This Easy Taco Casserole Recipe is super easy and freezer-friendly, perfect comfort food, rich in flavor, ground beef, shredded cheese, tortilla chips, and spices. Named “Lawnmower Taco” when a picky eater was hesitant to try it, it’s a simple taco casserole recipe that you’re going to want on repeat.
Serve this taco casserole alongside Mexican Rice and Instant Pot Refried Beans for an easy dinner with southwestern flair. This is one of our favorite Mexican Dinner Ideas and one of the very best budget meals kids love.
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Lawnmower Taco Casserole is a simple yet delicious taco casserole that young and old are guaranteed to gobble down. It makes good use of stale tortilla chips so you can avoid food waste and enjoy a fantastic meal.
If you’ve got a few extra minutes, make a double or triple batch and stash the extras in the freezer. This is one of those Easy Freezer Meals to keep on hand.
Ingredients
You only need six ingredients for this taco casserole recipe:
This is a great meal plan for picky eaters.
Recipe Costs
Knowing how much it costs you to prepare a recipe can help you decide if it’s the type of recipe to make regularly or one you might want to save for special occasions. Let’s crunch some numbers and see how this recipe pencils out.
- ground beef – $2.99, try to get it on sale
- Taco Seasoning Mix – $0.20, make your own for the lowest price
- flour – $0.04
- chicken stock – $0.60, make your own for the lowest price
- tortilla chips – $1.00, use stale chips or the leftovers from several bags
- cheese – $2.00, try to get it on sale
While your costs may vary depending on where and how you shop, you can expect to pay about $6.83 for a pan of Lawnmower Taco Casserole, about $0.85/serving.
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Lawnmower Taco Casserole Recipe
Equipment
- large skillet
- rubber spatula
- 9×13-inch baking dish
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef (ground turkey, pork, or chicken can also be used)
- 2 tablespoon Taco Seasoning Mix
- ¼ 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, sliced 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.
To assemble in a baking dish:
- Grease 9×13 inch baking pan. Place ½ of crushed chips across bottom of dish. Layer with half the meat sauce and then half the cheese. Repeat layers: chips, meat, cheese.
- Bake at 325° for about 20 minutes or until bubbly. 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.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published June 5, 2010, this post has been updated for content and clarity.
Jennifer G
Here it is hard to find good deals on ground beef. I can rarely find it for less than $4/lb. However I got lucky this week and found super lean (93% & 96%) ground beef marked for quick sale, and was able to get 11 lbs for around $2.85/lb. I am a ground beef snob, and rarely buy less than 93% lean, I’ll drop to 90% if I’m desperate. But I read once that the reason they know the percentage of fat in ground beef is not because they take more fat off the leaner packs, but because they ADD LESS FAT to the leaner packs. I was a meat snob before, but after I read that and realized I have no idea where that “extra” fat is coming from, I can’t force myself to go with the “bargain” packages.
destiney
I love the idea of ground turkey i might have to try that. my pickiest eater is most defiantly my husband but just like my kids if i don’t tell him whats in it he will never know! lol when he went in for a check up 6 mos ago the doc told him he was getting high blood pressure so i cut out most of his salt, started cutting down on red meat, and just meat period in things he will never know like chili and such, and added kale into everything and he never knew until he went is for another check up and it was down! lower than it had been 4 years ago! Then i told him ha!
Brandi
Loved it. We added Spanish rice and black beans to the meat after it simmered. Yum
Kelly
Sounds like a recipe my kids will like – looking forward to trying it- question since it sounds like the chips get soggy (love the different comments about that!) has anyone tried using ones that are a bit stale? I’m not sure it would make a difference if they aren’t going to be crispy anyway??
BTW – love the idea of saving the ends of the bags of chips, my kids like them with hummus & salsa so we have tried a couple different “flavors” & I bet a mix of similar flavors would add a little “zip” too…
Jessica Fisher
Yes, it’s a great way to use stale chips. That’s what I do with that bag that went blah.
Tricia
I see your sale ground beef came from Albertsons. I buy it there all the time. They have to sell off the freshly ground beef every night or the next morning depending on the particular store site. You can call ahead and ask if they have any ground beef they are marking down and what time they are putting it out on the floor. Most times when I call ahead and ask, they will hold some for me. I have bought up to 30 lbs at a time to cook up for tacos, spaghetti, lasagna, make meatballs and meatloaf, hamburger patties, etc. I’ve been doing this for about 10 years, when it would be marked down to 99 cents/lb, now it has creeped up to $1.69/lb, but still the best deal in town.
Jessica Fisher
Thanks for the tip!
Stacy
I substitute turkey for hamburger fairly often. If I season the meat more with things like garlic and Italian seasoning, I think it usually tastes almost as good. I never really thought of just mixing them up though. I’ve also found some good ground turkey recipes, particularly this one, which I love: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/moms-turkey-meatloaf-recipe/index.html
Thanks for the recipe. I’ll try that soon since I have all the ingredients. I make a similar dish, in concept anyway, with chicken and a white sauce with tomatoes, layering with meat, cheese, and chips.
Summer
I made Lawnmower tacos last week during my freezer meal frenzy!! We ate them last night and they were delicious! My kids 9, 7, & 4 said Momma you have to make these again! Thanks so much for the recipe!
Jessica Fisher
Making many batches tonight. My kids love that!
Kathleen
Made this for the first time tonight–perfection! Got boys home from school at 4, browned beef while oldest did his homework, steamed some edamame, sliced some tomatoes, and had the kids seated eating dinner by 5:15–plenty of time to finish and get the oldest to his Little League game at 6. Not only was the casserole tasty–it was FAST, too, and a great way to use up those tortilla chips that had been hanging around. Thank you! Look fwd to trying more of your recipes. 🙂
Stacey K
Thank you so much for this recipe! I made it last night for my son’s first birthday party, hosting both sides of the family. It was a big hit! My husband told me not once or twice, but three times that he liked it. 🙂 It is definitely going on our favorite meals list!
Jessica Fisher
Yeah! I made it the other night and for some reason, one child wasn’t around when we dished up. It was all gone! You should have seen his face! Clearly I need to make it more often.
Susan
For those of you who are concerned about the chips getting mushy – whenever we make taco meat we cook and season a double batch and freeze the leftover. It freezes beautifully and once you have the meat cooked & seasoned making the casserole when you want it would hardly take any time.
Jessica Fisher
I like the mushy chips. hehe. 😉
[email protected]
Love the lawnmower taco idea! I’m going to have to give that a try– (I’m totally hooked on your enchiladas by the way- and I use the recipe for enchilada sauce that one of your commenters left!)
Jessica Fisher
yeah, fun!
Angela
Thanks for sharing this recipe! We just tried it tonight as part of our Pantry Challenge (I got tortilla chips for $.25 last week so I have a good stockpile, plus a freezer of beef). Everyone liked it, one boy even said it is now his favorite meal!
Keli
I was wondering the same thing, do the chips get soggy after you bake? We tried something similar to this a few years ago and didnt like it because the chips turned to mush.
Jessica Fisher
@Keli, quite honestly, I think I prefer it when the chips get soggy. LOL
Diane Wade
I’m making this tomorrow – sounds great! I have one question though, does the chip layer get soggy when making this recipe to freeze for later?
Jessica Fisher
Well, I’m not sure. We like it both ways.
Candace
Thanks for the lawnmower casserole recipe! Sounds yummy…and a great way to use up the accumlated tortilla chip bits at the end of the bag I’ve been collecting for a while now!
Tess
I just made this tonight and we all loved it! The kids ate their entire dinner with no complaints and in under 5 minutes. a MIRACLE in our household! Thanks!!
jamie
Thank you for sharing this recipe! I actually made it tonight and both my 15 month old and 3 year old liked it plus a pregnant friend (who is not liking much food lately!) all enjoyed it. I love kid friendly meals!
Lori Hurley
I accidently joined your freezer challenge this morning. I was making your basic pancakes and thought, “I have a big family; I’ll double it.” lol!!! I guess I should have read the bottom for the number of pancakes it makes. 50 pancakes later, the kids (all five) had them for breakfast AND lunch and I have 30 left in the freezer for next Saturday or sometime during the week. My daughter said I should have made 50 more. HA!
The pancakes were GREAT! I can’t wait to try the lawnmower casserole. I think my kids will really love that!
Leslie
Thanks for the recipe! Can’t wait to try this!!!!
Deanna
What a great deal on the hamburger meat! We always get extra lean and/or lean and it can get pretty pricey so finding it on sale is very exciting. 😀