives, bell peppers, etc.
• Use diced tomatoes if you don’t have or like green chilis.
• You can use any type of shredded cheese. Pepper jack cheese, Monterey jack cheese, or any other variety works. Use lots of cheese for a cheesy casserole.
• Mix 4 ounces of cream cheese with the ground beef mixture for an even cheesier texture.
• Replace Rotel tomatoes with salsa if you would like.
• You can use a green salsa for a twist on flavor.

How to Make

Step One: In a pan, add your ground beef and onions. Then you will cook until no longer pink. Drain off any excess oil on the meat.

Step Two: Next, add your taco seasoning and water to the pan. Mix well so the meat is fully seasoned.

Step Three: The next step is to stir in the refried beans and then pour in the Rotel and sour cream. Remove from heat and stir until combined.

Step Four: Next, crumble some chips and place them in the bottom of your casserole dish. Sprinkle on a thin layer of cheese.

Step Five: Pour the meat mixture over the chips, and top with shredded cheese and crumbled Doritos.

Step Six: Place in a preheated oven and cook for 10 minutes. Remove and serve up your Dorito casserole.

How to Serve

We ate this Mexican ground beef casserole as a meal in one. We piled it high with lettuce, diced tomatoes, a dollop of sour cream, etc.

You could easily pair with your usual vegetable side dish, salad, etc.

Storage

In the Fridge: The Doritos casserole will store in an airtight container for 3-4 days. Reheat leftovers in the microwave or oven wrapped in foil.

In the Freezer: You can freeze leftovers. Once froze and thawed, the top chips will change in texture. You can freeze the casserole for 2-3 months and then put it in the fridge overnight.

Pro Tips

• Drain off any excess grease from the ground beef before adding the other ingredients.
• If you do not want to eat soggy chips, skip the bottom layer. We like the bottom layer, as it adds tons of flavor to the casserole.
• The meat mixture is wet, but we prefer a creamier casserole instead of dried-out.
• You can use hot or medium seasoning to add some spice, and the same goes for the Rotel.

Practical notes

What is Dorito casserole?

Dorito casserole is a Mexican flavored casserole. Ground beef seasoned with taco seasoning, sour cream, diced tomatoes and more all mixed in one dish and topped with crushed Dorito chips. Bake and ring that dinner bell in under 30 minutes!

Can you make casserole in advance?

Prep your casserole in the morning and leave off the top of the crushed chips. Wrap or cover tightly and place in the fridge. Then add 20-30 minutes to cook time. Place in the oven at 350 degrees, and let it warm up in a foil covered dish. Then once warmed through, top with crushed chips and return to oven for 5 minutes. u003cbru003eu003cbru003e6-8 hours is the longest we have made in advance. We wouldn’t recommend going too far in advance.

Are the chips soggy or crunchy?

The bottom layer of the Doritos will be soggy. As it is mixed with the meat mixture. The chips on bottom does add nice flavor to the dish. But you can skip adding it to the dish if you don’t want soggy. For the top layer of the chips, it is crunchy. When you store leftovers, it will become soggy when it is cooled down.

More Casseroles

• John Wayne Casserole
• Crockpot Tuna Noodle Casserole
• Taco Cornbread Casserole
• Chicken Cordon Blue Casserole

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Ingredients

Makes 9 x13 pan

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 can refried beans, 16 ounce
• 1 can Rotel, 14.5 ounce
• 1/2 small onion
• 15 ounce bag Doritos Nacho Cheese
• 1 cup sour cream
• 3 cups shredded cheese, Mexican blend

Equipment

• Pampered Chef Meat Chopper
• 9×13 Casserole Dish

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and grease a 9×13 pan.
2. In a skillet add your ground beef and diced onion. Cook on medium-high heat until fully cooked.
3. Next you will add in the taco seasoning plus water. Mix well to ensure all the meat is coated well.
4. Stir in the refried beans mixing well.
5. Turn heat off and pour in the Rotel, sour cream, and mix well. Once well mixed set aside.
6. In your casserole pan you will add around a cup of Doritos, and crush them slightly. Then add a thin layer of shredded cheese.
7. Pour your meat mixture on top of the Doritos.
8. Top with the rest of the cheese, and crush 2-3 cups of Doritos on top. We just break them a little bit, don’t over-crush or they will sog up.
9. Bake in the oven for 5-10 minutes or until warmed through.
10. Once the Dorito casserole is done, remove and serve with extra sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes or other toppings.

Kitchen notes

Ground Beef –

You can swap the ground beef with ground turkey, pork, or even used cooked chicken. Shredded or diced. Drain Grease – Drain off excess grease from your meat before you add in the taco seasoning. Mix-ins – Swap the refried beans with washed and rinsed black beans. Or add in a can of drained corn. Spice – You can use a hot taco seasoning and hot Rotel if you want extra spice.