Taco Hashbrown Casserole is taco-seasoned ground beef stirred together with a bag of frozen diced hash browns, cheddar cheese soup, sour cream, salsa and Mexican-blend cheese, then slow-cooked under a layer of melted cheese. It takes 15 minutes of prep, cooks 3 to 4 hours on high, and serves 6, finished with fresh taco toppings.
How to make it: Brown 1 pound of ground beef, drain it and simmer it with taco seasoning and water. Put the beef in the slow cooker with the frozen hash browns, soup, 1 cup of the cheese, sour cream and salsa, stir, and top with the rest of the cheese. Cook until the potatoes are tender and the center reaches 165°F.
Why You’ll Love It
- 15 minutes of prep: brown the beef, stir, and the slow cooker does the rest.
- No thawing: the frozen hash browns go straight into the pot.
- Taco night in a spoon: seasoned beef, potatoes and melty cheese in one dish.
- Top it your way: tomatoes, sour cream, green onions, or anything from the taco bar.
Ingredient Notes
Ground beef: 1 pound, browned and drained before it goes in the pot.
Taco seasoning: one 1-ounce packet, or 3 tablespoons from a jar, simmered with 1/3 cup water. A low-sodium packet works too.
Frozen diced hash browns: one 32-ounce bag, straight from the freezer.
Condensed cheddar cheese soup: one 10.5-ounce can holds everything together into a creamy sauce.
Mexican-blend shredded cheese: 2 cups, divided: 1 cup stirred in and 1 cup on top.
Sour cream and mild salsa: 1/2 cup of each go into the mix. Use a hotter salsa if you like more heat.
Parsley and toppings: 2 tablespoons of chopped parsley (optional), plus the fresh toppings for serving.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 packet taco seasoning (1 ounce)
- 1/3 cup water, for the taco beef
- 32 ounces frozen diced hash browns (1 bag)
- 1 can condensed cheddar cheese soup (10.5 ounces)
- 2 cups Mexican-blend shredded cheese, divided (1 cup in the mix, 1 cup on top)
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup mild salsa
- 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped (optional garnish; a little dried parsley also works)
- Diced tomatoes, sour cream and sliced green onions, for serving
How to Make Taco Hashbrown Casserole
1. Brown the beef. In a skillet over medium heat, cook and crumble the ground beef for about 7 minutes, until cooked through (160°F on a food thermometer). Drain any excess grease and return the beef to the skillet.
2. Season the beef. Add the taco seasoning and the water and stir well. Simmer for about 2 minutes.
3. Fill the slow cooker. Transfer the taco meat to a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Add the frozen hash browns, cheddar cheese soup, 1 cup of the cheese, the sour cream and the salsa.
4. Mix. Stir until everything is combined.
5. Add the cheese topping. Top with the remaining 1 cup of cheese.
6. Cook. Cover and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours or on low for 4 to 6 hours, until the potatoes are tender and the center of the casserole reaches 165°F on a food thermometer. Keep the lid on, lifting it only to check.
7. Serve. Sprinkle with the parsley if you like, and serve topped with diced tomatoes, sour cream and sliced green onions.
Do You Have to Thaw the Hash Browns?
No. The frozen diced hash browns go into the slow cooker straight from the bag, with no thaw step. They cook right along with the beef, soup and cheese until the potatoes are tender.
What does need attention is the meat and the finish:
- Cook the beef first. It’s browned to 160°F and drained before it goes in the pot, so no raw meat sits in the slow cooker. (Raw meat or poultry should always be thawed before it goes into a slow cooker.)
- Check the center. Tender potatoes are a good sign, but the casserole is done when a food thermometer in the middle reads 165°F.
- Keep the lid on. Lift it only to check. The slow cooker takes a while to heat up, and every peek lets heat out.
- High or low both work. If you can, start on high for the first hour; cooking on low the whole time is also safe.
Tips
- Drain the beef well. Extra grease makes the casserole oily.
- Use the right size cooker. A 5- to 6-quart slow cooker fits the full batch.
- Grease the crock lightly so the edges don’t stick.
- Save half the cheese for the top so it melts into a layer.
- Brown the top. If your crock is oven safe, slide it under the broiler on high for about 90 seconds to brown the cheese.
Variations
- Onion and garlic: cook 1 small diced onion and 2 cloves of minced garlic with the beef.
- Tomatoes and green chiles: stir in a can of diced tomatoes with green chiles, well drained.
- Shredded hash browns: use a 30-ounce bag of frozen shredded hash browns; cook on high 2 to 2 1/2 hours or low 4 to 5 hours, until the center reaches 165°F.
- Cheddar: swap the Mexican blend for shredded cheddar or a taco-style blend.
- Oven version: heat the oven to 425°F. Mix everything except 1 cup of the cheese, spread it in a lightly greased 9×13-inch baking dish, top with the remaining cheese and bake about 20 minutes, turning the dish halfway through if your oven cooks unevenly. Keep baking until the center reaches 165°F.
Storage & Reheating
Refrigerator: Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow covered containers. They keep 3 to 4 days.
Freezer: Freeze for 3 to 4 months. The creamy sauce may not freeze well, so the texture can change after thawing. Thaw in the refrigerator, in cold water or in the microwave, or reheat from frozen, which takes about one and a half times as long.
Reheating: Reheat covered on the stove, in the microwave or in the oven to 165°F. Don’t reheat leftovers in a slow cooker. For a party, heat it to 165°F first, then keep it at 140°F or warmer in a preheated slow cooker.
What to Serve With It
Set out bowls of the toppings and let everyone finish their own bowl. For more taco dinners, try the taco casserole with tortillas, walking taco casserole with corn chips, or a quicker oven layered taco bake. Taco stuffed baked potatoes put the same flavors in a whole potato.
Prefer hash browns without the taco flavor? Make the hashbrown hamburger casserole or a cheesy copycat Cracker Barrel hashbrown casserole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to thaw frozen hash browns for this casserole?
No. They go into the slow cooker frozen and cook until tender. The beef is browned first, and the casserole is done at 165°F in the center.
How long does it take in the slow cooker?
3 to 4 hours on high or 4 to 6 hours on low with diced hash browns.
Can I bake it instead?
Yes. Bake it in a greased 9×13-inch dish at 425°F until the center reaches 165°F, about 20 minutes or more.
Can I use shredded hash browns?
Yes. A 30-ounce bag of frozen shredded hash browns cooks 2 to 2 1/2 hours on high or 4 to 5 hours on low.
How much taco seasoning do I need?
One 1-ounce packet, or about 3 tablespoons.
Final Notes
Brown the beef, stir it all together and let the slow cooker handle the rest. If you add green chiles or bake it in the oven, tell me in the comments how it went.
Taco Hashbrown Casserole
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Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 packet taco seasoning 1 ounce
- 1/3 cup water for the taco beef
- 32 ounces frozen diced hash browns 1 bag
- 1 can condensed cheddar cheese soup 10.5 ounces
- 2 cups Mexican-blend shredded cheese divided: 1 cup in the mix, 1 cup on top
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup mild salsa
- 2 tablespoons parsley chopped; optional garnish, a little dried parsley also works
- diced tomatoes, sour cream and sliced green onions for serving
Instructions
- In a skillet over medium heat, cook and crumble the ground beef for about 7 minutes, until cooked through (160°F on a food thermometer). Drain any excess grease and return the beef to the skillet.
- Add the taco seasoning and the water and stir well. Simmer for about 2 minutes.
- Transfer the taco meat to a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Add the frozen hash browns, cheddar cheese soup, 1 cup of the cheese, the sour cream and the salsa.
- Stir until everything is combined.
- Top with the remaining 1 cup of cheese.
- Cover and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours or on low for 4 to 6 hours, until the potatoes are tender and the center of the casserole reaches 165°F on a food thermometer. Keep the lid on, lifting it only to check.
- Sprinkle with the parsley if you like, and serve topped with diced tomatoes, sour cream and sliced green onions.
