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I love a good casserole and this Taco Noodle Casserole is no exception! Grab some chicken, egg noodles, taco seasoning, and a whole lot of cheese to make this simple and delicious dinner. Mom and kid-approved!
I made this Taco Noodle Casserole a few days ago because I needed to make dinner and I didn’t know what to make. A typical problem to have. After scouring my pantry and my fridge multiple times, a few ingredients kept popping out at me and before I knew it, this recipe was basically making itself. So good and so easy!
Taco Noodle Casserole Ingredients
Don’t be intimidated by this huge list of ingredients, this is actually quite a manageable recipe that yields mouth-watering results. Here’s what you need for this Taco Noodle Casserole:
- Egg Noodles – these are cooked to al dente and then tossed with a delicious sauce and other mix-ins before being baked.
- Butter and Onion – the butter is used to saute the onion. Lots of basic flavors here.
- Corn and Green Chiles – a little bit of freshness and spice with these two ingredients. They also lend a ton of flavor to the sauce.
- Flour and Chicken Broth – the base of this casserole is a roux-based sauce made with flour and chicken stock.
- Taco Seasoning, Salt, and Pepper – I flavor the basic sauce with lots of taco seasoning and a little extra salt and pepper.
- Half & Half – the sauce is then finished with some half & half to make it thick and creamy. YUM!
- Black Olives – if you don’t like olives feel free to leave them out. No big deal 🙂
- Cheddar Cheese – it wouldn’t be a taco noodle casserole without cheese! Melted gooey goodness.
- Shredded Chicken – to make this casserole go by quickly I used shredded rotisserie chicken, but feel free to use leftover chicken, if you have it, too.
- Chili Cheese Corn Chips – for this casserole, I used the chili cheese corn chips (which are basically flavored Fritos if you aren’t familiar) because I thought their taste would lend themselves well to the overall taste of the casserole.
- Chives and Cilantro – these are optional garnishes that make this casserole look amazing!
How to Make Taco Noodle Casserole
This Taco Noodle Casserole is quite a simple dinner that is easy enough to pull off on a weeknight! For full recipe details, see the recipe card down below.
- Bring a large pot of water to boil. Preheat oven. Lightly grease oval (or 9×13) casserole dish and set aside.
- Add egg noodles to boiling water and stir. Cook until al dente. Drain and set aside.
- While noodles are cooking, melt butter in a large pot. Saute onion. Stir in corn and green chiles. Add in flour and whisk to incorporate. Slowly whisk in chicken broth to ensure a smooth sauce.
- Whisk in taco seasoning, salt (if desired), and pepper. Boil to thicken, then reduce heat to low. Stir in half & half. Taste and adjust seasonings.
- Add egg noodles, black olives, chicken, and half of the cheese into the sauce. Stir in chopped chives and/or cilantro if desired.
- Pour into prepared casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese and bake until hot and bubbly.
- Remove from oven, sprinkle crushed corn chips over the top and garnish with chives and/or chopped cilantro. Serve taco noodle casserole immediately.
Tips and Tricks
- Stove Top: Because this is a casserole, I cooked it completely on the stovetop and then baked it with some extra cheese. That is an extra step! Feel free to serve this as a “stove-top casserole” and just top each individual portion with extra cheese and crushed chips.
- Casserole Dish: This is the casserole dish I used and I love love love it!
- Chicken: I also used rotisserie chicken I had shredded and stored in my freezer. Feel free to make this Taco Noodle Casserole vegetarian and leaving it out OR cook the chicken with the onions at the very start of this recipe.
Variations
Make this taco noodle casserole your own by subbing out or adding much-loved ingredients. Here are a couple of ideas:
- Chips. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Top all your casseroles with crushed chips of any kind and your kids will devour it. Doritos, Fritos, Ruffles, Cheetos, you name it. I’m not picky.
- Cheese. Try other cheeses besides cheddar. Some examples could be Colby Jack, Monterey Jack, or even a milder cheddar.
- Chiles. If you like things spicy, replace the green chiles with something hotter, like jalapeno!
- Protein. If you are going the vegetarian route consider adding in canned beans (not refried) to this casserole. That way you still get some protein.
More Taco Recipes to Try!
If you loved this Taco Noodle Casserole be sure to check out all of my other taco recipes! Here are a couple of reader-favorites:
As usual, if you have any questions regarding this or any other recipe, please leave me a comment so I can reply back 🙂
The printable recipe card is below!
Taco Noodle Casserole
Grab some chicken, egg noodles, taco seasoning and a whole lot of cheese to make this simple and delicious Taco Noodle Casserole!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 1 ear corn kernels removed
- 4 oz fire-roasted mild diced green chiles 1 can
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 2 oz mild taco seasoning two 1 oz packets
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1 cup half & half
- 12 oz wide egg noodles
- 1/2 cup sliced black olives
- 2 cups grated cheddar cheese
- 1 1/2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
- 4.5 oz chili cheese corn chips 1 bag, crushed
- chives optional
- cilantro optional
Instructions
- Bring large pot of water to boil over high heat. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease oval (or 9x13) casserole dish and set aside.
- Add egg noodles to boiling water and stir. Cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain and set aside.
- While noodles are cooking, melt butter in large pot over medium to medium hight heat. Saute onion 3 minutes or until it starts to turn translucent. Stir in corn and green chiles. Add in flour and whisk to incorporate. This will take a good 30 seconds of stirring. Slowly whisk in chicken broth to ensure a smooth sauce.
- Whisk in taco seasoning, salt (if desired) and pepper. Boil to thicken, then reduce heat to low. Stir in half & half. Taste and adjust seasonings.
- Add egg noodles, black olives and half of the cheese into the sauce. Stir in chopped chives and/or cilantro if desired. Add the chicken.
- Pour into prepared casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese and bake 10 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
- Remove from oven, sprinkle crushed corn chips over the top and garnish with chives and/or chopped cilantro. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Calories: 632kcal | Carbohydrates: 64g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 139mg | Sodium: 1806mg | Potassium: 479mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1655IU | Vitamin C: 16.7mg | Calcium: 365mg | Iron: 3.1mg
Hi Lauren, the recipe doesn’t state when to add the chicken. I assume in step 5? Just want to be clear. I’m making this tonight!
Yes, that is correct! Sorry, forgot to add that in.
Unbelievable! Tried this at the Firehouse this week and it was an amazing hit! We adjusted the recipe a bit to feed the 7 or us and it will go down as a regular here. Added Black Beans and Chicken Thighs (which we marinated in Olive Oil, Chili Powder, Salt and Pepper), and mixed BBQ Fritos Corn Chips and Cheese Nachos together as our ‘chip
topping. Needless to say a bunch of happy (and full) firefighters tonight. Thanks Lauren!
This recipe was so amazing. Simple and delicious. I boiled chicken breasts in chicken stock and then shredded them. Everything else I did exactly as the recipe called and it was so flipping delicious. Highly recommend this one for comfort food at its finest. Just a little spicy and gooey cheesy noodles. Perfection!
My husband and I Just love this dish. So simple and easy, love that I don’t even have to precook the noodles.