Lawnmower Taco is super easy and freezer-friendly. It’s perfect comfort food, rich in flavor, ground beef, shredded cheese, tortilla chips, and spices.
Years ago FishPapa and I lived in a 200-square foot studio apartment. The studio was actually the guest house of a larger property. Our landlords became our good friends, helping us welcome our first baby and encouraging us both over the years. Whenever I was bored, I’d just walk ten feet over to Karen’s kitchen. Inevitably, she had something yummy cooking.
One night she made a casserole that smelled divine. It was a taco chip casserole bake thingy from one of those branded cookbooks. You know, the ones that tell you exactly what brand of chips to buy. I looked at the recipe and gave it a try. We loved it.
However, it called for some ingredients, like commercial taco seasoning, sour cream, and chopped green chiles, that were too pricey for our budget. It also had a prep method that lent itself to lumpy gravy.
So, I did some tweaking, and then some more tweaking. In the end I landed on a casserole that was significantly different from the original, but cheaper and easier to make. Imagine my surprise when one of my sweet children turned up his nose at my masterpiece.
FishPapa cajoled him into taking a bite, “What do you mean you don’t like it? You love tacos. This is what happens when I run over tacos with the lawnmower.”
Lawnmower Taco Casserole
Needless to say, the kid scarfed it down, and a family favorite moniker was born: Lawnmower Taco.
I shared this recipe over on Life as Mom years ago, and it continues to be a huge favorite at our house as well as in the homes of readers and friends. I haven’t made it in awhile, so I better get it back in rotation. My kids think I’m the best ever when I make this Lawnmower Taco recipe.
This is an ideal quick dinner idea. It really takes about fifteen minutes to assemble and then another fifteen to bake in the oven. It’s quick, delicious, and warm all the cockles of your heart. Seriously. I haven’t met a soul who doesn’t love it.
As I mentioned earlier this week, I planned several freezer meals using ground beef and turkey. Ground meats lend themselves so well to freezer cooking. Whether precooked or not, meals made with ground meat do really well.
Inexpensive Sources of Ground Beef
Note: These are price points from the day of posting in 2010. Prices of ground beef have increased over the last five years.
My target price for ground beef or turkey is $2 or less per pound. This is generally not possible to find in my area unless I find the meat on sale or marked down. Costco sells lean ground beef regularly for $2.99/pound, ground turkey for $2.29/pound. A good sale in these here parts runs about $1.99 per pound. This past week there was no good sale, so I bought a combination of turkey and beef at Costco. With that ten pounds, I prepared Round One of my June Freezer Cooking Plan.
I knew that I wanted to make a few more beef items later in the week, but unfortunately, Wednesday’s sales weren’t very promising. However, a trip to the grocery store on Wednesday night revealed a sweet deal. I found ten pounds of ground beef for $1.49! Whoo hoo!
Note: My current target price is $3.99/pound for organic ground beef which I typically buy at Costco. Bulk buying is an excellent way to get a good price and it motivates me to cook it all up at home.
Good Cooking
my original photo of Lawnmower Taco
So, once I found my beef for a good deal, I got to cooking. I did two rounds of freezer cooking.
Round One
Meat Sauce – I made a variation on my red sauce by adding cooked, ground turkey. This simmered on the stove while I prepared the other items. Then, I divided it into quart containers, cooled them, and froze it.
Hamburgers – I used three pounds of ground beef and seasoned them with salt and pepper. Then I divided the meat into 12 portions and flattened them into patties. I flash froze them just until they wouldn’t stick together in the freezer. Then I stored them in a gallon-size freezer bag.
Chimichangas – These are actually frozen burritos that we can microwave or crisp on the griddle at serving time. I used seasoned taco meat, homecooked pinto beans, and grated cheese. I soften the flour tortillas by warming them on the griddle so that they don’t crack when they roll them. And I’ve found Steamy Kitchen’s way of rolling eggrolls to be an excellent way to roll burritos. (Just imagine that her egg roll wrapper is round, not square. Watch my video here.) I stored these in freezer bags.
What the heck is Lawnmower Taco Casserole?
Lawnmower Taco – This is a simple casserole my kids love. We called it Lawnmower Taco since it, well, looks like a taco that got stuck in a lawnmower. It’s a recipe that many of you have requested. How could I resist?
Lawnmower Taco is a favorite recipe in our family. It’s a simple yet delicious taco casserole that my family gobbles down. That wasn’t always the case. One young man in his picky phase refused to eat it.
FishPapa says, “What? It’s just tacos I ran over with the lawnmower.”
And the kid just gobbled it down! He’s also really proud that he’s responsible for the name.
Lawnmower Taco
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef (turkey can also be used)
- 2 tbsp Taco Seasoning Mix
- 1/4 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
- 2 cup chicken stock beef broth can also be used
- 1 9-ounce package tortilla chips crushed
- 8 oz cheddar cheese (shredded) (2 cups), can also use jack or pepper jack
- taco toppings for serving: shredded lettuce, salsa, sour cream, black olives
Instructions
- In large skillet, brown ground beef. Stir in taco seasoning. Sprinkle flour over top. Stir to combine.
- Stir in broth and bring to a simmer. Simmer until sauce thickens.
- Grease 9×13 inch baking pan. Place 1/2 of crushed chips across bottom of dish. Layer with half the meat sauce and then half the cheese. Repeat layers: chips, meat, cheese.
- If cooking right away, place in 325° oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until bubbly.
- If making as a freezer meal, do not bake. Instead, cover with foil, label, cool, and freeze. On serving day, thaw casserole and follow baking directions, adding up to 10 to 15 minutes baking time, depending on how cold or frozen the casserole is at the start.
- Serve with toppings.
To make in the slow cooker:
- Prepare the meat sauce as directed above. Grease the crock of a casserole slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Assemble the casserole as directed. Cover and cook on HIGH for 1 hour. Serve with toppings.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published June 5, 2010. Updated May 6, 2017.
Linda Budzik
Like so many other people, I’ve seen this recipe numerous times and always thought it looked like a good kid-friendly recipe, but probably not for my husband and me. Yesterday I read the recipe again and thought the same thing. But we were out running errands far later than I expected and I realized I had everything I needed to make this recipe. I had ground beef already cooked in the freezer and an open carton of chicken broth that I needed to use, so I made it. It was fast, easy, and very tasty. My husband isn’t a casserole person and he kind of turned his nose up at it when he saw it. But then he had 2 1/2 helpings! I had halved the recipe and figured we’d have enough left over for lunch this week. Nope. There is one tiny piece left, but that’s all. I’ll be making this again because it’s surprisingly adult friendly, too!
Jo
This recipe is so delicious and is one of my favorites! I make with beef broth and homemade taco seasoning and typically top with lettuce once plated.
Jessica Fisher
So great to hear it!
sam hagins
I buy my ground chuck on sale in 10 pound bags. I divide it into 12 quart freezer bags (a little less and a pound is really not noticeable). Mash them flat to remove the air and freeze. I have just lowered my sale price by an additional 20%. $2.39 a pound now becomes $2 a pound.
Amanda
I found your website through Pinterest and I gotta say…I love this recipe. I honestly wasn’t expecting much from this recipe. I figured it would taste like taco meat over tortilla chips with cheese…essentially the same as a taco. Except that it isn’t. It is a different level of tacoliciousness. I made a double batch of this tonight, thinking it would be plenty of leftovers for the 3 of us. Haha. There is maybe enough for 1 lunch tomorrow. Thanks for the great recipe.
Jessica Fisher
Yay! I’m so glad you found me! More importantly, I’m glad you found Lawnmower Taco. It always surprises people! Now… who gets the leftovers? 😉
Chris
Any tips on how to reheat the leftovers without getting the chips soggy?
Jessica Fisher
The chips don’t stay crisp the first time around, except maybe a few on the very top. Reheated leftovers have a very similar texture to the fresh version. Overall, the texture is more like a tamale pie.
Loren Kaplan
I think this could be great for take-to-work lunch. Do you think I could cook it, and then cut the leftovers into pieces, and then freeze the (already cooked) pieces? Ever tried doing it that way?
Thanks,
Loren
Jessica Fisher
We rarely have leftovers. I think you could do that. Just know that the chips soften a lot in baking, so you chips would be really soft after freezing. Not a bad thing, but some people are surprised that the chips aren’t super crisp. So FYI. Let me know how it goes.
Jeanenne
This Lawnmower Taco was absolutely delicious!!!! I made it gluten free with gf flour and gf tostitoes. My gf granddaughter loved it!! So easy to make. Think I will put one in the freezer for a quick emergency meal. I made Mexican rice to go with it, and what a hit!! Ty
Jessica Fisher
So glad you liked it! It’s one of our favorites. 🙂
Hélène
But I’m also thinking torn nonGMO corn tortillas would work too. Just dont make the layer to thick.
Jessica Fisher
Yes, we’ve used corn tortillas before. Just add more salt since you won’t have the salt from the chips.
Hélène
I think cooked rice would work instead of chips (we keep chips for rare treats). I’ll let you know hopefully!
Elizabeth
I made this for the first time tonight after seeing it referenced on your blog for years. We don’t have a good source for affordable, good quality beef around here, so I cook with mostly chicken. I subbed in shredded chicken instead of beef, went ahead and made the sauce as directed, and I think it worked fine with chicken. My family loved it. My sister called it great party food for New Years tonight. Thanks from one more of your readers for a great recipe!
Polly
Reporting from the gluten free side of the tracks that we made this tonight with a GF cup-for-cup flour and it received rave reviews from our gluten free-ers and non gluten free-ers alike. Thank you for a new freezer recipe!
Jessica Fisher
Thanks for letting us know!
Regina
I have been following you for years and keep passing the recipe up because of the flour – seems silly but we try to avoid it around here. do you think it would make a huge difference if I left it out? I assume the meat sauce would be just a bit more runnier? thoughts? thank you!
Jessica Fisher
Did you get the follow up comment from Polly? She says she used cup for cup and it worked great!
Jen L.
I have followed you for a number of years. During that time, I have passed over the recipe for Lawnmower Tacos at least a dozen times. I just didn’t think I could get away with it. Can I feed my husband a dinner where one of the primary ingredients is crushed up tortilla chips? And would the non taco loving girls go for it? But this past month has been rainy in Indiana and we haven’t been able to grill much (my lifeline during the summer). I’ve been making the same stuff over and over and needed a change. So I made Lawnmower Tacos last night. The result: Double thumbs up all around the table. And so quick and easy. Why didn’t I make this long.ago?! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Jessica Fisher
I love it when that happens! Thanks for letting me know we won some converts at your house. I tell ya, it’s perfect Comfort Food.
Elaine
Just a tip about the chips…you can refresh stale chips in the oven and they are good as new!
Krissi
Do the chips get soggy if you make this a freezer meal? Thank you.l
Jessica Fisher
The chips naturally absorb some of the liquid, which makes it more like tortilla in some places. That’s something I like about it. I wouldn’t say soggy, but definitely soft.
Nicole
Made this last night everyone loved it! I got the chip layers to stay mostly crunchy, because I add more chip layers in big chunks. It’s been asked for again tonight. I’ve got the stuff so why not?! 😀
Carie
I LOVED lawnmower tacos. This is a keeper.
Jessica Fisher
We just had it for lunch today. We love it, too. 🙂
Summer K
I want to make this tonight but its in my freezer – can I just increase the cooking time, or does it need to be thawed first?
Jessica Fisher
You can usually increase the cooking time, but it’s a little unpredictable. Leave yourself enough extra time and you should be fine. 🙂
Summer K
Thanks!
Lisa
Thanks so much for this recipe! There are very few things that I can make that a) the whole family likes or b) I can make more than once a month and not hear, “but we just had thaaaat”. Lol! The first time I made it, my family of two adults and four teenagers, had eaten all of it and were clamoring for more before I had even had any! So now the recipe always gets doubled and made in a shallow roasting pan!
Jessica Fisher
Love it!
Shirlene
I made these today and they were great, my 5 yo said they are awesome! He is so picky too. I had enough for two meal , eat one and freeze one. Thanks for the recipe!!