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beef taco casserole
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5 — Votes 16 votes

Ground Beef Taco Casserole

This beef taco casserole features a crispy hash brown crust topped with perfectly-seasoned taco meat and hidden veggies for a perfect weeknight meal!
Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Mexican
Servings: 6 servings
Author: Cassy Joy Garcia

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons avocado oil divided
  • 16 ounces frozen hash browns or about 5 cups shredded potatoes
  • 1 small yellow onion diced
  • 1 red bell pepper diced
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 2 pounds ground beef
  • 8 ounces tomato sauce
  • 1 ½ teaspoons coarse sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 head lacinato kale shredded
  • 3/4 cup shredded cheese
  • Sliced avocado for garnish
  • Fresh chopped cilantro for garnish

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 F.
  • Add 2 tablespoons oil to a 13-inch cast iron pan, or other similarly-sized skillet over medium-high heat, then add hash browns. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, then flip the hash browns, add an additional tablespoon of oil to the pan, and cook an additional 3-4 minutes, or until the potatoes are crispy and cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside.
  • Add one additional tablespoon oil to the pan, then reduce the heat to medium and add the diced onions, red bell pepper, and garlic and saute 3 to 4 minutes, until onion is translucent. Add the ground beef, salt, and pepper and cook 6-8 minutes until ground beef is browned and fully cooked through.
  • Pour the tomato sauce over the ground beef mixture along with 1/2 cup water, then stir in the spices and kale. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until kale is bright green and wilted, then remove from heat.
  • Place the hash browns in the bottom of a 3-quart casserole dish then pour the beef mixture over top. Sprinkle shredded cheese over beef mixture and Bake at 350 F for 15 minutes.
  • Remove from the oven and garnish with avocado, and chopped cilantro and serve!

Notes

  • For a real cheese layer, use 1 ½ - 2 cups of cheese on top!
  • To make this dish low-carb: substitute 5 cups cauliflower rice (or 2, 10-ounce packages frozen cauliflower rice) for the potatoes. Cook according to package instructions if using frozen, or follow this recipe if using fresh.
  • To make this dish dairy-free/Whole 30: either omit the cheese entirely or replace with our Paleo Nacho Cheese recipe.

Nutrition

Calories: 492kcal | Carbohydrates: 23.1g | Protein: 37.5g | Fat: 27.7g | Saturated Fat: 8.8g | Cholesterol: 105.1mg | Sodium: 874.7mg | Fiber: 4.1g | Sugar: 4.9g