Your busiest weeknights just got a little bit easier, thanks to this 5-Ingredient Taco Casserole! Thanks to a crescent roll crust, it's an easy dinner recipe that's on the table in about 30 minutes!
For those crazy evenings when you need to feed your family fast! This convenient taco casserole recipe takes advantage of just a handful of pantry and refrigerator staples, so you can keep these items on hand and know that you've always got a simple meal ready to go!
What is Taco Casserole?
This dish is the perfect cross between a classic taco and a cozy casserole! Crescent roll dough forms a crust, which is topped with a ground beef taco mixture, salsa and cheese. My boys describe it as a "Mexican Pizza," which can be piled high with all of your favorite toppings!
How to make Taco Casserole:
First, you'll need the following 5 ingredients:
- crescent roll dough
- ground beef
- taco seasoning
- salsa
- grated cheddar cheese
I like to use a can of Pillsbury crescent dough sheet, which doesn't have the perforations that you'll find in a regular can of crescent roll dough. If you can't find the sheet of dough, just use the regular crescent rolls and pinch together the perforations so that it doesn't fall apart.
Unroll the dough sheet and place it in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
Next, prepare the taco meat in a large skillet!
Add salsa to the taco meat, spread it on top of the dough, and then top with grated cheddar cheese.
Bake the casserole in a 350 degree F oven for about 20 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.
Slice into squares and garnish with all of your favorite toppings! Good options include:
- Diced avocado or guacamole
- Sliced olives
- Sliced jalapeño
- Sour cream
- Fresh cilantro
- Diced tomatoes
- Finely diced red onion or sliced green onion
- Chopped lettuce
What goes with Taco Casserole?
Add some fresh veggies on top, and you really don't need anything more to complete the meal! That said, I like to pair the casserole with Mexican-inspired sides, such as:
- Tortilla chips and Fresh 5-Minute Homemade Salsa or 3-Ingredient Queso Dip
- Healthy and Easy Corn Salad
- Quick and Easy Pico de Gallo
- A simple green salad with a salsa-ranch dressing
Cook's Tips and Recipe Variations:
- Prep ahead! Make this dinner in advance and just leave it in the refrigerator until you're ready to bake it later that same day. You can even prepare the taco meat mixture over the weekend and keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days before you need to assemble and bake the casserole.
- For a thicker crust, prepare the casserole in a smaller 11 x 7-inch dish.
- Instead of the ground beef, you can substitute with ground turkey or ground chicken in this taco casserole bake.
- This casserole is a perfect meal for serving a family, because each individual can customize her slice to suit her specific tastes. My kids like their squares plain, while Keith and I love to pile all of favorite taco toppings on top! Set up a buffet and let your family members have fun with their own creations.
- Can you freeze taco casserole? Yes! This is a great freezer meal because you can freeze the casserole before or after baking. If it's already baked, the crust may get a bit soggy, but leftovers are still delicious! Wrapped tightly, the casserole will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to enjoy, thaw the casserole in the refrigerator overnight. Reheat individual slices in the microwave, or warm the casserole in a 325 degree F oven for about 15 minutes.
More taco recipes that you might enjoy:
- Easy Taco Casserole with Doritos
- Taco Stuffed Potatoes
- Doritos Taco Salad
- 5-Ingredient Taco Biscuit Cups
- Taco Casserole with Noodles
- Dump-and-Bake Taco Casserole with Rice
5-Ingredient Taco Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 (8 ounce) can Pillsbury crescent roll dough (I like to use the Crescent Dough Sheet, which doesn’t have any perforations)
- 1 lb. lean ground beef
- 1 (1 ounce) packet taco seasoning
- ¾ cup salsa
- 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
- Optional toppings: sliced olives, sliced jalapeño, chopped lettuce, diced tomatoes, diced avocado or guacamole, sour cream, cilantro, diced red onion or sliced green onion
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- Unroll crescent roll dough and gently press into the bottom of the prepared dish to form a crust. Set aside.
- Cook ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat until meat is no longer pink. Drain and return to skillet. Stir in taco seasoning mix and ⅔ cup water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer uncovered for 3-4 minutes (stirring often), until thickened. Stir in salsa.
- Spoon beef mixture over the crescent roll dough. Sprinkle with grated cheese.
- Bake for 20 minutes, or until crust is golden brown. Cut into squares, garnish with optional toppings, and serve.
Notes
- Prep ahead! Make this dinner in advance and just leave it in the refrigerator until you're ready to bake it later that same day. You can even prepare the taco meat mixture over the weekend and keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days before you need to assemble and bake the casserole.
- For a thicker crust, prepare the casserole in a smaller 11 x 7-inch dish.
- Instead of the ground beef, you can substitute with ground turkey or ground chicken in this taco casserole bake.
- This casserole is a perfect meal for serving a family, because each individual can customize her slice to suit her specific tastes. My kids like their squares plain, while Keith and I love to pile all of favorite taco toppings on top! Set up a buffet and let your family members have fun with their own creations.
- Can you freeze taco casserole? Yes! This is a great freezer meal because you can freeze the casserole before or after baking. If it's already baked, the crust may get a bit soggy, but leftovers are still delicious! Wrapped tightly, the casserole will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to enjoy, thaw the casserole in the refrigerator overnight. Reheat individual slices in the microwave, or warm the casserole in a 325 degree F oven for about 15 minutes.
Nutrition
This post was originally published in April, 2015. It was updated in August, 2019.
Lara
Wow your recipes look great!! My kids are the same they love Mexican style food!
Blair
Thanks, Lara! 🙂 If they love Mexican, then this dish will be a winner in your house, too!
susen @Dabbling Momma
You always have the most delicious looking recipes, pinned!
Blair
Susen, thank you!!
Jill
You can lighten it up even more by using ground turkey in place of the ground beef and they will never know the difference.
Blair
Great idea, Jill! I think I'll try that next time. 🙂
christy sander
Hi-Can I sub pie crust for the crescent rolls? Thanks!
Blair
Hey, Christy! Yes -- I think that would work, but I haven't actually tried it myself, so I can't say if the cooking time would be exactly the same or not. The pie crust will also have a very different taste and texture than the crescent rolls -- not as thick and puffy. Let me know how it works if you give that a try!
Christy Sander
Thanks! Will do!
Christy Ann Sander
Hi Blair,
I did make it and it turned out fine. I used 2 pie crust rolls in one glass pyrex dish (9x12). It reminded me of "cheeseburger pie" my dad used to make! Thanks for sharing!
Blair
Oh, good! I'm so glad to know that it worked, Christy Ann!
Christine Williams
Would you add beans on top of the meat or under? I would love to try with beans
Blair
One of our very favorite dinners! 🙂 Yes -- if you add the beans, I would either mix them right into the beef mixture OR layer them on top of the beef, then top with cheese. Enjoy!
Ashley
Can you explain the benefit to draining the beef, (if other than removing excess fat) adding water then simmering more? Thanks so much.
Blair
Hi, Ashley! Sure! You want to drain the beef to remove the fat so that you don't have a greasy casserole. You add the water because the water combines with the taco seasoning packet to create the sauce that coats the meat. Taco seasoning packets have a thickening agent in them, which is why you need that water to thin the sauce. Enjoy!
Ashley
Thank you! This explains a lot. I used my own taco seasoning I made, so now I understand why I had to drain it afterwards. Delicious recipe!
Blair
You're very welcome. Yes, if you don't have that thickener in the seasoning mix, you wouldn't need the extra water. Glad you enjoyed!
Carol
Delicious and easy. I used ground turkey and added black beans, drained and rinsed. It was yummy.
Blair
Wonderful. That sounds delish, Carol. Thanks for leaving a note!
Gina
This was the bomb. I added Picante sauce. It’s what I had. Then we added toppings like lettuce, tomato & green onion. Sour cream and don’t forget Sriracha on mine! Recipe is a definite keeper. Teaching my 14 year old daughter how to cook. We are all big taco fans. We thought this sounded good.
Blair Lonergan
Thank you, Gina! I'm so glad that your family enjoyed it. It's a perfect one for teaching the kids!
Kiki
Totally delicious! I put avocado, sourcream, diced tomatoes and lettuce on top and it was great! Definitely will go into our rotation!
Blair Lonergan
Thank you, Kiki!
Winniebear
This is probably one of the easiest and most delicious casseroles one could make. The only changes I make are to use mild pico instead of salsa (we like the texture better) and we add in a can of full-fat refried beans to add bulk to the taco meat. Sometimes if I'm feeling adventurous, I also add in 2-4 packets of Taco Bell mild sauce LOL
Blair Lonergan
Great tips! Thank you! 🙂
Kristie
Oops my sister got puff pastry can I use that?
Blair Lonergan
Hi, Kristie! I'm not sure how that will work. Puff pastry has a crispy, flaky texture that's quite different from crescent roll dough. You can certainly give it a try and see if you like it!