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Slow Cooker Taco Potato Casserole is made with ground beef, frozen hashbrowns, taco seasoning, cheddar cheese, and a few other Mexican dish staples for the perfect main course for taco night. This family-friendly recipe is sure to be a huge hit!
This dish is a delicious twist on a Mexican-style hash! The potatoes cook to perfection, soaking up the flavors of the tomatoes, cheddar cheese soup, and sour cream, which pair beautifully with the savory ground beef. While taco dishes are often served with corn or flour tortillas, this recipe swaps them out for potatoes, offering a hearty and satisfying casserole that’s a must-try!
Ingredients for Taco Potato Casserole
This may seem like an unusual mix of ingredients, but you must try it! Find the full recipe with ingredient amounts in the recipe card below the images.
- Ground Beef: Using lean ground beef will produce less fat and soak up more onion and garlic flavor when cooked.
- Frozen Hashbrowns: This adds a nice hearty touch to the casserole without being overpowering.
- Cheddar Cheese Soup: This helps provide a creamy texture to the meat mixture.
- Taco Seasoning: The primary seasoning to give it an authentic Mexican flavor.
- Yellow Onion and Garlic: Diced and sauteed with the ground beef to give it a bit of flavor before adding to the remaining ingredients.
- Green Chiles and Diced Tomatoes: The Old El Paso brand of these chiles and tomatoes are rated best. Having them in a can makes the recipe that much easier to make.
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese: Purchasing a block of cheese and shredding it yourself will guarantee that it melts without having a residue (like bagged cheese).
Variations
Here is how I change up this recipe with great results:
- Diced hashbrown potatoes can be used instead of the shredded (or the O’Brien variety). Tater tots can also be used, but expect them to break up a bit once cooked and bowled for serving.
- Don’t like cheddar cheese soup? Cream of mushroom, chicken or celery soup can be used instead.
- Vegetables can be added such as bell pepper, mushrooms or corn.
- For more protein, add a can of pinto or black beans.
- Ground turkey or chicken can be used but the flavor will differ greatly.
How to make Taco Potato Casserole
You can make this casserole in four easy steps with your crockpot!
Step One – Start by putting the hashbrowns on the bottom of the slow cooker. Then add the cooked hamburger meat mixture, shredded cheese, and all other remaining ingredients.
Step Two – Give everything a good stir until well combined.
Step Three – Cover and cook on LOW for 4-5 hours.
Step Four – Serve immediately and enjoy!
Serving Ideas
This casserole is great as-is, but here are my ways to step it up a notch:
- This taco casserole is perfect for topping with sliced green onions, diced tomatoes, a dollop of sour cream, creamy avocado, and gooey melted cheese.
- Black beans and crunchy tortilla chips make great non-filling sides to serve alongside this dish.
- A fresh green salad adds a light and refreshing touch to complete the meal.
Featured Comment
“Delicious!! My family enjoyed it. Hubby said he will eat it for breakfast with egg Kid approved as well. You’re single handedly making my life easier with your recipes. Thank you!!!”
– Taylor
Taco Potato Casserole Recipe
How to Video
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
- 4 oz. can diced green chilies
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 oz. packet of taco seasoning, (2 tablespoons)
- 10.5 oz. can cheddar cheese soup
- 16 oz. frozen shredded hash browns, (thawed or partially thawed)
- 2 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- In a large skillet, brown the ground beef with the diced onions and minced garlic over medium high heat.
- Drain and add to the crockpot.
- Next, add the remaining ingredients to the crockpot, stir to combine, and cook on low for 4-5 hours.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
Sarah’s Notes
- Any leftover taco casserole can be stored in an airtight container and stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. It can also be placed in a freezer bag and stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- For this recipe, it is okay to add the frozen potato directly to the bottom of the slow cooker. Though, you will find, it’s easier to mix the ingredients if the potatoes are thawed or at least partially thawed.
- You can use frozen O’brien potatoes instead of the shredded hashbrowns and it cooks up just as perfectly.
Nutrition
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
More crockpot hashbrown recipes
Slow Cooker Potatoes Romanoff and Cracker Barrel Potatoes are both rich, cheesy sides that bring comfort food flavor to any meal with minimal effort.
For something warm and cozy, try Hashbrown Potato Leek Soup or whip up a hearty Hashbrown Kielbasa Casserole packed with smoky sausage and melty cheese.
Slow Cooker Breakfast Casserole is a crowd-pleasing morning favorite made with eggs, hashbrowns, and your choice of breakfast meats—all in one pot.
Do I need to drain the tomatoes and chilies?
No, don’t drain.
Do you thaw the hash browns? Thanks
Yes, at least partially. I’ll add that to the recipe.
Delicious!! My family enjoyed it. Hubby said he will eat it for breakfast with egg Kid approved as well. You’re single handedly making my life easier with your recipes. Thank you!!!
I just now put this on to cook.
I hope my husband likes it because he’s taking leftovers for lunch. I didn’t have cheddar cheese soup but I had Velveeta so I substituted and also added a small amount of a Pablano pepper.
There’s a wonderful aroma wafting through the house.
Have you made this in advance and reheated in a crockpot the next day? I would like to take it to a party.
I don’t think this would be as good reheated. I think that potatoes would fall apart too much.
This sounds so good and easy! However, I always have dehydrated hash browns on hand. Could I use those instead? Thinking I would just rehydrate them and then add them to the pot.
I have not tested those. I apologize.
Not a problem, just thought I would ask! I will be making it tomorrow and will try them out.
We enjoyed this very much. I rehydrated 4 ounces dried hash browns with 12 ounces boiling water which is the normal ratio. Otherwise, I followed the recipe, except I added a can of drained and rinsed pinto beans, prefer them to black beans. I served it with corn tortillas and a salad. My husband put butter on his tortilla, but I tore mine into small pieces. Next time I will make burritos with flour tortillas.
Can I cut most of your recipes in 1/2 to use in a 3.5 qt slow cooker? Would I then also cut the cooking time in 1/2?
Most can be cut in half but the cooking time would need do be tested for each recipe. Hard to say.
Can you cook this in the oven?
I’m sure you could. I do not have timing for that though, I apologize.
Could I sub in a can of rotel for the tomatoes and green chilies?
Yes! That will work great.
The picture shows cream of chicken soup, the recipe says cheddar cheese soup.
It’s cheddar cheese soup, I fixed it. Thank you so much.