Incredibly Easy Taco Bake in Cast Iron Skillet For Dinner.

This cheesy taco bake is so incredibly filling and easy. It is an inexpensive, versatile weekday meal that your whole family will love. Made in a cast iron pan for a bit of rustic charm and well because tortillas fit it perfectly. So indulge in a little Mexican flavor for your next Taco Tuesday or any day of the week because it’s that tasty!

I devised this meal idea as a quick way to serve taco flavor without the added work of slicing and dicing ingredients. Who wants to be doing a lot of dishes every weeknight? It’s the perfect lazy night dinner that feeds up to eight! The deep nature of cast iron allows for three or four tasty layers of taco meat and cheese.

This taco bake is so simple with just a few ingredients. You can add fresh Pico de Gallo or avocado crema to complete the whole meal.

If you love having Taco Tuesday in your weekly or even monthly recipe line-up, see our other great Taco ideas like our Hot Taco Pasta Salad With Avocado Crema or our Easy Taco Salad With Roasted Tomato Salsa.

Pull Out Your Cast Iron Folks~ No Cast Iron No Worries Grab a Deep Dish Pie Pan Instead

It’s amazing how simple this recipe is to toss together once the taco meat is prepared. I blend two packets of Old El Paso taco seasoning to make this tasty dinner idea; one regular and one hot. It creates a good heat. We first brown our hamburger. I used four pounds for this recipe.

I had initially tried it with two, but that was too little. You could likely use two to stretch your meat budget if you added other toppings like corn or black beans into your layers.

When the ground meat is ready for the taco seasoning, we add it without water, even though the directions call for water. We want the flavors and not the juiciness that the water makes in the taco meat when using Old El Paso.

Add enough seasoning to the four pounds of meat if you are using your homemade version. If you are in Canada as I am, four pounds is a family-sized package of hamburger meat. It’s okay if you have less or more taco meat; it will all work out when putting this yummy dish together.

We will open our refried beans once you have the taco meat browned. Now, if you prefer whole black beans or kidney beans, that’s okay, too. However, if you are using something other than a bean paste like refried, you will undoubtedly need more than one can.

If you are using refried, one can of Old El Paso (398ml- small size can) or other off-brand will work fine.

In your cast iron pan, spray or coat lightly with oil. I used Pam cooking spray because that’s what I have for my cookware. Regular vegetable oil or olive oil will work, too. A clean paper towel does the trick if you need help spreading it around the pan. No paper towels? Nature provided us with excellent tools: clean hands also work to spread oil into your pans

Lay your first tortilla into the bottom of the pan and spread half the refried bean mixture over the wrap. On top of that, you will add half the ground meat mixture, then the cheese. I used Tex-Mex because, of course, it has a bit of spice added to it. You can, however, get away with using a mix of old cheddar and mozzarella with added diced finely fresh jalapeno pepper.

Repeat the process for the next layer, then top with another tortilla wrap. We now pour the small bottle of red enchilada sauce over the top of the whole thing. I used Presidents Choice (A Canadian Brand) of red enchilada sauce in a 215 ml bottle, which works out to approximately one cup of enchilada sauce for the entire dish.

Spread the sauce to cover the entire tortilla before topping it with the remaining cheese. For the Tex Mex, I used Presidents Choice (320 grams or 11oz) again as it was on sale. Often, we have deals on dairy for cheese, so keep your eyes out for the sales to keep this a budget-friendly dish.

Once that’s all done, we pop this rustic, easy taco bake into the oven to bake. Oh my, this is one easy cheesy taco dish your family will love!

Ingredients for The Cheesy Taco Bake:

Ground beef: You can use regular ground beef, but it will need to be drained of grease more than lean ground. For this recipe, I have used lean ground beef.

Tex Mex Cheese Blend: The Tex Mex Cheese blend is part mozzarella and part yellow cheese with jalapeno added. This cheese melts well and adds a richer flavor to Mexican dishes.

Tortillas: This recipe used the large tortilla wraps typically found in your grocers bread aisle. We used white tortillas for this recipe however you can choose any tortilla flavor.

Red Enchilada Sauce: This standard Mexican red sauce is made with a blend of spices: chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, dried oregano, and stock. The addition of fresh tomato or tomato paste is in some recipes. We add it to this recipe to give the top tortilla some moisture and keep the overall dish from drying out as it bakes. It also adds a delicious Mexican flavor to the taco bake.

Refried Beans (frijoles refritos from Spanish): Simple refried beans are an excellent protein source in Mexican food. The canned version of refried beans is simply Pinto beans that have been boiled, fried, and mashed into a paste.

Substitutions for this tasty Mexican dinner dish:

Tex Mex Cheese Blend: You can blend your cheese using a brick of mozzarella and shredded cheddar. Add in some finely diced fresh jalapeno to complete the blend.

Tortillas: Omit the tortilla wraps add in a top layer or crispy tortilla chips for delicious hot dish with crunch. Alternatively you could bake the taco ingredients in the cast iron pan without wraps and use as a meaty dip with corn chips at dinner.

Red Enchilada Sauce: This can be replaced with a layer of salsa if you have it on hand or prefer the extra tomato-ness of flavor. You could also switch it up with a tomatillo sauce.

Expert Tips For This Easy Dish:

Truthfully, the biggest tip I can offer is not to overeat! This taco bake is so delicious that it will be hard to accomplish.

Serving Ideas For the Cheesy Taco Bake:

Side Salad: A basic garden salad goes great with this dish. One, because it offers some lightness to contrast with the heaviness of the meaty taco bake, and two because it is often served with a vinaigrette dressing, which can cut through the cheesiness of the dish.

Rice and Beans: A side of rice and red beans goes great with the Mexican flavors of this dish. This combination is a great winter meal idea for a hungry family needing filling.

Fresh Sides: Avocado Crema or Pico De Gallo make great sides for a freshness that offers coolness. The nature of these sides will undoubtedly make a flavor combination you will enjoy.