Hash brown taco casserole blends savory taco flavors and your favorite toppings. This is a dinner that satisfies the whole family on busy weeknights!
Plus, this easy recipe is packed with savory taco meat, hearty hash browns, lots of cheese, and all of the fixings. It's a filling comfort food that will make a great addition to your regular meal rotation!
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Why you'll love this recipe
✔️ This delicious casserole takes just ten easy minutes of prep and is completely ready to eat in under an hour!
✔️ Tacos are a family favorite, so even picky eaters get excited to hear that Mexican hashbrown casserole is on the menu.
✔️ The base of this casserole is super easy to adjust to your tastes—you can add as many of your favorite taco toppings as you like!
Ingredients
Please refer to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for the exact measurements.
- lean ground beef or turkey
- onion and red bell pepper
- can of black beans
- can of corn
- taco seasoning
- Ro*tel (canned diced tomatoes with green chilies)
- cream of chicken soup
- sour cream
- frozen diced or shredded hash browns
- cheddar cheese
Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. For complete directions, scroll down to the bottom.
- Preheat the oven to and prepare the casserole dish, set aside.
- In a large stockpot or large fry pan, brown ground beef with diced onions and bell pepper. When there is no longer any pink, drain if desired.
- To the ground beef add the taco seasoning, Rotel, drained corn, rinsed black beans, and water. Stir well to combine and simmer.
- Place the hashbrown potatoes, cream of chicken soup, sour cream, and 1 cup of shredded cheese in a large mixing bowl and combine. Add the taco mixture and stir again. Spoon the taco potato mixture into the prepared baking dish.
- Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake.
- Remove the foil and top with the remaining cheese. Place under the broiler for 1-2 minutes to melt and brown the cheese.
- Allow to sit loosely covered with foil for 10 minutes. Serve topped with your favorite taco fixings. Enjoy!
Equipment
- Large skillet, stock pot, or frying pan
- 9x13 casserole dish
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FAQ's
Yes, ground beef needs to be cooked first.
Nope, no thawing is necessary! Whether you're using regular hash browns (the kind that are diced into small pieces) or shredded hash browns, you can leave them frozen.
It depends on what you prefer. You can use diced hash browns or shredded ones. After all, they're both frozen, blanched potato products, just shaped in different (but equally delicious) ways.
Yep, this is a great recipe to prep ahead! Follow the directions as written, covering the baking dish with foil. However, instead of putting it in the oven, store it in the refrigerator for up to one day. Then, bake as instructed the next day when dinner time rolls around!
Sure! First, follow the steps to brown the beef and mix the ingredients. However, instead of spreading it in a baking dish, add it to the bottom of your slow cooker. Then, cook slow cooker taco potato casserole on high for two to two-and-a-half hours, or on low for four.
We like guacamole or avocado, sliced red onions, and hot sauce. However, you can't go wrong with green onions, black olives, jalapenos, and cilantro, either!
Test kitchen tips
- If your ground beef releases a lot of grease, you'll want to drain off the excess fat. Otherwise, the meat mixture will be greasy.
- Remember to drain the corn and beans—bean liquid doesn't taste good.
- However, don't drain the Ro-Tel tomatoes. After all, the spicy, peppery tomato sauce liquid adds lots of flavor!
- Be sure to put a tight layer of foil over the casserole dish to lock in all the heat while baking—this keeps the meal moist and delicious!
- If you prepped the hash brown taco casserole ahead, let the baking dish sit at room temperature for 30 minutes—cold glass can crack in a hot oven.
Variations
Taco casserole tastes great with ground beef or turkey. However, if you have other ground meat to use up, like pork or chicken, it'll work too. On the other hand, feel free to leave out the meat for a vegetarian dinner!
Adjust the heat level of your casserole. You can use mild, medium, or spicy taco seasoning mix. You can also stir in some jalapenos if you like it even hotter!
Next time, experiment with another favorite type of cheese. Cheddar is an all-around tasty choice, but Pepper Jack or a Mexican blend would be great, too.
Storage
Refrigerate—Store leftover casserole in an airtight container in the fridge for three to four days.
Freezer—Good casseroles like this make great freezer meals. It'll last frozen for three to four months.
Reheat—Let frozen leftovers thaw in the fridge overnight. Then, heat in the microwave in 30-second bursts until hot again.
Related recipes
- One of my favorite casserole recipes, Taco Salad Casserole combines juicy beef, refried beans, peppers, Doritos, and more. It's 10/10 delish!
- With a luscious cream cheese-based sauce, tender potatoes, and Montreal steak flavor, Hamburger Potato Casserole always hits the spot.
- This Mexican Tater Tot Casserole is not only delicious and filling, but the whole family gets excited to eat crisp, cheesy, golden brown tots.
- Creamy Chicken and Potato Bake delivers mouthwatering flavor with easy prep in a satisfying and hearty one-pan casserole.
Serve with
- Creamy Guacamole Dip is easy and fresh and makes a great addition to chips, enchiladas, and—oh yeah—hash brown taco casserole!
- Mexican Coleslaw comes together in minutes and adds a spicy, fresh, crisp component to your cheesy taco dinner.
- Cast Iron Skillet Cornbread tastes buttery and sweet—it's the perfect way to fill everyone up and make your meal stretch!
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What did you think of this yummy casserole recipe? We thought it was delicious, but I'd love to hear your opinion. Please leave me a note below!
Hashbrown Taco Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef or turkey
- 1 onion diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 15-ounce can black beans rinsed and drained
- 2 1-ounce packets taco seasoning
- ¼ cup water
- 1 15-ounce canned corn drained
- 10 ounce can of Ro*tel (canned diced tomatoes with green chilies)
- 10.5 ounce can cream of chicken soup
- ½ cup sour cream
- 30 ounce bag of frozen diced hash browns with onions and bell peppers.
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9x13 casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large stockpot or large fry pan, brown the ground beef, with the diced onions and bell pepper. When there is no longer any pink, drain if desired.
- Add the taco seasoning, Rotel (undrained), drained corn, black beans, water and cream of chicken soup to the taco meat. Stir well to combine and simmer for five minutes.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the hashbrown potatoes, cream of chicken soup, sour cream, and 1 cup of shredded cheese. Add the taco mixture and mix well to combine. Spoon the taco potato mixture into the prepared baking dish.
- Cover tightly with aluminum foil and place in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes.
- Remove the foil and add the remaining cheese. Place under the broiler for 1-2 minutes to melt and brown the cheese.
- Allow to sit loosely covered with foil for 10 minutes. Serve topped with your favorite taco fixings. Enjoy!
Regina says
This is really questions. The ingredients call for 3/4 c water. It is not mentioned in the instructions. Im guessing its used in the meat mixture?
Also the instructions for the meat mixture states to add the cream of chicken soup. The potato mixture also states to add cream of chicken soup. However the ingredient list show only a can of soup. It is supposed to be 2 cans?
Thanks got clarifying.
Debra Clark says
My apologies Regina, for this recipe, you'll use just one can of cream of chicken soup. I just went through the recipe and clarified the rest of it. Thanks so much for bringing it to my attention.
Lois says
This looks just wonderful. So tasty. Will be making it very soon.
Debra Clark says
Fantastic, enjoy the casserole Lois!