Taco Bake with Fritos

4 from 1 vote

This taco bake with Fritos is an easy, family-friendly dinner that's ready in about 30 minutes!

Course Dinner

Cuisine American, Mexican

Keyword frito taco casserole, taco bake with fritos, taco casserole with fritos and cream cheese, taco casserole with fritos in oven

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Total Time 30

Servings people

Calories 607kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
1 lb. ground beef
1 small onion, diced (about 1 cup)
1 (1 ounce) packet taco seasoning
1 (15-16 ounce) jar “thick and chunky” style salsa
4 ounces (half of a block) cream cheese, diced into cubes and softened at room temperature
1 (15.25 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained (or about 1 ¾ cups frozen corn)
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Mexican blend or cheddar cheese
2 cups Fritos corn chips, plus more as needed
Optional, for serving: fresh cilantro or parsley, sliced avocado, guacamole, sour cream, sliced olives, chopped fresh tomatoes, shredded iceberg lettuce, sliced green onion

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 13-inch (or 3-quart) baking dish.
Spread the refried beans in an even layer in the bottom of the prepared dish. Set aside.
In a large 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat, cook the beef and onion until the meat is no longer pink. Drain off the fat. Reduce the heat to low; stir in the taco seasoning and salsa. Bring to a simmer and cook over low heat for about 5 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Add the softened cream cheese cubes. Stir over low heat just until the cream cheese melts and blends smoothly into the meat mixture, about 1 more minute. Stir in the corn.
Spread the beef mixture over the refried beans. Sprinkle with cheese and add the Fritos on top. Bake, uncovered, until warmed through and the cheese melts, about 10-15 minutes.
Garnish with optional toppings and serve!

Don't forget to soften the cream cheese before adding it to the filling, or it will not blend in as smoothly.

Use frozen pre-diced onion for a convenient shortcut. Then you won't even need to pull out a cutting board!

Garnish the casserole with your favorite fresh taco toppings for the best flavor and texture. Good options include fresh cilantro or parsley, chopped green onions or minced red onion, chopped lettuce, sliced jalapeno, sour cream, diced avocado, halved cherry tomatoes, or sliced black olives.

Keep a close eye on the casserole as it’s baking. Since all of the ingredients are cooked through, it only needs about 10 minutes in the oven for the cheese to melt. The chips should be lightly toasted, but not burned. If the top starts to get too dark before the rest of the casserole is warmed through, just tent the top loosely with foil.