This easy dorito casserole has layers and layers of deliciousness with crunchy crushed Dorito chips, a creamy meat mixture, and lots of cheese. It's so easy to make in under 1-hour using heart-filling ingredients that will easily feed a large family, and it can be made in advance to help save time.
Contents
🌟 Why this recipe works
Making my Dorito casserole is an easy recipe for any home cook that takes 50 minutes and can be prepared in advance for a quick midnight meal.
Doritos casserole is like a Mexican-style casserole made with Dorito chips instead of corn tortilla chips and tastes similar to a ground beef taco loaded with shredded cheese.
It will be an instant success at your dinner table like it has been for everyone else that tried it at potlucks, friend's parties, or any other occasion - and the best part is it's budget-friendly. Very similar to my easy taco casserole recipe!
Ingredients-wise, the creamy meat mixture is a delicious combination of ground beef that's browned and mixed with cream of mushroom soup, sour cream, salsa, and cheddar cheese to give it layers of flavor.
The meat mixture is then layered in a baking dish with crushed Dorito chips and cheese before being baked in the oven for an irresistible dinner the whole family will love and devour in minutes.
The great thing with this cheesy casserole is that you can use any flavored Doritos to add more flavor, from cool ranch Doritos, spicy Doritos, or keep it cheesy with nacho cheese Doritos. Don't forget to check out my delicious chili lime shredded beef recipe with full of mexican flavors.
🍽 Key Ingredients
The key to making this delicious Dorito casserole is the ingredients in the meat mixture that's seriously creamy, meaty, and full of cheesy goodness.
Beef - Use fresh lean ground beef for a meatier texture. The best cuts of beef to use are chuck, sirloin tip, or bottom round, which have a high ratio of 80/20, which is perfectly juicy and yields the best flavors.
Dorito chips - For a cheesier flavor, use nacho cheese Doritos.
Vegetables - Onion and garlic to give the ground beef flavor.
Cheese - Use strong cheese like cheddar, tex mex, or pepper jack cheese.
Sauce for meat mixture - To give this taco casserole a creamy texture, you'll need sour cream and cream of mushroom chicken soup and salsa for a spicy tomato kick.
Seasoning - The only seasoning you'll need for this recipe is taco seasoning to add a blend of Mexican flavors to the ground beef. Use my authentic taco seasoning recipe or buy it from the store.
Toppings
Chopped green onions, sour cream, green chilies, or diced tomatoes
Substitutions
Mushroom soup
You can substitute the mushroom soup for cream of chicken soup for a similar flavor and creaminess.
Doritos
You can substitute the Doritos for tortilla chips without changing the texture.
🔪 How to make
This Dorito casserole recipe will WOW your family and guests from the first bite! It's easy to prepare using a skillet and baking dish in just 45 minutes with our easy-to-follow instructions.
Preparations
- Finely dice the onion and garlic
- Break the nacho cheese Doritos into halves and set them aside in a bowl.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (170 degrees Celsius).
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
Heat a skillet with a tablespoon of olive oil, cook the onion and garlic for 4 minutes until fragrant, then add the ground beef, break it up, and cook until no pink remains.
Step 2
Add the salsa, taco seasoning, and ⅓ cup of water. Cook for 5 minutes until the sauce thickens and remove from the heat.
Step 3
In a large bowl, combine the beef mixture with the sour cream, soup, and 1 cup of cheese.
Step 4
Layer 1 ½ cups of Doritos in the bottom of a casserole or baking dish.
Step 5
Then top with ½ of the beef mixture and cheese.
Step 6
Repeat the layers until the remaining meat mixture has finished, and top with the remaining Doritos and remaining cheese.
Step 7
Spray a piece of foil with cooking spray and cover the casserole dish. Bake for 30 minutes covered, then remove the foil and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown and bubbly.
Step 8
Sprinkle the diced tomatoes and green onions over the Dorito casserole, and serve with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of taco seasoning.
💭 Cooking tips
Don't crush the Doritos
If you break the Doritos too much, they will be unrecognizable after being baked with the ground beef mixture. Try to break them into halves or quarters for best results.
Simmer the meat and cream mixture
To make the beef mixture tender and even tastier, simmer it for an hour until all the flavors infuse.
📖 Recipe Variations
Casserole recipes are great for adding or changing your favorite ingredients to make them better. Try some of these Dorito casserole variations.
Chicken Dorito casserole
Substitute the beef for shredded chicken breast and use cream of chicken soup instead of mushroom.
Spicy Dorito casserole
Give your Dorito casserole some spice by adding 1 or 2 chopped green chilies to the beef mixture. For a mexican party I also recommend my shredded chicken tacos recipe and its cousin spicy shrimp tacos. They are delish!
Dorito pie
This variation is a huge hit with kids. Buy store-bought pie pastry or crescent rolls, place it in the baking dish, then layer the Doritos, beef mixture, and cheese. Repeat the layers and make the final layer with crushed Doritos. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes, and enjoy.
For more spicy recipes check out my full collection of easy jalapenos recipes.
🥗 What to serve with
Dorito casserole is a big meal that easily feeds a family of 4, but you will probably want a side dish or two to go with it.
Rice
Keeping the Mexican theme going is easy when you have some cauliflower in the pantry. This simple yet fragrant cauliflower rice with lime and cilantro is delicious and ready in 20 minutes.
🙋 Frequently Asked Questions
Are Doritos fried or baked?
Dorito chips are commonly fried to make them crispy, but they can also be baked.
What flavor Doritos are best for Dorito casserole?
The best flavor for this cheesy casserole is nacho cheese. Although Doritos make over 100 flavors, other flavors like jalapeño cheddar, BBQ, and sweet chili heat also work well.
🧊 Storing and ♨️ Reheating
You can easily store this Dorito casserole in the fridge or freezer and eat the leftovers the following day.
Fridge - Place any leftover Dorito casserole in an airtight container or cover the casserole dish with aluminum foil and keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freezer - Transfer the cooled leftovers into a freezer container and freeze it for up to 4 months. Note that they will become soggy upon thawing the Dorito chips, and the casserole will lose its texture.
Reheating - For best results, preheat an oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and bake the leftovers for around 9 minutes until piping hot. Alternatively, you can use the microwave at 1-minute intervals until hot.
🍳 Related Recipes
If you like this dorito casserole recipe, check out my collection of easy and quick casseroles to make for your next meal.
Including my easy chicken brussel sprouts casserole and quick chicken spinach casserole recipes.
👪 Serving Size
This Dorito casserole recipe will efficiently serve 6 people, or you could scale it to cater to more guests. I usually make a double batch and give one away to the neighbors or take one to a potluck.
It's a delicious recipe the whole family will love, and it's super easy to prepare for any home cook.
📋 Recipe
Easy Dorito Casserole
Ingredients
- 4 cups dorito chips - nacho cheese flavor
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 onion - diced
- 1 clove garlic - minced
- 1 cup salsa - doritos
- 2 tablespoon authentic taco seasoning
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup - or cream of chicken soup
- 2 cups cheese shredded - tex mex or cheddar
Toppings
- green onion, sour cream, diced tomato
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Cook ground beef with onion and garlic until no pink remains.
- Add salsa, taco seasoning, and ⅓ cup of water. Cook until thickened, about 5 minutes, and remove from heat.
- In a large bowl, combine beef mixture, sour cream, soup and 1 cup of cheese.
- Slightly crush Doritos. Layer 1 ½ cups Doritos in the bottom of a 2 qt casserole dish . Top with ½ of the beef mixture. Repeat layers. Finally top with an additional 1 to 1 ½ cups Doritos and remaining cheese.
- Spray a piece of foil with cooking spray and cover casserole.
- Bake 30 minutes covered, remove foil and bake uncovered for an additional 10-15 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
- Sprinkle the tomatoes and green onions over the casserole, then serve. Top with additional taco flavorings such as sour cream.
Silvia
Absolutely delicious and my family loved it. Next time around I'm going to try Spicy Nacho or Spicy Sweet Chili Doritos.