Taco rice casserole is an easy dinner idea and freezer friendly. It is a great recipe to stretch your meat and easy on the budget.
Taco rice casserole
If you are looking for an easy dinner then this Taco casserole recipe is one you just have to try today! 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. 😉 It is seriously that good!
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.
Let’s get started with this taco casserole!
Ingredients for the best taco casserole:
- 2 lbs ground turkey (or ground beef)
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 cups corn
- 2 cans black beans
- 2 cans diced tomatoes with green chiles (aka Rotel)
- 1 package taco seasoning (We love homemade taco seasoning.)
- 4 cups cooked rice
- 3 cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- 2 9×13 pans
How to make taco rice casserole:
If you want to this taco casserole with rice right away:
- Bake covered at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes until cooked through.
How to freeze taco rice casserole:
- 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.
Time saving tip:
Another time saving tip is to use a small food chopper or food processor to quickly and easily chop onions and bell peppers.
If you do not have one of these, I highly recommend them. They are such a time saver and you make cooking so fast and easy.
I usually just chop the entire vegetable and freeze what I don’t need. It’s so nice to be able to just take the diced onion out of the freezer for recipes.
This is how I meal prep. It’s so quick and easy and helps get dinner on the table fast.
Learn and how to freeze onions and also how to freeze peppers to save so much time in the kitchen! Lots of the recipes we cook call for onions and peppers so this is such a great time tip that we use frequently.
You will love having peppers and onions all ready to go! It is quick and easy.
Everyone will enjoy taco rice casserole!
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. Green onions are also amazing.
You can use white rice or brown rice in the casserole. Both are delicious.
However your family eats it, I think you will love it. Make one for dinner and one for the freezer. You will thank me later. 🙂
It is also a great meal to take to someone recovering from surgery or with a new baby. You can grab one from the freezer and bless them with a great meal.
Let us know once you try it and how it turns out for you. It is sure to be a hit with everyone!
Print this easy taco rice casserole recipe below:
Taco Rice Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 pounds Ground Beef
- 1 Onion chopped
- 2 cups Corn
- 2 cans Black Beans drained and rinsed
- 2 cans Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilis
- 1 Package of Taco Seasoning (or 4 tablespoons of homemade seasoning)
- 1 tsp Salt
- 4 cups Cooked Rice (I used regular that I cooked but you can use any)
- 3 cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Instructions
- First brown your ground beef. Add in chopped onions and cook until soft.
- Stir in Taco seasoning seasoning.
- Add corn, tomatoes and beans.
- Spray 2 9×13 pans with non stick spray. Spoon 2 cups of rice into the bottom of each pan, spreading it out evenly.
- Spoon the meat mixture over the rice.
- Top with the ½ of the cheese on each pan.
If you want to eat it right away:
- Bake covered at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes until cooked through.
If you want to freeze it:
- 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
Nutrition Facts
Hamburger Potato Casserole Recipe has everything you need for a great meal.
Try these other easy freezer casseroles:
- Pizza Pasta Casserole
- Easy Baked Ravioli Recipe
- Egg Bacon Breakfast Casserole
- Easy Hamburger Casserole Recipe
- Chicken Noodle Casserole Recipe
Made this for the family and it was a huge hit!! Everyone loved it. I have made it several times since as the kids request it. We are a big family so I live that it makes two pans. There is very little to none leftover. Two thumbs up from my family!!!
I just made this on 12-23-20, and my entire family loved it. We had leftovers for Christmas Eve. It was so delicious my family had it with tortilla chips, but I paired it with a garden salad, and it was delicious, simple to make, and I will make it again.
I have made this several times, it is so good and easy to make. I always make 2 and freeze one for later.
I’m caring for my mom with cancer and am trying to get some individual freezer meals planned for her. How many single servings does this make? And how long will it last in the freezer? I am eagerly waiting for your response. Thank you.
Also is the cooking time the same? Or is it adjusted for single servings?
Each casserole serves 6 and this recipe is to make 2 casserole so the entire recipe makes 12. These last in the freezer for 3-6 months.
You could reduce the recipe in half and make 2 9X9 casseroles instead of the 9X13 ones. Each casserole would serve approximately 3 instead of 6.
I have scanned through all the messages and do not see this question.
How much of your Homemade Taco Seasoning do you use?
Thanks, looking forward to trying this but I don’t want to add too much seasoning.
Sorry, I’ll update that in the post so that it’s more clear – I use 2 Tbsp of the homemade seasoning.
I have made this recipe several times. A great way to have taste of tacos without the mess. Always a favorite in our home.
This recipe is awesome….espically if you have left over taco meat.
I make this casserole often…I’ve used ground beef, ground turkey and shredded chicken. They all work great in this!
This recipe is so quick and easy to make, and it tastes amazing!
Love this recipe! So easy to make. I actually substituted saffron yellow rice and it was delicious!
Oh that sounds amazing!
I love this recipe! For my small family, I can get two casseroles out of this recipe. Lots of flavor, inexpensive to make, and it also freezes really well!
Great recipe, thanks for reminding me of it with Secret #2. Since it is just my husband and me this actually makes enough for FOUR dinners! The last time I made it I made a half recipe and froze it in small casserole dishes 8-1/2″x6 that are the perfect size for two people.
This turned out so good! I cut the recipe in half. Used ground turkey, seasoned it while cooking with onion powder and garlic powder, and then I added chopped green bell pepper with the onion. I used the entire packet of taco seasoning even though I cut the recipe in half. I kept everything else the same! Well, I used no salt added black beans because that’s what I had in my pantry. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
I’m so glad you loved it! Thank you so much!
I made this recipe for a ladies Bible study group and it was such a hit that I printed out multiple copies for the ladies. My husband loved it also but he’s easy to please. As a side note, I added a brick of cream cheese after the meat mixture was cooked to make it a little creamy.