Eating on a Dime

Helping you cook for less.

Easy Taco Casserole Recipe (It freezes great!)

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

If you are looking for an easy dinner then this Taco casserole recipe is one you just have to try today!
delicious and easy taco casserole recipe

Remember, my freezer cooking adventure where I made 16 meals for the freezer? Well this easy taco casserole recipe was one of them, and it was a huge hit. My husband practically licks the pan clean when I make it. 😉

My recipe below is for 2 meals. Why? That way you can make one to eat now, and then the other one goes in the freezer. One mess, but you get 2 meals. If you don’t want to do that, just cut the recipe in half. However, why wouldn’t you want to? You hardly have to do any extra work to make a second one.

To be honest, I normally make 4 of these taco casseroles because they freeze so great and they make a busy weeknight so much easier.

Ingredients:

  • 2 lbs ground turkey (or ground beef)
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 1 zucchini shredded (optional)
  • 2 cups corn
  • 2 cans black beans
  • 2 cans diced tomatoes with green chiles (aka Rotel)
  • 1 package taco seasoning
  • 4 cups cooked rice
  • handfuls of shredded cheese
  • 2 9×13 pans

How to Make Easy Taco Casserole Recipe:

  1. First brown your ground turkey. Add in chopped onions and zucchini (this is optional but ads nutritional value and flavor) and cook until soft.
  2. Stir in Taco seasoning seasoning.
  3. Add corn, tomatoes and beans.
  4. Spray 2 9×13 pans with non stick spray. Spoon 2 cups of rice into the bottom of each pan, spreading it out evenly.
  5. Spoon the meat mixture over the rice.
  6. Top with the shredded cheese.
If you want to eat it right away:
  1. Bake covered at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes until cooked through.
If you want to freeze it:
  1. Cover with foil and label. To reheat, let thaw overnight in fridge. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes covered with the foil. Then remove foil and cook until the top is nice and brown.

Enjoy!

you have to try this easy taco casserole recipe

4.67 from 12 votes
Print
Taco Rice Casserole
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
25 mins
Total Time
40 mins
 

Looking for a freezer friendly recipe? You are going to love this easy taco casserole recipe! It is a simple casserole recipe that is packed with flavor. 

Course: casserole
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: Taco Rice Casserole
Servings: 12
Calories: 256 kcal
Author: Eating on a Dime
Ingredients
  • 2 pound ground turkey (or ground beef)
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 1 zucchini shredded (optional)
  • 2 cups corn
  • 2 cans black beans (drained -or use your homemade ones -if using homemade you may need to add additional salt)
  • 2 cans diced tomatoes with green chilis (aka rotel)
  • 1 package of Taco seasoning (or 4 tablespoons of homemade seasoning)
  • salt
  • 4 cups cooked rice (I used regular that I cooked but you can use any)
  • handfuls of shredded cheese
  • 2 9x13 pans
Instructions
  1. First brown your ground turkey. Add in chopped onions and zucchini (this is optional but ads nutritional value and flavor) and cook until soft.
  2. Stir in Taco seasoning seasoning.
  3. Add corn, tomatoes and beans.
  4. Spray 2 9x13 pans with non stick spray. Spoon 2 cups of rice into the bottom of each pan, spreading it out evenly.
  5. Spoon the meat mixture over the rice.
  6. Top with the shredded cheese.
If you want to eat it right away:
  1. Bake covered at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes until cooked through.
If you want to freeze it:
  1. Cover with foil and label. To reheat, let thaw overnight in fridge. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes covered with the foil. Then remove foil and cook until the top is nice and brown.
Recipe Notes

My recipe is for 2 meals. Why? That way you can make one to eat now, and then the other one goes in the freezer. One mess, but you get 2 meals. If you don’t want to do that, just cut the recipe in half.

Nutrition Facts
Taco Rice Casserole
Amount Per Serving
Calories 256 Calories from Fat 18
% Daily Value*
Fat 2g3%
Cholesterol 41mg14%
Sodium 283mg12%
Potassium 630mg18%
Carbohydrates 35g12%
Fiber 6g25%
Sugar 4g4%
Protein 24g48%
Vitamin A 475IU10%
Vitamin C 12.7mg15%
Calcium 45mg5%
Iron 2.6mg14%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

easy taco casserole recipe to try

This recipe will surprise you. It doesn’t seem like much, but it has some amazing flavor. We served it with salad to make it a complete meal.

If you want, you could add some crushed tortilla chips on top before you serve it. YUM! My husband even likes to top his with lettuce and fresh tomatoes to make almost like a taco salad. However your family eats it, I think you will love it.

freezer friendly easy taco rice casserole

Reader Interactions

MAKE DINNERS STRESS-FREE

Save hours in the kitchen every week and reclaim precious family time without blowing your budget. To all the moms who struggle with dinnertime, we are here to help! Get 50% off your first month of the Lazy Day Cooking Club when you use the coupon code EAT50 at checkout.

TRY IT TODAY

Comments

  1. SavingCyns says

    I made a little too much chicken in the crock pot last weekend, so I shredded it and used it in this recipe instead of need. Froze and reheated deliciously!!!! Thank you!!! I have one more in the freezer and am looking forward to having it again soon!

  2. paula says

    I just made this last night as a last resort thing. It was so delicious! I only made half the recipe and was able to do two small casseroles so I have one in the freezer waiting for a rainy day. Thank You. It is great having a go to recipe sight that is guaranteed to be frugal.

  4. Alicia says

    I made this last night. It was great. But I forgot to add the rotel and had it in the pans ready to go so I scraped half of each Meat mixture out and mixed in a can of rotel with each half and put it back on the rice. So I ended up with 2 pans half with rotel and half without! Worked with my picky kids!! 🙂 VERY Good Thanks

  5. Michelle says

    Hi, just to clarify…do you bake both pans and then freeze one, or do you do all the steps except baking it before putting it in the freezer?

  9. Susan says

    Love, love, love this recipe! Not mention super easy. We ate it over a bed of lettuce, topped with sour cream and avocado~kinda like a rice bowl.

  12. Adrienne says

    I’ve read that rice doesn’t freeze well, gets gummy. Do you have any problems with it?

  13. Carrie says

    Adrienne, I don’t have a problem at all. In fact, I freeze rice all the time. You just want to make sure you don’t over cook it before you freeze it.

  19. Michele Kelly says

    I have made this 2 times now and it is so good and very easy to make. We do not like Rotel so I use picante’ sauce instead. I also serve with tortilla chips and may actually try soft tortillas to make burritos. Also would like to try to substitute shredded rotisserie chicken.

  22. Debbie says

    I have made this several times. My family loves it. I do use 6 cups of though so it isn’t so soupy. It does freeze really well!

  24. MaKenzie says

    This looks great! I’m expecting my first baby this coming February and am looking for easy freeze ahead meals and this one tops the list! 🙂

    How long would you say this keeps frozen well?

    Thank you-Kenz

  27. Kimberly says

    I was gonna cook this tonight but forgot to thaw overnight. Can it go from freezer to oven? If so, what temperature and for how long?

  28. Carrie says

    Kimberly – You can cook from frozen but you’ll need to add another 30-45 minutes to the total cook time. Thank you!

  29. Susan says

    If you make for a 13x9x2 would you still cut receipe in half? Also, would you cut taco season in half or use whole envelope?

  31. Kimra Bailey says

    It was so easy and so awesome ??? Had left overs and going to put in corn tortillas ??

  33. Patricia Maggetti says

    Going to make this tonight- However I do not have corn but I have string beans either way do I need to put that in and I will be using fresh tomatoes because I don’t have canned tomatoes is this OK

  36. Carrie says

    Patty – This recipe makes 2 casseroles. 2 cups of rice are put in the bottom of each 9X13 pans. Thank you!

  37. Diana says

    My family really enjoyed this dish. I found it to be a bit dry. I drained the cans of tomatoes. We’re they suppose to be drained?

  38. Carrie says

    I don’t drain them. I put the entire can in. I hope you try it again this way and let me know how it turns out. Thank you!

  39. Dayle says

    Hello, I have never used shredded zucchini before. Does it need to be squeezed out a little or just put in right after shredding? Thanks!

  41. Carrie says

    I usually rinse my beans as it would change the color of the casserole but I do not rinse the corn and the Rotel.

  43. Julie says

    This is such a family friendly recipe. We keep it in the freezer and bring it to families needing support (for health reasons, new babies, or just extra love). Everyone raves.

  45. LeAnn says

    You cook the rice first right then add it to everything?
    & just plain white rice or Mexican rice?

  46. Carrie says

    The rice is cooked before it’s topped with everything. I used plain white rice for this recipe. Thank you!

  48. Mandy says

    We’re two old retired people with nothing to do and all day to do it and I still love advance meal planning. In fact, we just recently bought a chest freezer to make it easier. For small households like ours, freezing things in serving sized meal prep containers is the way to go. Bed Bath and Beyond and Wal-Mart both have a wide selection. Just be sure to buy genuine freezer tape to label everything so you don’t wind up with UFOS (Unidentified Frozen Objects). I’ve added this casserole to my recipe stash. It’s a much better version of something I make frequently already.

  50. Carrie says

    You could add tortilla chips to the final product or quarter corn tortillas and put those in instead. Thank you.

  51. Courtney Sullivan says

    Do you bake this before you freeze it if you’re planning on freezing it?

  52. Carrie says

    No, I cover it with foil and freeze it before baking it. Than, I allow it thaw overnight prior to baking it. Thank you!

  53. Heather says

    I have to provide dinner for 12 – six of those being men. Do you think this is really enough for 6 couples or should I do one and a half recipes just to be safe? If I did that, would it still fit in 2 9×13 pans?

  54. Sherry T Swindle says

    HAVE to try this! When freezing do I mix the items and freeze before cooking or do I cook first?

  55. Cheri Rednour says

    I made two pans of this – one following the half recipe with ground beef and rice and the other I used cauliflower rice and Gardein beefless ground beef instead and added in green chiles and cumin to the cauli-rice to add some flavor and chopped green pepper to the “beef” mixture, then I let my family try both! They both were tasty and having toppings of sour cream, guacamole, salsa etc help add some moisture and more flavor!

  56. Arline says

    Could you use this as a dip with chips? I have to bring one to a party and this looks delish. Maybe with some sour cream?

  58. Melissa says

    I’m planning to make this tonight after reading all the reviews in was curious if you drain the corn. I read that you do not rinse it, but does it get drained. Can’t wait to try this!

  59. Carrie says

    I prepare the casserole and freeze the casserole before cooking. I defrost in the refrigerator the night before I plan on cooking it. Thank you.

  62. Carrie says

    These recipe makes 2 9X13 pans and I think that it would be plenty for 12 people. I would serve it with chips and salsa and/or queso. Yummy! Thank you!

  63. April says

    What is the serving size? You list the calories per serving but not the serving size.
    Thank you.

  65. Tiffany Zamora says

    Hi Carrie! Do you ever have any issues with freezer burn? This recipe looks delicious, I can’t wait to try it. Thank you ???

  68. Elizabeth says

    Hi Carrie 🙂
    Your recipe sounds absolutely delicious! Excited to try it, sent a copy off to both my Sister as well. 😉
    Getting the ingredients today to make it on this chilly weekend.
    I’ll be back to comment but from the recipe and reviews I can’t imagine it being less than 5 shiny gold stars!!
    Thanks for sharing with us Carrie. Looking forward to trying out more of your recipes!
    Elizabeth ?

  69. Shirley says

    I made this today, added 1 jalapeño pepper, put 2 cups of Mexican cheese on each pan, used cut up chicken breasts (I used 3 lbs because that’s what was in my package, Cooked my own black beans and used 2 cups, keyed it all in FitnessPal and came up with 318 calories with a portion size being 1/8th of a pan. It is very tasty, will definitely make again!

  70. Jamie Sawyer says

    When you add the taco seasoning to the hamburger do you add the water like it calls for on the back of the seasoning packet?

  75. Leslieann Sines says

    We are watching our salt intake, so we make our own taco seasoning. Using no salt. We also love diced green peppers on tacos so I am going to either ad d some to the baked product or top it off at serving time. Check I will probably do both!

  77. Mallori says

    I have a very small family so I was thinking about using smaller pans and making a total of four meals. One to eat that night and three for the freezer. What size would you recommend? I was thinking maybe 9inch pie pans.

  78. Laurie Santana says

    I can imagine all sorts of substituting depending on my mood. & or whats on hand…
    Adding meat i e. Poultry , beef, steak, sausage, shrimp…
    Salad , avocados
    tortillas, hard , soft , scoops
    Sour cream, salsas, quesos , etc.
    Yellow rice

  79. Kim says

    I used cauliflower rice and it turned out amazing! One of my new favorites!!! Thank you!

  84. Ashley says

    Hello! Do you drain the grease from the ground beef and also do you the water called for in the taco seasoning pack? Thank you!

  88. Renee says

    My husband and I really like this recipe! We use brown rice (I sprinkle cumin over the rice before layering the meat mixture) and I’ve made it with ground beef, chicken and turkey. I had frozen chopped red, yellow and orange peppers that I added this time for a pop of color and flavor. I like a recipe that other than cooking the rice (which I did before hand) takes maybe half an hour start to finish. Such an easy recipe to assemble and easier to customize to your taste – I’ve never made it the same way twice.

    I’m glad for such a simple recipe, especially given the times we’re in. My trips to the store are few and far between so I stock up and make as many meals as I can after each trip.

    I didn’t have a problem with it being dry – but it’s nothing a little salsa or sour cream can’t fix :).

    Thanks for such a good, easy recipe!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *