Taco Pie Recipe • Jessica Lynn Writes (2024)

Good Eats

This Taco Pie Recipe, oh my word. Have you ever started eating a meal and got sad halfway through it, because it’s almost over, but it’s so good you don’t want it to end? That’s how I feel every time we have this taco pie.

Pin it now, Make it later

Taco Pie Recipe • Jessica Lynn Writes (1)

Because as good as this Taco Pie recipe is (and it is good and super easy to make), the best part of it is the leftovers.

And let’s be honest, sometimes the leftovers are even better than the actual meal. That scenario pretty much sums up how I feel every time I eat this Taco Pie.

We’ve been making this for more than a decade now, and I love it just as much as the first time I made it.

This Taco Pie recipe is easily my favorite casserole, and I try to always have one bag of filling in the freezer for days when a craving hits. I can defrost it and make it for dinner.

PRO TIP: Double the Taco Pie filling when you’re making it, then split the filling in half. One half goes in a freezer bag for later, and the other is for dinner tonight.

If you’re making this Taco Pie recipe on the fly it comes together really fast, too. It’s easily a 30-minute meal.

The best part is that as long as you have the staples for tacos, you can most likely make Taco Pie without even needing to leave your house.

Do you have to make Taco Pie in a pie dish? Nope. But it sure makes it more fun!

Some Like Taco Pie Hot

My one suggestion is to not use sweet salsa.

You’ll want that tang and kick that the salsa brings to the table. This is my favorite salsa. It’s pretty spicy (fair warning) so a little goes a long way, but in a dish like this it totally mellows out with all the cheese involved.

Also, stale or older taco shells work best.

The recipe calls for 15 ounces of crushed tomatoes, but it’s usually easier to find the bigger can of crushed tomatoes and then double everything else.

Freezing This Taco Pie Recipe for Later

Having a second meal of this won’t be a bad thing, I promise.

Simply double the recipe and pour half of the filling into a freezer bag before you get to the layering stage. Then, when you’re ready to make it, just make sure you have taco shells and cheese on hand.

Save some FOr Leftovers

This Taco Pie is hearty and delicious, so be warned: you’ll want to eat more than a serving.

Take a deep breath and just say no. Push the rest aside and save it for later (because this tastes even better the next day).

And when you have it later…or even the day of…put a fried egg on top. The creamy yolk is just perfect with the spicy, bold flavors of the pie.

Taco Pie

Move over, tacos, because this Taco Pie is just the kick your Taco Tuesday needed. It’s all the delicious taco flavors rolled into a pie, casserole-style.

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Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Ingredients

6 or 7 taco shells halved (12-14 pieces total, or make your own)
1/2 TBS oil
1 onion chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1 pound lean ground beef
2 TBS Taco Seasoning see notes for recipe
15 ounces can crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup salsa optional depending on how much spice you like
8 ounces chopped green chiles
1 can corn drained
8 ounces of cheese divided (sharp cheddar, mozzarella, Colby & Monterey Jack, etc.)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Add onions to the skillet and cook, stirring until soft and translucent.
Add minced garlic and cayenne; stir and mix for about 30 seconds. Add ground beef and taco seasoning; cook, breaking up the meat, until browned.
Stir in tomatoes, salsa, chile and corn; mix well.
Bring to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
Remove from heat.
Arrange half of the taco shells on the bottom of a 9-inch pie plate (overlapping is fine; about 5 halves).
Top with half of the meat mixture, then half of the cheese.
Repeat with the remaining tortillas, meat and cheese.
Cover loosely with foil and bake until the cheese melts, about 10 minutes.

Notes

Slice, serve, and enjoy!

*Try this homemade taco seasoning recipe.

Have you ever had anything like this? I can’t wait for you to try it.

It sounds really yummy! And I’ve totally experienced that before, when i get so sad that the meal is almost over, lol.
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So my dad was just talking about making tacos when my younger siblings are in town for Easter weekend… I just might have to convince him to try this recipe!!! I wonder if I can make this Keto friendly?! If not, I’m starting my diet after this weekend anyway 😉
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Wow. This recipe looks like something I could make every week for my family! Thanks
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This looks completely delicious! And simple – we need to add this to our dinner rotation!
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This sounds delicious! I bet my boys would love something like this!
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This looks so yummy. We love anything taco. Do you think I could make this in a regular pie pan? I don’t have a skillet.
Also, how do you embed a recipe like this one?
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Seriously one of the worst things is when you are enjoying some food and you don’t realize you’ve eaten the last bite until it’s already gone. So sad, haha! I make something similar to this but I love tacos so I’m definitely going to give your recipe a try!
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