Doritos Casserole
Oct 22, 2025
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My Doritos casserole is one of those easy, hearty meals that saves weeknight dinner. It’s full of seasoned ground beef, cheese, and crunchy Doritos chips. A family friendly dinner that is a must try.
I’ve been on a bit of a Doritos kick lately with my Doritos taco salad with Catalina dressing and Doritos dip, I can’t seem to get enough of the crunchy, cheesy flavor. Doritos casserole with ground beef is my new obsession, a hearty, flavor filled meal with layers of seasoned ground beef, cheesy filling, and crunchy chips.
There seems to always be a bag of Doritos chips in our pantry because it’s one of my son’s favorite snacks. That’s one of the reasons I wanted to make this casserole. My son can be picky when it comes to dinner, so I thought if I could incorporate his favorite snack, he might try it. Turns out, he loves it!
If I’m in need of a dinner that I know everyone will love, I often turn to this recipe. Fun taco flavor that the whole family can agree on.
Looking for more easy ground beef casserole, be sure to check out this ground beef and rice casserole, cattle drive casserole, and sloppy joe casserole.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Easy dinner recipe. This is a simple and hearty dinner recipe that is sure to be a winner with family and friends.
- Fun flavors. Tasty taco and Dorito flavors in one casserole.
- Cheesy and crunchy. The chips give this taco casserole a great crunch.
- Can be customized. You can easily customize this recipe to make it your own.
Ingredients
Doritos taco casserole is made with just a handful of ingredients.
- Doritos: I like using classic Doritos Nacho Cheese chips but you can use other Doritos like Cool Ranch or Sweet Chili chips.
- Ground beef: Use lean ground beef to help reduce any excess grease.
- Onion: Diced onion. I like using a yellow onion or Vidalia onion.
- Taco seasoning: I am using a packet of taco seasoning, you can also use homemade seasoning.
- Sour cream: Adds a creamy touch to the ground beef mixture.
- Rotel: A can of diced tomatoes with green chilis adds wonderful flavor.
- Pinto beans: I like pinto beans in my casserole but you can substitute with black beans or leave out the beans completely.
- Cheese: I like using colby jack cheese but you can use other cheeses like cheddar cheese, Monterey jack, or a Mexican blend.
How to make Doritos casserole
Scroll to the bottom for the full, printable Doritos casserole recipe.
Step one: Brown the ground beef in a large skillet. Drain off any excess grease. Stir in red peppers and diced onion.
Step two: Stir in the taco seasonings and Rotel. Mix in the sour cream and beans.
Step three: Break of the Dorito chips into smaller pieces.
Step four: Spread 1/3 of the Doritos chips in the casserole dish. Top with 1/2 of the meat mixture and 1/3 of the cheese.
Step five: Add another 1/3 of the Doritos chips, the remaining meat mixture, and 1/3 of cheese.
Step six: Top with remaining chips and cheese.
Step seven: Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 25 minutes.
Heather’s recipe tips
- If possible, use freshly shredded cheese for the best melting results.
- Gently break up the Dorito chips into smaller pieces. Make sure not to crumble them up too small.
- Let the casserole rest for about 5 minutes before serving. This helps everything hold together.
Variations and substitutions
You can make this ground beef and Doritos casserole recipe your own with a few adjustments. Here are a few ideas:
- Chicken Doritos casserole: Substitute the ground beef with either ground chicken or shredded chicken.
- Meatless casserole: Leave out the meat and use black beans or pinto beans.
- Sauce drizzle: Top off the casserole with a drizzle of this copycat Taco Bell quesadilla sauce or
- Different chips: Replace the Doritos with tortilla chips.
Doritos casserole toppings
This ground beef taco casserole is great on its own but you can also add toppings for extra flavor. Some of my favorite include:
- Diced green onions
- Diced avocados
- Sliced black olives
- Diced tomatoes
- Salsa
- Sour cream
- Jalapenos
Storage
Store: Let the casserole completely cool before either covering the dish tightly with foil and transferring to an airtight container. Keep it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Freeze: You can freeze this casserole for up to 2 months. Let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight. I recommend adding some fresh chips the top before serving.
Reheat: Reheat the dish in the oven at 350 for 15-20 minutes. You can also reheat individual portions in the microwave for about 2 minutes.
FAQ’s
No, you will use the whole can, don’t drain.
Yes, you can use ground chicken, turkey, or even a meatless substitute.
More easy casserole recipe
Doritos Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- ½ cup onion, diced
- 1 ounce taco seasoning
- 1 (10 ounce) can Rotel tomatoes with green chilis
- 1 (16 ounce) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (16 ounce) shredded colby jack cheese
- 1 (16 ounce) bag Doritos Nacho Cheese chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 13 casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.
- Cook the ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat. Make sure to break it up with a spatula and cook until browned. Drain off any excess grease.
- Stir in the diced onions and diced red peppers. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in the taco seasonings and the can of Rotel and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in the beans and sour cream. Remove the skillet form the heat.
- Break of the Doritos chips into smaller pieces. Make sure not to break them up too small.
- Spread 1/3 of the broken Doritos chips over the bottom of the casserole dish. Top with half of the ground beef mixture. Spread 1/3 of the shredded cheese over the beef mixture.
- Add the next 1/3 of broken Doritos over the cheese. Top with the remaining ground beef mixture, and 1/3 of cheese. Spread out the remaining chips and cheese.
- Cover the dish with foil and bake for 25 minutes.
- Optional, add any extra toppings like diced green onions.
- Serve warm.
Notes
- If possible, use freshly shredded cheese for the best melting results.
- Gently break up the Dorito chips into smaller pieces. Make sure not to crumble them up too small.
- Let the casserole rest for about 5 minutes before serving. This helps everything hold together.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
