Tacos are known as tasty and hearty snack. However, it can be sometimes messy to eat, especially if you want to enjoy it while walking in the park or around the market. Good thing someone discovered a way to enjoy tacos in such way—Walking Taco Casserole!
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Walking Taco Casserole is a scrumptious and easy-to-make snack that has the flavors of “classic tacos.” It is made with ground beef, corn chips, cream cheese, salsa, tomatoes, lettuce, and taco seasoning. It is then baked in the oven until the cheese is melted and the casserole is hot.
The snack is perfect on any occasions, but particularly on parties, family gatherings, and lazy weeknights with your friends or significant other. That said, in this article, I will show you how to make Walking Taco Casserole.
Let’s get started.
Ingredients needed:
- Ground beef
- Cream cheese
- Shredded cheese
- Fritos corn chips
- Taco seasoning
- Green chilis
- Shredded lettuce
- Onions
- Roma tomato
- Salsa and sour cream
How to Properly Store It?
The best way to store walking taco casserole is to refrigerate. Simply transfer any leftovers in a container with tight lid. Or cover it with plastic wrap to keep it fresh and its flavors intact.
Then, store it in the refrigerator for up to four days.
Note: Storing it in the fridge can extend the beef mixture’s shelf life but not the corn chips’ crisp.
How Do I Know If It Has Gone Bad?
While storing taco casserole in the fridge can help keep its freshness and extend its shelf life, it does not mean it will never go south. It is especially true if you stored it incorrectly.
Good thing there are easy-to-spot signs to know when your week-old taco casserole is still safe to eat or not. Changes in smell, texture, and color are often key indicators.
In terms of smell, for example, spoiled taco casserole emits strong, unpleasant odor. Its texture usually turns slimy, too. It develops molds and discoloration—particularly on the corn chips—as well.
Leaving taco casserole at room temperature for more than two hours is also at high risk of bacterial growth and, thus, early spoilage.
Variations
There are several, different variations of Walking Taco Casserole that you can try or get an inspiration from. In fact, you can create your own version too simply adding new ingredients or replacing one or two original ingredients.
For example, replace corn chips with Doritos or Fritos. You may also add vegetables such as zucchini and bell peppers.
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Walking Taco Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds of ground beef
- 3 ounces of cream cheese
- 1 cup of shredded cheese taco blend
- 2 to 3 cups of Fritos corn chips
- 1 packet of taco seasoning
- 1 cup of green chilis
- 1 to 2 cups of shredded lettuce
- 1 cup of onions chopped
- 1 Roma tomato chopped
- Salsa and sour cream for garnish
Instructions
- Warm an oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Then, toss in the onions and ground beef. Sauté for three to five minutes or until the meat is brown and the onions looks tender.
- Pour the cream cheese into the skillet. Then, follow the green chilis and taco seasoning. Sauté and mix the cream cheese to completely coat the ground beef.
- Simultaneously, prepare the oven by preheating it to 350F.
- Remove the skillet from the heat source and allow it to cool for a minute. Then, top the meat and cream cheese mixture with corn chips and sprinkle the shredded cheese on top of the corn chips.
- Place the skillet in the preheated oven and bake the taco casserole for 20 minutes.
- Remove and allow it to cool for a minute. Then, top it shredded tomato and lettuce.
- Finally, garnish the taco casserole with sour cream and salsa.
Marie Rayner is a retired Chef, freelance writer, recipe developer, food blogger, and Cookbook author. She makes her home in Chester, UK, where she lives with her husband, Todd, and their much beloved English Cocker, Mitzie. Her motto is “Life is far too short to eat bad food,” and her goal is to share delicious and easy recipes which anyone can enjoy and cook in the comfort of their own home.