Cool Ranch Dorito Casserole
by Sommer Collier — last updated on May 12, 2025 
This irresistible Cool Ranch Dorito Casserole is made with crunchy, meaty, and cheesy layers of comforting goodness and flavorful cool ranch Doritos instead of noodles!
This Dorito Casserole Is The Ultimate Cheesy Weeknight Win
This Cool Ranch Dorito Casserole is the guilty-pleasure food of monumental proportion.
It’s everything you love about taco night, from layers of hearty beef, and melty cheese, to fresh salsa, and crispy chips, all baked into one insanely crave-worthy dish.
Sommer’s Recipe Notes
I seriously can’t get enough of how indulgent and game-changing this Cool Ranch Taco Casserole is. It’s a serious upgrade to your classic taco night.
Why You’ll Love This Cool Ranch Dorito Casserole
- Crowd Pleaser – This decadent Dorito casserole dish is a guaranteed hit and perfect to make for your next potluck, game day party or just for a quick weeknight meal.
- Make Ahead Friendly – I love that you can do some prep work ahead of time and bake this easy dinner recipe when you’re ready to chow down.
- Pure Comfort – This is the ULTIMATE indulgent comfort food packed with cheesy goodness.
This Cool Ranch Dorito Casserole delivers bold, nostalgic and cheesy flavors every single time.
Ingredients and Tips
- Ground beef – For that hearty beef layer, you’ll need lean ground beef.
- Cool Ranch Doritos – This is the KEY ingredient!
- Taco seasoning – You can either use store-bought taco seasoning or make your own using a combination of chili powder, cumin, sea salt, black pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes and dried oregano.
- Salsa – Use a medium heat pre-made variety or make my homemade salsa.
- Cheese – You’ll need both a shredded Mexican cheese blend and cream cheese at room temperature.
If you don’t have Doritos, you can either use tortilla chips or you can make your own chips using corn or flour tortillas. Cut the tortillas into wedges and cover them with cooking spray. Then bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until they’re nice and crispy.
Recipe Variations
- Chicken – Swap the ground beef with shredded rotisserie chicken or diced grilled chicken.
- Spicy – For extra heat, use Flamin’ Hot Doritos instead of the Cool Ranch kind, or add spicy jalapeños.
- Bacon – Add in some crumbled crispy bacon for a smoky kick.
- Dry ranch seasoning – Season your ground beef with some dry ranch seasoning mix instead of a taco blend.
- Veggies – Blend in corn, green beans, black beans or bell peppers to give this dish a boost of vegetables.
- BBQ – Replace the salsa with your favorite BBQ sauce to give it a tangy twist.
How to Make Cool Ranch Taco Lasagna
This layered casserole bake is an Americanized jumble of Tex-Mex flavor… And of course, Doritos. It’s ultra easy to make and requires only 7 simple ingredients!
Find the full Cool Ranch Taco Lasagna recipe with detailed instructions and storage tips in the printable form at the bottom of the post!
Storage Notes
- Storing Leftovers – Store leftovers in an airtight container and place in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days.
- Freezing Leftovers – Assemble the casserole and freeze without baking by covering the baking dish tightly with plastic wrap or foil and placing into the freezer for up to 2 months. Bake frozen!
- Reheating Leftovers – Reheat cooked lasagna in the oven or in spurts in the microwave.
Serving Suggestions
Top off your lasagna slices with a dollop of sour cream, extra cheddar cheese, diced tomato, sliced avocado and some fresh cilantro or scallions.
I love to serve these with a simple green salad, refried beans or my Grilled Mexican Street Corn Salad. You can also pair this decadent lasagna dish with my Homemade Sweet Cornbread or fluffy Air Fryer Biscuits.
Enjoy this Cool Ranch Dorito Casserole with a fresh agua fresca or cold cervesa, and you’ve got a causal celebration meal that no one will be able to resist!
Frequently Asked Questions
The edges of the chips get nice and crispy, while the inner chips get soft because they soak up all of that cheesy goodness. If you want some extra crunchiness, sprinkle some more Doritos on top of the lasagna before serving.
Yeah! To make this kid-friendly, I recommend using mild salsa and avoiding any extra hot sauce or added spiciness. Kids love this dish because it’s cheesy and crunchy!
Nope. Just place them into the baking dish and layer on the meat and cheese. The Doritos will naturally break down because of the added weight.
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Cool Ranch Taco Lasagna
Video
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 packet taco seasoning
- 16 ounces salsa, medium heat (1 jar)
- 9.75 ounces Cool Ranch Doritos (1 bag)
- 3 1/2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 1/4 cup chopped scallions
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spoon a couple tablespoons of salsa in the bottom of an 8×8-inch baking dish and spread over the bottom. Cut the block of cream cheese into thirds, then cut each third into small cubes.
- Place the ground beef in a large skillet and set over medium heat. Break the ground beef into small pieces with a wooden spoon. Brown the beef for 5 minutes, then add in the taco seasoning and 2/3 cup water. Stir well, and simmer for another 2 minutes to thicken the sauce. Turn off the heat.
- Spread several handfuls of Doritos over the bottom of the baking dish. Press them down, breaking the chips, to create an even layer. Spread one-third of the taco meat over the broken chips. Then top with one-third of the cream cheese cubes, 1 cup shredded cheese, and one-third of the remaining salsa.
- Repeat with a second and third layer of pressed Doritos, taco meat, cream cheese cubes, 1 cup of shredded cheese, and salsa. Sprinkle the remaining shredded cheese over the top to cover the other ingredients.
- Bake for 25+ minutes, until the cheese is melted and the chips around the edges are very crisp. Sprinkle the top with chopped scallions. Cut the taco lasagna into 9 squares and serve warm!
Notes
- Storing Leftovers – Store leftovers in an airtight container and place in the fridge for 3 to 5 days.
- Freezing Leftovers – Assemble the casserole and freeze without baking by covering the baking dish tightly with plastic wrap and placing into the freezer for up to 2 months. Bake frozen!
- Reheating Leftovers – Reheat cooked lasagna in the oven or in spurts in the microwave.
This turned out great! Thanks so much for sharing. I was a bit worried about the dish size, so I went with a glass 9”x13” baking dish and spread the crushed chips, all of the meat, cream cheese, salsa, green onions, cilantro, some Mexican cheese, more chips and topped with remaining cheese. Topped with sour cream when done, it was so yummy!
ha, how much fun and with Doritos in place of pasta sheets, love it, very creative recipe, thank you!
Finally something all three of my kids will eat! Just delicious, thank you!
This recipe was so fun to make and so delicious! Such a unique take on lasagna but I love it!
I loved this recipe! Every layer of this lasagna was so delicious, I can’t wait to make it again!
I love the combination of the doritos as the “pasta” layers in this dish! thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe!
MY, Sister Toni did”nt Like this, recipe because she, wanted to try something different… but when I, made!!! this, recipe it was smelling so, good and, I think I, did a good Job for, the first time… Il. try this anytime day!!! or, night…
Love this recipe! It reminds me of beef enchiladas my mom used to make, except much easier! Definitely will make it again and again.