Frito Taco Casserole Recipe

This frito taco casserole is great to make for dinner. This casserole is loaded with a taco meat mixture that combines seasoned ground beef, refried beans, rice and much more. The mixture is prepared in a skillet and then spooned into a baking dish and topped off with Fritos and additional cheese if desired. There are several delicious toppings for this dish including sour cream, guacamole, lettuce, tomato and black olives. I like to add the Frito chips during the last few minutes of cooking so that they do not get soggy. Enjoy.

Frito Taco Casserole

Yield: 4 Servings

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4lbs ground beef
• 1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
• 1 (4 ounce) can diced green chiles
• 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
• 2 cups cooked rice
• 1 cup frito corn chips
• 1 cup salsa
• ¼ cup water
• 1 medium yellow onion (chopped)
• 1 (1.25 ounce) packet taco seasoning
• salt and pepper (to taste)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Brown the ground beef and onion in a large skillet over medium-high heat while breaking up into chunks with a spatula until cooked through and no longer pink. Drain fat.
2. Season with salt and pepper and taco seasoning. Add salsa, chiles and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and stir in rice, 1 cup of shredded cheese, and refried beans. Transfer the mixture to a 9x13 inch baking dish. Place into the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes or until the dish is warmed through. During the last few minutes of cooking, top the dish with shredded cheese and tortilla chips. Cook until the cheese has melted.

Adapted from 12 Tomatoes.