Walking Taco Casserole (One-Pan)
Developed and tested by Robyn Conley Downs
on Sep 25, 2023 (last updated Mar 23, 2026) 
If you’re a fan of walking tacos, you will love my easier version of walking taco casserole that can be made ahead and feeds a crowd with ease in just one-pan. Filled with slightly spiced ground beef and topped with crunchy Frito corn chips, it’s the perfect 30-minute dish for a weeknight dinner.
5 star review
“I made this for a variation on our traditional Taco Tuesday and it was a hit with the fam (including three teens). The kids rated it a 10/10 and asked me to keep it in the rotation. Super easy, flavorful and easily customizable with the toppings. Will definitely make this again!”
– Ashley
This Walking Taco Bake Couldn’t Be Simpler or More Delicious!
As fans of all things tacos, my family absolutely loves this walking taco casserole! Walking tacos are so fun, but you can’t make them ahead of time, so I wanted to create a make-ahead, one-pan version that can be made for a crowd or for an easy weeknight meal.
And this version fits the bill as an easy, quick, and make-ahead option. Plus, this recipe is a little on the lighter side, think of a lightened up version of Taco Bell! On that note, my crockpot taco casserole is another great option for taco nights at home throughout the week.
For this one, I focused on keeping the protein high with lean ground beef and hearty with black beans. And, there’s just enough cheese in there to give it a creamy consistency without being too heavy. Other than that all you have to do is cook everything together in one pan, top with crunchy chips, and give it a quick trip to the oven.
Top with all the good stuff (shredded ice burg lettuce and tomatoes are a must in my opinion), and you have yourself a new way to do taco night that’s worth putting on the repeat menu! And for another hearty one-pan ground beef dinner, my stuffed pepper casserole is worth adding to the weeknight rotation.
Welcome to My Kitchen, Let’s Make Walking Taco Casserole
Testing Notes for an Taco Skillet Casserole
- No beans: If you don’t like or have black beans (or another bean), you can leave them out. Just add another pound of ground beef.
- Switch up the meat: I use lean ground beef to keep the dish lighter, but you can use any ground beef you like. You could also use ground chicken or turkey.
- No cream cheese: If you don’t have cream cheese, you can leave it out, but the casserole won’t be quite as creamy.
- Use your favorite chip: Walking tacos traditionally use Fritos, but you can use Trader Joe’s Corn Chip Dippers, tortilla chips, or Doritos.
- Add spice: Add a can of diced green chilis to the ground beef mixture to boost the spice level.
Walking Taco Casserole (One-Pan)
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- ½ medium yellow onion, finely diced (½ cup)
- 1 pound 90% lean ground beef
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon mild chili powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons cream cheese
- 2 cups grated Mexican cheese blend
- 2 cups corn chips, such as Fritos
Optional Toppings
- Diced tomatoes, shredded iceberg lettuce, sour cream, sliced black olives.
Equipment
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 375F.
- Heat a large, oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil, onion, and a pinch of salt. Cook until the onions begin to soften, about 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Turn the heat to medium high. Add the ground beef, sprinkle with salt, chili powder, garlic, and smoked paprika, stirring to break the meat apart. Cook until browned and no longer pink, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add beans and tomato sauce, then turn the heat to medium low and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Turn off the heat, add the cream cheese and 1 cup of cheese, and stir until the cheese is melted.
- Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of cheese and the corn chips over the top to cover evenly.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes until bubbling and the cheese is melted.
- Allow to cool slightly, then serve with toppings of your choice.
Notes
- Make-Ahead: This casserole makes a great addition to a potluck or gathering. Just store the toppings separately to avoid everything getting soggy, then top when you are just ready to serve.
I made this for a variation on our traditional Taco Tuesday and it was a hit with the fam (including three teens). The kids rated it a 10/10 and asked me to keep it in the rotation. Super easy, flavorful and easily customizable with the toppings. Love that it’s GF too since we eat gluten free. We used corn chips from Whole Foods that are slightly different than Fritos but it still turned out perfectly. Will definitely make this again!
Ashley, yay, so happy to hear this one was a hit for you and the fam, and great to know it was just as good with other brands of corn chips. Thanks so much for leaving a review!
This recipe came together quickly with pantry staples and was full of flavor. Five stars from picky teen! We will definitely make this one again.
Heather, woohoo, sounds like a winning combination. So happy to hear you and your crew enjoyed this one, and thanks so much for leaving a review!
This was so delicious! My five and eight year olds thought so too. No easy feat. Thank you!!!
Laura, that’s fantastic to hear! So glad this one was a hit, and thanks so much for leaving a review!
My family loved this!
Robyn, yay, so happy to hear this one was a hit with your fam. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review! 🙂
I had the ingredients on hand and wanted to take a portable meal to a potluck. Needed to be gluten free. This was amazing! All five adults loved it!
Maria, yay, so happy to hear this one was a hit with the entire potluck. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts!
Great recipe to work off of; I used fresh jalapeño, tomato, and lettuce from the garden. I also mixed mashed roasted pumpkin in with the black beans. It’s a very versatile recipe.
Kate, ohhh, I love all the adjustments you made. Great idea to add in roasted pumpkin and extra veggies, too! Thanks so much for sharing your tips.
This brings me back to my childhood! This was GOOD! We didn’t bake the fritos on top as we were anticipating leftovers (house of two!) and didn’t want them to get soggy. We made bowls with the fritos, meat, lettuce, tomatoes, and then some greek yogurt on top.
Next time I think I’ll dice some pepper into the mixture as well for some added veggies but this was definitely a hit that we’ll make again!
Katie, yay for nostalgic recipes, and great idea to serve the Fritos separately to avoid sogginess! Also agree that this one lends itself to adding extra veggies. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and for leaving a review!
I really love this one ❤️ an easy one to make and definitely one I consider to give away as a meal,happy cooking ya’ll!!
Ruthie, I love this recipe for giving to a friend or loved one, too. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and for leaving a reivew!
am I suppose to drain the hamburger meat grease before I add beans
Hi Jill, I use lean ground beef so don’t end up with too much grease, but if you use a higher fat content then, yes, drain the grease and most of the cooking liquid prior to adding the beans and enchilada sauce. I hope you enjoy!
Loved this recipe! The addition of the cream cheese really enhanced this dish. I began making this dish on a very full evening and my spouse could easily complete it. I love the easy directions and the taste was fabulous!
Shelia, so happy to hear this one was a hit and I love how you and your spouse were able to tag-team dinner – so smart! Thanks for sharing your tips and for leaving a review!
You mention enchilada sauce in a comment but the recipe calls for tomato sauce which one is correct?
Cheryl, the recipe is correct… I don’t see a mention of enchilada sauce, either. However, if you’d like to use enchilada sauce it will work well as a sub for tomato sauce!
The enchilada sauce was mentioned in your March 17 reply. I will try the recipe with both. Thank you for getting back with me.
Cheryl, sounds good, and sorry for any confusion! I hope you enjoy!
I thought this would be good, but just kind of average. It’s SO good! Great for a crowd.
Cristine, ohhhh, I love it when that happens! So happy to hear this one was a hit, and thanks so much for taking the time to leave reviews, I really apprecite it!