This weekend marks my 9th Annual Girls Reunion (<—official/unofficial title) with a small group of college girlfriends. The ladies arrive tonight just in time for dinner. I can’t wait to greet them with giant hugs and a home-cooked meal like this Slow Cooker Taco Casserole.
Actually, let’s make that giant hugs, Taco Casserole, and a pitcher of Skinny Margaritas. Let the fun begin!
This Taco Casserole recipe takes the core ingredients of any classic taco plate—beans, cheese, tortillas, juicy ground turkey (my healthy swap for beef; chicken would work well too), and a yummy array of toppings—and transforms them into an easy-to-make, even easier-to-eat layered taco bake.
It’s like a baked Mexican lasagna. Except…I didn’t bake it. I slow cooker-ed it instead!
Anytime you are feeding a crowd or need additional flexibility around when you’ll prep or serve your meal, the slow cooker is your BFF.
Because I’m not sure exactly what time girls will arrive tonight, I love that I can make the Taco Casserole in advance, then keep it warm in the crock pot until they arrive.
3 Simple Steps to Healthy Taco Casserole
This Taco Casserole has three core components: the tortillas, the delicious meat-and-bean-filling, and the toppings:
Part 1: The tortillas. I used whole wheat flour tortillas because they can hold up to longer cooking times, but if you need the recipe to be gluten free and don’t mind the tortillas breaking down a bit (still delicious), you can certainly use corn tortillas instead.
Part 2: The filling. This is my favorite part! I used a mix of pinto and black beans, which makes the dish extra satisfying and provides a delightful contrast of flavors and textures. For even more taco satisfaction, I added ground turkey, fresh veggies, and a tasty array of Southwest spices. Oh, and cheese. You’ll find a gooey, stretchy layer of melty cheese between each tortilla.
Part 3: The toppings! No self-respecting taco should be without a shower of your favorite toppings. I opted for avocado, cilantro, and a dollop of Greek yogurt, my go-to healthy swap for sour cream.
Once you’ve cooked the filling, simply layer it with the tortillas in the slow cooker, lasagna style.
Cover the crock pot, walk away, then return a few hours later to a warm, hearty, and healthy meal.
To the superstar meal preppers in the crowd: add this Taco Casserole recipe to your rotation. The filling can be cooked a day or two in advance, then layered with the tortillas and cheese right before cooking. Had I been more organized this week, that’s exactly what I would have done.
When I think of the moments that define my year, our Girls’ Reunion is absolutely one of them. Last year, I hosted here in Milwaukee, and in years past, I’ve traveled to Nashville, Minneapolis, and South Bend. These women and I have been roommates, stood up in each others’ weddings, and held each other’s babies, and they supported me in my blog’s earliest days too.
We also share a deep, fierce love for Tex-Mex. Every reunion so far has involved tacos in one form or another, so I’m sticking with tradition, Taco Casserole style.
More Delicious Tex-Mex Recipes
- Chicken Tortilla Casserole
- Crock Pot Mexican Casserole
- Skinny Taco Salad
- Crock Pot Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
Recommended Tools to Make This Recipe
- Slow Cooker. This one switches to “keep warm” to deter overcooking.
- Sharp Chef’s Knife. An indispensable kitchen tool for slicing, cutting, and chopping.
Slow Cooker Taco Casserole
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Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 pound 93% lean ground turkey or ground chicken
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 1 large green bell pepper diced
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper use 1/4 for more heat, or omit it completely if sensitive to spicy food
- 1 can reduced-sodium black beans (15 ounces) rinsed and drained
- 1 can reduced-sodium pinto beans (15 ounces) or kidney beans (I used pinto), rinsed and drained
- 2 cans no salt added diced tomatoes in their juices (15-ounce cans)
- 1 cup grated carrots
- 6 whole wheat flour tortillas, medium taco size
- 2 cups reduced-fat shredded cheese such as cheddar, pepper jack, Monterey jack or a combination (about 8 ounces; I used half sharp cheddar, half pepper jack), divided
- Optional for topping: chopped fresh cilantro, diced avocado, sour cream (or nonfat plain Greek yogurt), salsa
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high. Once hot and shimmering, add the turkey, onion, bell pepper, salt, and pepper. Cook, breaking up the meat, until the turkey is cooked through and most of the excess liquid has evaporated, about 8 minutes. Add the chili powder, cumin, and cayenne and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add the black beans, pinto beans, diced tomatoes in their juices, and carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes are broken down and most of their liquid has cooked down, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.
- Lightly coat a 5-quart or larger slow cooker with nonstick spray. Spread 1 1/2 cups of the turkey-bean mixture in an even layer on the bottom. Top with 2 tortillas, spreading the tortillas out so that they cover the beans, overlapping them in the middle as needed. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup shredded cheese. Continue layering as follows: 1 1/2 cups beans, 1/2 cup cheese, 2 tortillas, 1 1/2 cups beans, 2 tortillas, 1/2 cup cheese, remaining beans. Reserve the final 1/2 cup cheese to sprinkle on top.
- Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours or on high for 2 to 3 hours, until heated through. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup cheese on top. Cover, turn the heat to high, and cook until the cheese melts, 5 to 10 additional minutes. Cut into slices and serve warm with desired toppings.
Nutrition
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Great flavor, great recipe!
Thanks so much, Elizabeth! So happy you enjoyed it!
I really Love this recipe. It’s easy to put together & then immediately put it in a crock pot. I’m just waiting for the final results when it is done – ready to eat.
Thank you for taking the time to share this kind review, Mary! I hope you love the recipe!
This might be a silly question, but any idea how big 1 serving is? I’m watching my calories very closely and wondered if you had any idea how many cups 1/8th of the recipe would be? My math brain isn’t working well. I’m looking forward to having this tasty looking meal tonight with my family.
Hi Sarah! Unfortunately, I don’t know the exact cups per serving size, but you could try eyeballing it into eight equal portions. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Hi Erin, I had a question about baking this in the oven — from an earlier comment, I see that you recommend baking it at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes. Would you bake it covered or uncovered? Thank you!
Hi Cari! Since I haven’t tried it myself, it would be an experiment. If you decide to try it too, I’d love to hear how it goes!
Just served this for supper to some last minute guests. They said they liked it, but when everyone had seconds I knew it was a hit! Easy to make and delicious! Just had salad with it and it was perfect! Thank you!
I’m so happy that it was a hit, Jessie! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
I like the recipe. It’s simple it uses everyday ingredients economical.
The only thing I did was use less cumin.
I like cumin but it tends to dominate the whole dish. I used a teaspoon instead of a tablespoon. I would probably start with half a teaspoon next time.
Very tasty I enjoyed it.
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it, Kathy! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Excellent, easy and everyone loved it!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it, Tammie! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
I used vegetarian meat instead of actual meat and it was honestly so great! I recommend adding shredded lettuce and sour cream once it’s finished cooking/is plated for more of a deconstructed taco type meal.
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
This is one recipe I felt confident about serving to my family! We adjusted/eyeballed seasonings to taste. And since we didn’t have any tortillas, we served the filling over rice. With sour cream, salsa and “baja” sauce on top!!
Cooked on the stove and baked at 325 until the cheese melted.
Quick and delicious. Thank you Erin!!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it, Nadia! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Just made this tonight, everyone loved it! Thank you so much for the amazing recipe.
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it, Amaya! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
My family loves tacos and this recipe was a huge hit. Easy to put together, lots of good vegetables and the spices are perfect. Really a lovely dish.
Hi Jean! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Great recipe. I did alter it a bit. Hubby hates cheese so I added to mine when it was on my plate.
Added a jalapeno for some added heat. Will definitely make again.
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it, Cindy! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Great taste, all the flavors meld nicely. I used ground beef and doubled the batch, adding mild taco seasoning and 2\3 cup water to half the meat after browning. Then, I mixed both batches together before separating for 2 meals. Had one that night and froze the other for burritos.
Hi Maggie! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
The whole family enjoyed this! It was delicious! Any way I can double the recipe as it wasn’t quite enough for my family?
Hi Brenda! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review! Doubling it will depend on how big your crockpot is and if everything can fix inside of it.
The texture of this turned out mushy for me with corn tortillas. I wish I would have read your note about them falling apart and used wheat! The flavor was good but the texture was weird. Adding some rice on top before eating helped.
I’m sorry to hear that Jessica!
So had this tonight, it was my grandaughters birthday but her older sister had volleyball game so we wouldn’t be eating till late so chose not his recipe. I substituted ground beef, also added a packet of taco seasoning with the chili powder and the pepper, it was delicious. Everyone loved it and had second helpings. It came out of the crockpot super easy. Served with sour cream and Jalepenos. My daughter even took sons for work the next day. A hit thank you
Glad it worked out for you Kathaleen! Thank you!
Really like the recipe! I added some habaneros with the green bell pepper because I prefer a lot more spice. Does anyone have any advice for reheating leftovers? I’m thinking in the oven at 350 for 15 minutes?
So glad to hear you enjoyed it, Alex! Thank you! That should work with reheating!
I’ve been craving taco casserole for weeks but couldn’t bear the thought of turning the oven on in this Utah summer heat. You are my go to for healthy recipes and I was delighted when I found this crockpot version. It’s even more delicious than I expected! Will be my new taco casserole no matter the weather. Thank you for another perfect recipe!
Yay for slow cooker meals!! So glad to hear you enjoyed it, Lindsey!