Dorito Casserole

My Dorito casserole is a hearty beef casserole with delicious layers of flavorful Dorito and lots of cheese. Tortilla chips are great, but there’s nothing quite like Doritos, those thin crispy chips dusted with cheese, spicy peppers, or ranch dressing!

Did you know Doritos descended onto supermarket shelves the same year Captain Kirk was “beamed up” to the Enterprise? (That was 1966, by the way, when Southern Living also hit the printer.) I always thought that the Starfleet logo looked a lot like one of my favorite, cheese-crusted snack foods!

Over the last several decades, the always dependable and infinitely creative home chefs have developed many recipes to incorporate these “little golden things” (from their original name of Doridatos) into everything from burgers and “bombs” to breading and “bakes,” and this easy casserole showcases them in an epic fashion.

Try a few more of my favorite recipes that use this fabulous ingredient next!

• Dorito Chicken Casserole
• Dorito Taco Salad
• Dorito Chicken

Dorito Casserole Ingredients

• Ground Beef –  My version’s made with beef – ground chuck or another cut of meat with an 80/20 lean-to-fat ratio. You’ll have some excess oil to remove after browning it with the onions, but the beef will be flavorful enough to hold its own in the rest of the casserole.
• Onion – Either yellow or white will work.
• Mild Taco Seasoning – This is such a great time saver since they’re full of onions, chili powder, cumin, and other spices you’d have to measure (maybe even buy) separately. I always keep extra on hand at my house too because it makes a great “sprinkle” for popcorn, nuts, and fries, or an easy mix-in to some mayo and sour cream for a quick taco salad dressing. Many home cooks even make their own mix, to control the salt and adjust the flavor to their own liking, and you’ll need about 4 tablespoons of homemade to substitute here.
• Canned Petite Diced Tomatoes – I like plain, petite diced tomatoes in this recipe so there are lots of tiny pieces throughout the filling. Some recipes make this Dorito casserole with Rotel tomatoes, but they’re seasoned with “secret spices” in addition to green chilies and I’d rather control the flavors myself with the not-so-secret ingredients in taco seasoning.
  • I also like that my casserole ends up a little more tomato-y, since the actual quantity of tomatoes will be more than in a single can of Rotel.
• Canned Diced Green Chilies
• Sour Cream –  adds a little tang and extra body to the dish, and cream of mushroom soup. The soup thickens and adds a luscious quality to the filling in this Doritos casserole, which is precisely why so many of our favorite casseroles utilize this magical canned good. I love the texture of the little bits of mushroom, plus the subtle earthy flavor.
• Canned Condensed Cream Of Mushroom Soup
• Dorito’s Nacho Cheese – I use the Nacho Cheese variety, but feel free to experiment with your favorite. I like to keep them in relatively large chunks too so you’ll have substantial seasoned tortilla pieces. They will soften in the oven, just like they do in migas or chilaquiles, and you’ll find some in every bite thanks to the layering technique.
  • This is a great way to use up a partial bag of Doritos, like the ones that have been carefully picked over to extract all the fully intact triangles. Don’t throw away that slightly stale bag of chips either because they’ll work just fine in this recipe.
  • To crush them, open the bag (so the air trapped inside doesn’t create a Doritos explosion in your kitchen), then just squeeze the bag to crush them by hand. You can also run over the bag once or twice with a rolling pin or wine bottle.
• Cheese (Jack Cheese and Cheddar) – A generous mound of shredded cheese on top makes this Dorito bake a proper casserole, and I like to use a combination of Monterey jack cheese, which melts really smoothly, and a medium to sharp cheddar.
  • You can also substitute a Colby/jack combo or Mexican blend. Just try to avoid the ones that have added taco seasoning so this perfect casserole doesn’t get too salty.

Tips For The Best Dorito Casserole

Type Of Meat: I generally use 80/20 ground beef. 90/10 will also work. This is also wonderfully made with ground turkey.

Type Cheese: I’ve used a combo of shredded Monterey jack cheese and cheddar cheese. If you have a preference for one over the other, both of them work equally deliciously. Both are creamy and melt well in the casserole. If you want the casserole with more heat, opt for pepper jack cheese. I generally don’t use Cotija cheese, because it’s a dry, non-creamy type of cheese. It also tends to be a fairly salty cheese, which, combined with the Doritos, can make the dish overly salty.

Doritos: Breaking. the Doritos up into about 1/2 inch pieces works best. At this size, the texture holds up better than smaller pieces.

STORING + FREEZING + MAKE-AHEAD

• How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? This casserole recipe is best served fresh, but it keeps in the fridge for 3-4 days. If I do have leftovers, I just cover them with plastic wrap or place in an airtight container and store them into the fridge. 
• Can You Freeze This? This beef Dorito casserole recipe really is best served fresh because of the sour cream and Dorito content. Stuff with sour cream tends to separate in the freezer and the Doritos will absorb moisture and become mushy.
• Food Safety: If you’d like more food safety info check out this article. I use the “pieces and cooked casseroles” under Cooked Meat, Poultry, and Fish Leftovers as my reference.

Serving Recommendations

This kid-requested, mom-approved Dorito casserole recipe makes a fabulous stand-alone meal, but it also pairs well with plenty of sides. Try a fresh crisp salad, some drunken Mexican beans (aka Charro Beans), Mexican corn salad, or even Mexican rice. You really can’t go wrong with any of those.

How To Make Dorito Casserole

1. Cook the beef and onion.
2. Stir in taco seasoning, diced tomatoes, diced chilies, sour cream, and cream of mushroom soup.
3. Place one-third of the crushed Doritos in the bottom of the baking dish then add half of the beef mixture.
4. Top with one-third of the crushed Doritos, then the remaining beef mixture.
5. Add the last third of the remaining Doritos and sprinkle the top evenly with cheese.
6. Bake 25 minutes.

****See Full Instructions On Recipe Card Below

More Delicious Mexican Inspired Casseroles

• White Chicken Enchiladas
• Chili Cornbread Casserole
• Mexican Chicken Casserole
• Chile Rellano Casserole
• Chicken Tortilla Casserole
• Chicken Tamale Casserole
• Mexican Casserole

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Dorito Casserole

Delectable Dorito casserole is a star-studded favorite that combines zesty beef filling, creamy cheese, and America’s favorite chip for a 30-minute meal.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time35 minutes mins

Servings: 6 servings

Author: Kathleen

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef 80/20
• 1 large yellow onion chopped
• 2 packages mild taco seasoning
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes drained
• 1 (4-ounce) can diced green chilies mild
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 (10.75-ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1 large bag Dorito's nacho cheese
• 1 1/2 cups Jack cheese shredded
• 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese shredded

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400 °F. Spray a 9X13 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
• In a large skillet, over medium heat, cook the beef (1 pound) and onion (1) until no longer pink. Remove excess fat. Stir in taco seasoning (2 packages), diced tomatoes (1 can), diced chilies (1 can), sour cream (1 cup), and cream of mushroom soup (1 can), and heat through.
• Place one-third of the crushed Doritos in the bottom of the baking dish then add half of the beef mixture. Top with one-third of the crushed Doritos, then the remaining beef mixture. Add the last third of the remaining Doritos and sprinkle the top evenly with cheese.
• Bake, uncovered in preheated oven until heated through and cheese is bubbly about 20 minutes.

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Notes

1. Type Of Meat: I generally use 80/20 ground beef. 90/10 will also work. This is also wonderfully made with ground turkey.
2. Type Cheese: I've used a combo of shredded Monterey jack cheese and cheddar cheese. If you have a preference for one over the other, both of them work equally deliciously. Both are creamy and melt well in the casserole.
   • If you want the casserole, opt for pepper jack cheese. I generally don't use Cotija cheese, because it's a dry, non-creamy type of cheese. It also tends to be a fairly salty cheese, which, combined with the Doritos, can make the dish overly salty.

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