Twice Baked Crispy Cheesy Taco Rice Casserole. (2024)

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Twice Baked Crispy Cheesy Taco Rice Casserole with Cilantro Lime Ranch. Homemade hard-shell tacos seasoned with a chipotle chile spice mix, stuffed into hard shells, topped with cheese, and oven-baked. Once baked, stuff each cheesy taco into a skillet full of green chili rice. Top the dish with cheese, then bake again to create the perfect cheesy skillet-crisp taco and rice casserole. Top with creamy cilantro lime ranch sauce. SO YUMMY!

Twice Baked Crispy Cheesy Taco Rice Casserole. (1)

There’s just something about this back to school, early fall time, and knowing that the holidays are coming up. To me, there’s something so appealing about a casserole in the fall and early winter months. They’re just cozy and comforting.

It’s no secret that my family adores a crispy cheesy taco. So I combined my love for casseroles and our love for tacos into one simple, but so delicious, taco rice bake.

I’m actually a little sad because I created this recipe with Creighton in mind. Since he’s still in Portugal, he hasn’t had a chance to taste this just yet. But I know he will LOVE this dish.

It’s pretty straightforward. I took my go-to crispy taco recipe and I wiggled each cheesy hard shell taco into a skillet of green chile rice.

I then added extra cheese on top and put it into the oven to finish baking.

If you love a cheesy taco, this casserole is for you. I’m so excited to share this recipe, I just know it will become a weeknight staple!

Twice Baked Crispy Cheesy Taco Rice Casserole. (2)

OK, here are the details.

Step 1: make the tacos

This is my go-to taco recipe. I love to use ground beef, but chicken or ground pork work just as well. Cook the meat with an onion then add a couple of big spoonfuls of taco seasoning and simmer the meat.

For my homemade seasoning, I mix chipotle chile powder, chili powder, paprika, cumin, garlic powder, oregano, and salt.

When the meat has cooked, stuff the meat along with a small amount of cheese into the hard-shell tacos. Then bake until crispy.

Alternatively, instead of using store-bought shells, you can follow my homemade recipe here.

I like to take corn tortillas, stuff them with taco meat and cheese, then oven-bake them until the tortillas are crispy. Then I rub each tortilla with olive oil and flip them halfway through cooking. This is key to getting the tacos extra crispy on both sides.

If you have a couple of extra minutes, I would highly recommend making your own “shells”. They’re very, very good and healthier than store-bought too!

Step 2: make the rice

Now, get cooking on the rice. You can make this in the very same skillet you used for the meat. Just be sure the skillet is oven-safe so that it can go directly from the stove into the oven.

Ingredients

▢ 1 pound ground beef, chicken, or turkey
▢ 1 yellow onion, chopped
▢ 2 tablespoons taco seasoning (see notes for homemade)
▢ 8 hard shell tacos (see notes for homemade)
▢ 1-2 cups shredded Mexican cheese
▢ 1 tablespoon salted butter
▢ 1 cup dry long grain rice
▢ 1 poblano pepper, chopped
▢ 1/3 cup salsa verde
▢ 1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro/green onions

CILANTRO LIME RANCH

▢ 1 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
▢ 3/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
▢ 1 teaspoon garlic powder
▢ 1 teaspoon onion powder
▢ 1/4 cup pickled jalapeños, chopped + 2 tablespoons brine
▢ 2 tablespoons lime juice
▢ 1 teaspoon kosher salt

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425° F.
2. In a large oven-safe skillet, cook the meat and onion, breaking up the meat as it cooks, until the meat is browned, about 5 minutes. Add the taco seasoning and 3/4 cup water. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the sauce has thickened slightly around the meat, 5 minutes. Then remove 3/4 of the meat from the skillet to a plate and set aside.
3. To the skillet, add the butter, rice, and poblano. Cook until the rice is toasted, then mix in 1 3/4 cups water and the salsa verde. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and cook for 15 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, line the taco shells up in a baking dish. Divide the meat among each shell and top with half the cheese. Bake for 10 minutes, until the cheese has melted.
5. Wiggly the baked tacos into the rice in the skillet. Top with the remaining cheese. Transfer to the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, make the ranch. Combine all ingredients in a glass jar and shake or stir until creamy.
7. Serve the hot casserole topped with cilantro, avocado, and ranch. Enjoy!

Notes

For Easy Homemade Hard Shells:Warm 8 corn tortillas for 30 seconds to 1 minute in the microwave, until pliable. On a baking sheet, rub the tortillas with olive oil. Lay each tortilla flat and then layer evenly with cheese and taco meat. Fold the other half of the tortilla over the filling, gently pushing to adhere (see above photo). Transfer to the oven and bake for 10 minutes, then flip and cook another 5 minutes more, or until the tortillas are crisp.

Chipotle Taco Seasoning: Mix 1 tablespoon chipotle chili powder, 1 tablespoon chili powder, 2 teaspoons smoked paprika, 2 teaspoons ground cumin, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, and 2 teaspoons kosher salt.

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