Crock Pot Taco Casserole
Developed and tested by Robyn Conley Downs
on Jan 5, 2023 (last updated Sep 16, 2025) 
This easy Crock Pot Taco Casserole is a simple dump-and-go slow cooker recipe (my speciality!) that everyone will love. The ground beef requires no pre-browning, so you can easily whip up a hearty and delicious crowd pleasing casserole for a crowd or for dinner tonight!
5 star review
“This has become a regular in our dinner rotation. This recipe is also a great way to use up stale chips! We love recipes that provide leftovers for lunch the rest of the week!”
– Stacy
Crock Pot Taco Casserole w/ Ground Beef!
I’m known for easy slow cooker dinners, and this slow cooker taco casserole is about as simple (yet flavorful) as they come. The secret to making this a dump-and-go crock pot recipe is using my slow cooker taco meat as a base, since the ground beef does not need to be cooked before going into the slow cooker. Then, all you have to do is add enchilada sauce, black beans, shredded cheese, and your favorite corn chips; cook for a few more minutes, and dinner is ready!
This easy slow cooker recipe with ground beef works equally well as an easy dinner idea or as an appetizer for a hungry crowd – perfect for game day or large parties. My favorite part about this taco casserole recipe is that it’s made in the slow cooker, so you can make it without ever turning on the oven — plus it stays warm making it perfect for parties and game day. If you want to get a jump on prep, be sure to check out my notes, below, for tips on making this recipe ahead, as there are a few tricks you can use to make sure the chips don’t become soggy.
Welcome to My Kitchen! Let’s Make Ground Beef Crock Pot Taco Casserole
Testing Tips from My Kitchen for Making Ahead
During testing I found that this recipe really tastes and has the best texture if served right away, making it a perfect taco Tuesday crock pot recipe for dinner tonight! However, if you want to get a jump on prep, here’s what I recommend: Make the taco meat only (see Part I in the recipe instructions, below), then cool and store in a container in the fridge or directly in the base of the slow cooker, covered, for up to 3 days. When you’re ready to serve, reheat the meat on high in the slow cooker for about 30 minutes, or until hot. Then proceed with instructions for making the taco casserole (Part II in the recipe instructions, below). While leftovers will not have the same texture as the freshly cooked, this ground beef taco casserole will still taste good, and will last for about 3 days, covered and refrigerated.
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
- Ground beef: The type of ground beef is up to you, either a 95% lean ground beef or traditional 80% lean ground beef will work. I found that the extra fat from an 80% lean ground beef will lend extra flavor, but if you prefer leaner the long, slow cook time will still yield a delicious, tender result.
- Salsa: Salsa is a fantastic convenience ingredient in this recipe. I tested it with a number of different salsas, all of which worked well. However, overall, I preferred a “thick and chunky” style jarred salsa (such as Trader Joe’s, Muir Glen), or a store brand that doesn’t contain added sugar. I found that fresh, refrigerated salsa made the meat a bit too watery, but if that’s all you have, just know you might need to drain off some of the liquid after cooking. Bonus, since the jarred salsa is shelf stable this becomes a wildly easy pantry dinner!
- Mild chili powder: The chili powder (along with the garlic powder, smoked paprika, and cumin) is the base for making our own homemade taco seasoning. If you prefer to use a pre-made taco mix, substitute the taco seasoning for the garlic powder, smoked paprika, chili powder, and salt in this recipe. Use hot chili powder if you like things spicy.
- Smoked paprika: The smoked paprika lends a smoky flavor that I love, but if you don’t have it regular paprika will work.
- Enchilada sauce: I used my homemade enchilada sauce, but this recipe is also a great way to use store bought red enchilada sauce.
- Corn tortilla chips: I used sturdy, plain, triangle-shaped tortilla chip for this recipe, but round would also work. I haven’t tested it with other types of chips, such as Fritos or Doritos, but if you give it a try let me know how it goes in the comments.
Tip: The heat level of this taco casserole will depend on the type of salsa, chili powder, and enchilada sauce you use. For a mild casserole, use mild salsa, chili powder and enchilada sauce. For a spicy casserole, use spicy salsa, enchilada sauce, and hot chili powder.
Crock Pot Taco Casserole
Ingredients
For the Taco Meat
- 2 pounds 85/15 lean ground beef
- 1 (15-oz) jar chunky salsa
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon mild chili powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
For the Taco Casserole
- 1 (15-oz) can mild red enchilada sauce (about 2 cups),
- 1 (15-oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 ½ cups shredded Mexican cheese blend, divided
- 10 ounces sturdy corn tortilla chips
Optional Toppings
Equipment
Instructions
- Make the Taco Meat
- Add the ground beef, salsa, garlic powder, cumin, paprika, chili powder and salt to a 6-quart slow cooker. Break the meat apart into small pieces and stir to combine with the other ingredients.
- Cook on high for 2 hours, or low for 4 hours. Do not remove the lid during the cooking process. Remove the lid and drain most of the cooking liquid. Stir the meat to break into small pieces.
- Part II: Make the Taco Casserole
- Add the enchilada sauce, beans, 1 cup cheese, and chips, stirring to combine, being careful not to break the chips too much.
- Top with the remaining ½ cup cheese. Turn the slow cooker to high (if not already) cover, and cook for 15-30 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
- Serve immediately with additional toppings if desired.
Notes
- Optional Toppings: Chopped tomato, cilantro, avocado, sour cream, hot sauce.
For the taco casserole directions, you said what to add into the crockpot, then said to stir and try not to break up the tortilla chips too much. But, I didn’t see where you said to add the tortilla chips? Maybe stir the other ingredients together, then add the tortilla chips and gently stir them in to the mix to help prevent breaking? I wouldn’t be opposed to removing most of the mixture, then layering chips and the mixture to keep the chips from breaking. Looking forward to trying your recipe!
Also, in case you don’t have analytics running or available, I was looking at news on the Google app when I saw your recipe. 🙂
Diana, great catch! I updated the recipe to include the chips specifically prior to stirring them. I don’t think you need to layer the chips, as long as you stir everything gently it should be fine. Thanks for sharing where you found the recipe, too. Thanks so much for leaving a review!
This has become a regular in our dinner rotation. We have subbed in ground turkey, or used green salsa and green enchilada sauce, depending on what we have on hand. This recipe is also a great way to use up stale chips! We love recipes that provide leftovers for lunch the rest of the week. Thanks, Robyn!
Yay, so happy to hear you enjoyed this one! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!
Seriously one of my favorite ones yet! This was so easy, so good, had such a great flavor, everyone loved it. I didn’t put the chips in the crockpot. Instead, we ate this like nachos. Chips on bottom piled with taco casserole. Soooo yummy! This will be a regular in our house. Thank you for always keeping us fed with delicious, healthy meals.
Jodi, YAY, so happy to hear this one is a new favorite! I love the idea of serving over chips rather than stirring them in — definitely avoids any risk of the chips getting soggy and retains all the good crunch! Thanks so much for leaving a review and sharing that tip.
Would this be easy to reheat in the crockpot if needed?
Looking for something to make and bring to works and be easy to reheat.
Thanks
Hi Amanda, I have some notes in the blog post above on making ahead. Summary is that the chips will get soggy if you make the entire thing ahead. Instead you can make the beef ahead, then assemble at work and heat back together with the cheese and chips resulting in the freshest flavor. I hope that helps!
can you make this vegetarian?
I haven’t tested this one without meat, so I can’t say for sure. It would take a lot of tweaking beyond what I can guess at, but if you give it a try let us know how it turns out!
Clildi leave this in the crockpot for 9 hours?
This recipe looks awesome. I currently fix a meal for 40 homeless people each Monday, so I am looking for easy crockpot meals. This one sounds good. I can find the blog so I wondered if I could precook the meat, add the other ingredients and serve over chips? I certainly would like to see some of your other recipes! Thank you for sharing
Hi Lisa, to make this one ahead, make the taco meat only (see Part I in the recipe instructions, above), then cool and store in a container in the fridge or directly in the base of the slow cooker, covered, for up to 3 days. When you’re ready to serve, reheat the meat on high in the slow cooker for about 30 minutes, or until hot. Then proceed with instructions for making the taco casserole (Part II in the recipe instructions, above). I hope that helps!
I’m so happy with this! I have a new crockpot and was looking for recipes. I’m glad this is the first one I tried. My son, who tends to be a picky eater, loved it. If you are short on time, the Trader Joe’s taco seasoning packets work well and have most of the ingredients suggested for the taco meat. As suggested, I purchased the chunky salsa from Trader Joe’s. They also have an enchilada sauce. I added avocados and quac. A big hit and so easy too!
Laura, yay, so happy to hear this one was a hit for you and that you were able to “short-cut” the recipe even more with a taco seasoning packet. Love it when you can get all the ingredients at Trader Joe’s, too! Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and for leaving a review!
Hi Robyn. What if you’re using a vegan meat substitute? Does it still need to be cooked for 2 hours on high?
Andrea, I haven’t tested it, but I don’t think so. I think you’d just want to get the meat warmed with the spices, which should take about 30 minutes or so, and then proceed with the rest of the recipe. Let me know how it turns out!
I used 94% hamburger meat, added cut up black olives, small can of salt free corn and cut up onions. It was delicious!! Love the dump and go recipes.
Diane, yum, those sound like lovely additions! Thanks for sharing your thoughts and for leaving a review!
The best!
Yay, so happy to hear you enjoyed this beef taco casserole, Kym! Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and for leaving a review!
Do you cook the meat before putting it in the crockpot? I was unsure.
Amy, no need to cook the meat first! That’s what make this one so easy. You can if you’d like, however, in which case you can add it with the salsa and proceed with the remaining steps.
Could I leave this in the crockpot for 8 hours?
Hi Julie, hmmmmm, that’s a long time, so it depends on your slow cooker. You could do the meat on low for 8 hours, but it’s possible the liquid would evaporate and the meat would dry up and possible burn on the sides. It could work, but I’m not sure it’s worth the risk.