Last night I made a masterpiece and I call it – Taco Casserole. I basically took one of my household’s favorite recipes – burrito bowls – and turned it into a casserole made with our favorite pasta – Banza. Meal prep is something we are super passionate about at my house and things like casseroles, crock pot recipes, and “bowls” of any sort tend to be the best meal prep options that make quite a few servings. This Taco Casserole is super easy to throw together on a Sunday afternoon and have for the week, and honestly you could mix and match your protein option, veggies, and cheese options to make this however you’d like!
Taco Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 x 8 oz. boxes Banza rotini pasta
- 1 x 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 lb. 90/10 ground beef
- 1 large red bell pepper, diced
- 1 large green bell pepper, diced
- 1 x 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
- 12 oz. shredded cheese (or non dairy cheese)
- scallions, sour cream, salsa (optional for serving)
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and spray a 9×13 casserole dish with non stick spray.
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Cook Banza as directed on the package. Do not overcook. Rinse with cold water after draining and place in a large bowl.
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While Banza is cooking, heat a skillet over medium heat and add your ground protein of choice (we used ground beef), cook until no pink remains and the internal temp is 165 degrees F.
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Once the pasta and protein are cooked combine pasta, protein, black beans, diced tomatoes, and bell peppers in a large bowl and gently fold to combine.
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Pour about half of the mixture into a greased 9×13 casserole dish. Sprinkle with about 1/3 of the cheese. Pour remaining mixture into the casserole dish and top with another 1/3 of the cheese.
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Bake for 20 minutes (covered if your oven tends to brown things quickly) and then top with remaining cheese and broil on high for about 2-5 minutes until the top of the casserole is slightly browned. Keep an eye on it to prevent it from burning!
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Remove from oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes to firm up before serving. Top with sour cream (or if you are dairy free, I love kite hill cream cheese), scallions, and salsa and enjoy!
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Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Did you try this taco casserole recipe? Make any substitutions? Let us know how they turned out in the comments below!
Want to share this recipe? Please link back to the original post here, tag @lizhurley_rd on Instagram and #lizhurleyrdeats! Happy Cooking!
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