Pasta Taco Casserole with Doritos is one of my favorite answers to the question, “What’s for dinner?!” On the nights when you’re barely able to make it through the witching hours between after school and bedtime, this is the best answer. This hearty recipe comes in super handy on busy weeknights. It’s full of taco flavors that kids and adults love with pasta and crunchy Doritos on top. This twist on my Taco Pasta Salad is sure to also win over your family’s hearts.
Homemade Taco Seasoning
Another key ingredient to this recipe is taco seasoning. This recipe calls for 3 tablespoons of taco seasoning. This is the same exact amount that is in a 1 ounce packet of seasoning from the grocery store. While that short cut is absolutely acceptable, I strongly encourage you to make a large batch of my homemade taco seasoning. We use it all the time in so many different recipes.
Bring the water you are cooking the pasta in to a roaring boil. This is key. Without a roaring boil to begin with, your pasta won’t cook properly. Salt the water. A teaspoon of kosher salt in pasta water can really enhance the flavor of pasta in whatever dish you are adding it to. Cook the pasta for a minute or two less than the box indicates. If it is going in a casserole, it will cook longer. Therefore, you want to boil it a little short so that in the end it isn’t over cooked. Reserve pasta water. That starchy pasta water is liquid gold. Though we aren’t using it in this taco casserole recipe, in other recipes a little bit of it added to the casserole can add a lot.
But, if you want to kick things up a notch, make my homemade Blender Salsa. It only takes about 10 minutes to make, and it is so good. Plus, you will have extra to serve on the side.
Baked Taco Casserole Toppings
If you want to pull this out of the oven and start eating, no judgments from me. But you might like to add some toppings.
Diced Tomatoes Sliced Olives Shredded Iceberg Lettuce Pickled Jalapeños Pico de Gallo
Substitutions and Variations
Make it low carb. Swap the noodles in this recipe for 1 cup of black beans and 1 cup of pinto beans. With both kinds of beans, make sure to drain and rinse them before adding them to the recipe. Swap the beef for turkey. If your family prefers ground turkey, you can easily swap in ground turkey in this recipe without making any other changes. Make it spicy. This recipe is pretty mild as written. You can kick it up a notch by adding more jalapeños to the salsa and more cayenne pepper to the taco seasoning. Skip the Doritos. We love the crunch they bring this recipe, but if you are watching calories, they are the best place the cut some.
Making Ahead and Freezing
This is a great recipe to either make ahead or freeze. For both, make the recipe up to the point of putting it in the oven. If you are just making it ahead, cover it and refrigerate it for 24 hours. Then continue on with the recipe as written. To freeze the recipe make it in a disposable baking dish, cover it in aluminum foil, then wrap it three times in plastic wrap. Freeze the recipe for up to three months. When you are ready to bake it, remove the plastic wrap, bake while covered for 20 minutes, then uncover it and bake for 20 more minutes. It can be baked from frozen at 350 degrees.
What to Serve with Taco Casserole
This makes a great recipe on it’s own, but if you want to round it out further, here are a few great recipes to add to the table.
Homemade Cornbread: This simple recipe compliments my easy taco casserole perfectly. It can also be made as muffins! The Best Margaritas: These truly are the best. This is the hill I will die on. Chips and Corn Salsa: This will make the best appetizer for this amazing spread.
If you make this baked taco casserole or any o fry other recipes, please leave me a comment and let me know what you think!
