Description
Twice Baked Crispy Cheesy Taco Rice Casserole is a delicious and satisfying dish that combines the flavors of tacos with a cheesy rice casserole. This recipe features seasoned meat, rice, salsa verde, and Mexican cheese, all baked together for a crispy, flavorful meal.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
For the Casserole:
- 1 lb ground beef, chicken, or turkey
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 tbsp taco seasoning
- 8 hard shell tacos
- 1–2 cups shredded Mexican cheese
- 1 tbsp 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
For the Cilantro Lime Ranch:
- 1 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
- 3/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 cup pickled jalapeños, chopped + 2 tablespoons brine
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Cook the meat and onion in a skillet with taco seasoning and water until browned. Reserve some meat.
- To the skillet, add butter, rice, poblano, water, and salsa verde. Cook until rice is tender.
- Fill taco shells with meat, cheese, and bake. Then place tacos in the skillet with rice and top with cheese. Bake until cheese melts.
- Make the ranch by combining all ingredients in a jar.
- Serve the casserole hot topped with cilantro, avocado, and ranch.
Notes
- For homemade taco seasoning, mix 1 tbsp chili powder, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, ½ tsp oregano, and ½ tsp salt.
- For homemade hard shell tacos, bake soft tortillas in a taco shell mold until crispy.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 480
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 780mg
- Fat: 22g
- Saturated Fat: 11g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 41g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 27g
- Cholesterol: 85mg
