Transform Taco Tuesday Into A Dump-And-Bake Casserole That Cooks In Under 30 Minutes

Taco Tuesday started as an ad campaign in the 1980s to bring customers into Taco John's on the slowest day of the week. Since then, it has become something of an unofficial mid-week holiday. However, if your tacos — with their seasoned ground beef, cheddar, and lettuce in a hard corn shell — are starting to feel ho-hum week after week, you can turn the tables. Try taking the all the ingredients and making them into a dump-and-bake casserole instead.

Brown a pound of ground beef with chopped onion and taco seasoning, then add a jar of salsa and simmer it until it's absorbed. Stir in black beans, corn, and cheddar cheese, and combine. Place corn chips in the bottom of a casserole dish, put the mixture over the top, and bake until the cheese has melted and the casserole has heated through. When it's out of the oven, it can be served topped with fresh chopped tomatoes, sour cream, cilantro, lettuce, and green onion.

A distant cousin to an elevated seven-layer dip recipe, taco casserole combines your favorite Taco Tuesday flavors into one baking dish. Easier than assembling your own tacos, the servings of this dish can be scooped right onto a plate. For those in a time crunch, it conveniently comes together in under 30 minutes. Bonus: It's easy to clean up, since it's basically a one-pot meal. 

While this casserole has all the savory elements of a taco, there are still ways to make the meal even better. If you want to seriously upgrade your Taco Tuesdays, consider swapping out regular tortilla chips for Fritos or even Doritos. You could also top it with cornbread batter or even biscuits for a riff on hard taco shells. 

As for the fillings, you can add a layer of homemade guacamole, swap out the shredded cheddar cheese for an authentic Mexican cheese blend, or better yet, use cotija cheese — taco casserole is one of the tastiest ways to serve it. You can also swap the jarred salsa for an authentic homemade salsa with more or less heat, and add side dishes like Spanish rice or refried beans.  

If you're trying to make Taco Tuesday more creative, a taco casserole may be the easy, time-saving twist you need. Plus, with all of the time and clean-up it saves, you have even more of an excuse to treat yourself to a margarita or a serving of flan for dessert.