Cheesy Layered Doritos Casserole (Ground Beef Recipe)

Layers of crunchy Nacho Cheese Doritos, taco seasoned ground beef, gooey cheese, and yummy veggies make this easy doritos casserole an instant hit with the family! It can be assembled ahead - perfect for weeknight dinners!

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Serving of Ground Beef Dorito Casserole on white plate.

This hearty casserole satisfies every time with bold, zesty taco meat, black beans, loads of cheese, and nacho cheese Doritos.

Overhead shot of spoon with ground beef Dorito casserole.

Table of Contents

🗝️ Key takeaways
🧾 Ingredients
📖 Ground beef Dorito casserole variations
🔪 Instructions
🥫 How to store leftovers
Expert Tip:
💭 Things to know
👩‍🍳 FAQs
📚 Favorite casserole recipes
🍽️ Serve with...
📞 The last word
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments

🗝️ Key takeaways

This is an easy casserole full of yummy Mexican flavors that is picky eater friendly.
It can be assembled in the morning and baked when you're ready to eat.
Freshly shredded cheese is so much better than pre-shredded from the grocery store. Be sure to shred the cheese from a block.

If your kids (or husband!) have ever begged for Dorito chips for dinner, this layered ground beef Dorito casserole is guaranteed to become their new favorite meal.

I absolutely love family-friendly dishes like this! Cowboy casserole is another favorite around here.

🧾 Ingredients

This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.

📖 Ground beef Dorito casserole variations

Try Dorito taco casserole with ground pork, ground turkey, ground chicken, or ground venison or other game meat.
If you don't have black beans, you can swap them for Ranch Style beans, pinto beans or even a can of refried beans.
Want it even creamier? Add 4 ounces of cubed cream cheese to the creamed corn and heat in the microwave until the cream cheese melts and you can mix the two together.
Before browning the meat, saute some onions or chopped bell peppers to sneak more veggies into the meal.
Forgot a pack of seasoning mix? Make homemade taco seasoning with chili powder, black pepper, salt, cumin, paprika, and oregano. Add garlic powder, onion powder, and/or cayenne for more flavor!
Stir in your favorite green chiles or jalapenos for more spice!
Queso, Pepper Jack, or Monterey Jack cheese also tastes great in Dorito taco casserole.
In addition to the green onions, garnish with your favorite taco toppings like fresh cilantro, sour cream, lettuce, guac, or hot sauce.

🔪 Instructions

This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page.

Spread lightly crushed chips in the prepared casserole dish.
Spoon ground beef mixture and remaining ingredients evenly over the layer of Doritos.
Sprinkle with cheddar cheese.
Bake and dig in!

🥫 How to store leftovers

As all the best casseroles do, this easy Dorito casserole recipe stores and reheats just as easily as it comes together!

Dump any leftovers into an airtight container (or cover the dish with plastic wrap) and refrigerate for two to three days.

Heat it up in the microwave for a minute or two until it's hot—it may need a little bit more time if you're warming a larger portion.

After microwaving, the crunchy chips can sometimes soften a bit. My easy solution? Serve the warmed leftovers with a few fresh Dorito chips—I like to crumble 'em up right over top!

You can freeze this if you absolutely have to but the texture isn't great afterwards.

However, if you're looking for make-ahead, freezable Tex-Mex you can't go wrong with these freezer-friendly beef and green chile enchiladas.

Ground beef dorito casserole with serving taken out.

Expert Tip:

I prefer lean ground beef (90/10), but you can use any kind you like or have. Just remember to drain off the grease, especially when using fattier blends.

💭 Things to know

If you don't have a large skillet for browning the meat, any heavy-bottomed fry pan will do.
Don't drain grease down your sink or it'll clog! Rather, pour it off into an aluminum foil-lined bowl and set aside. Once it cools and solidifies, you can wrap up the foil and discard it—nice and easy.
Use a glass or ceramic baking dish, not a thin, metal baking pan.
Crush the entire bag of Doritos quickly by hitting it a few times with a rolling pin!
However, don't smash the Doritos into super small pieces—they're the best part of this tasty dinner, so you want to be able to find them in it!
Hate grating cheese? Freshly shredded cheese is so much better than pre-shredded from the grocery store, so consider purchasing a cheese grater electric mixer attachment to make the process easier!

👩‍🍳 FAQs

Dorito chips in a dinner—is it really possible?!

Doritos tortilla chips are deliciously addictive and flavorful. They're a common snack, but the really big secret is that they make a great Mexican casserole, too. The nacho cheese flavor pairs so well with the other ingredients and the crisp texture in every bite is perfection!

Can I use diced tomatoes instead of Rotel?

Rotel tomatoes are actually a popular brand of diced tomatoes, so, sure! However, the Rotel tomatoes have different spices and diced chile peppers added that provide delicious flavor to the casserole, so look for Rotel tomatoes with chiles if you can.

Why do you use creamed corn instead of regular?

The creamed corn adds a bit of a creamy element to the dish! You could swap it out for a can of regular corn (well-drained) but this ground beef Dorito casserole recipe is seriously tasty as written, so I'd recommend giving the creamed corn a try.

Is the water in this recipe necessary?

Taco seasoning mix generally is accompanied by a quarter cup of water or so. It helps the spice mix blend into a delicious sauce that evenly coats all of your meat. However, while simmering, most of the water will evaporate, so you don't have to worry about it making the casserole soggy.

📚 Favorite casserole recipes

Swap the nacho cheese flavoring for everyone's favorite Cool Ranch Doritos in this Mexican Chicken Casserole. Tip: save even more time and use leftover rotisserie chicken!
Easy Beef Enchilada Casserole layers (instead of rolls!) corn tortillas and zingy red enchilada sauce for a simple twist on the classic, hearty dish.
Keep the chip fun going with Frito Chicken Casserole. It's packed with flavor from green chilies, and the cream of chicken soup keeps it extra decadent and rich—perfect for a busy, cold day!