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What to Serve with Taco Casserole – 11 Best Side Dishes

Oh, Taco Casserole. So creamy, cheesy, and so delicious!

You don’t even have to tell anyone about the casserole, they’ll all know!

What to Serve with Taco Casserole

Taco Casserole is such an easy dish to throw together and it goes great with a variety of different sides.

But what goes best with taco casserole? Well, it should be something hearty, filling, and just a bit more substantial than the standard salad or side dishes.

So if you’re looking for some new dishes to serve with your taco casserole, here are some of my favorite side dishes.

But first…

See Also: 22 Best Mexican Vegetable Sides

Why Consider Serving Side Dishes for Taco Casserole?

Taco Casserole Side Dishes

Taco casseroles can be delicious, and they’re perfect for when you’re craving something warm and comforting.

See Also: What to Serve with Mexican Chicken Casserole? 10 Best Side Dishes

However, they can often be bland and uninteresting.

Therefore, side dishes are essential to making taco casseroles more exciting and memorable.

While you might think that tacos should come first, they can often be paired with a variety of different flavors and textures.

If you’re making a taco casserole, then it makes sense to pair it with a side dish that complements the meal.

A side dish that complements your taco casserole can help add extra flavor and texture.

Think of it as a way to make your taco casserole stand out and be special.

7 Tips for Serving Side Dishes for Taco Casserole

Tips for Serving Side Dishes for Taco Casserole

Taco casserole is one of those dishes that’s easy to make and delicious to eat. This is a great dish for serving to your friends or family. If you’re serving it at a party, then it’s best to consider the side dishes that you’ll be serving alongside it.

Here are 7 simple tips for serving taco casserole with the right side dishes.

1. Choose Wisely

When you’re thinking about your side dishes, you need to think about which ones will complement your main dish. It’s important to pick side dishes that will match the food you’re serving.

If you’re serving a hearty meal like a taco casserole, then you want to avoid choosing dishes that are too light or too delicate. This will make sure that the meal ends up being a balanced meal.

In other words, you don’t want to have to eat a lot of one type of food to get through the meal. By pairing the dishes well, you can ensure that they complement each other and make a balanced meal.

2. Think Outside the Box

If you’re planning a taco casserole, you need to make sure that you think outside the box when it comes to serving your side dishes. If you’re serving a traditional taco casserole, then don’t worry about using any of your favorite Mexican side dishes.

Instead, just stick with what you know will go well with the casserole. However, if you’re serving a buffet style taco casserole, then you should be a little more adventurous when choosing your side dishes.

This is because you want your guests to have a variety of different options to choose from. You can serve everything you know goes well with tacos, but try not to overwhelm your guests by doing this.

3. Keep It Simple

If you’re planning a taco casserole, then keep your side dishes simple. You don’t want to be serving something that’s too complicated or time consuming to make. Instead, just stick with the basics.

This means sticking with familiar flavors and simple ingredients. This also means that you shouldn’t be serving anything that is too spicy or hot. If your guests don’t like spicy food, then they won’t enjoy the meal. So, be sure to keep your side dishes simple, and avoid anything that might put them off.

4. Make Sure It Tastes Good

The most important part of any side dish is that it tastes good. This doesn’t mean that you have to spend hours in the kitchen. But, it does mean that you need to pick a recipe that you know will be delicious.

By choosing a side dish that you enjoy making, you can be sure that you won’t end up with something that’s bland or bitter. It’s a good idea to make a few different versions of your favorite recipes.

This will ensure that you don’t waste time in the kitchen. If you can’t find a recipe that you like, then you can always use a tried-and-true one. Just be sure that it doesn’t have too many ingredients that you don’t want to use.

5. Choose a Complementary Dish

When it comes to choosing a side dish to go along with your taco casserole, you should try to find something that complements the main dish. If you’re serving a cheesy, meaty dish, then a fresh salad would be a good choice.

On the other hand, if you’re serving a lighter dish, like a chicken salad, then a hearty potato salad would be perfect. You should always look at your side dishes as a way of enhancing the meal that you’re serving.

After all, the side dish needs to complement the main dish, and it also needs to stand out from it. So, don’t worry about what goes into the main dish if it doesn’t have a side dish to compliment it. It can work just fine without one!

6. Use Flavorful Ingredients

A good side dish shouldn’t just be a side dish. It should also complement the main dish. So, think about what kind of flavors you want your side dish to have. This means choosing ingredients that are full of flavor.

You should choose something that will work well with the main dish you’re serving. For example, if you’re serving a spicy taco casserole, then it’s best to pick a side dish that has similar flavors.

For example, you can serve a Mexican rice salad. This is a traditional side dish that’s easy to make and pairs well with most any main dish.

7. Use Just Enough of Each Ingredient

A casserole dish is the perfect place to use up leftovers. You don’t want to waste any of the ingredients you’re using.

So, make sure to use only as much of each ingredient as you need to bring out its best flavor. You may even want to try adding some herbs and spices to give the dish a little extra flavor.

What to Serve with Taco Casserole – 11 Best Side Dishes

Whether you want to add a little extra zing to your taco casserole or just need something different to serve, here are eleven of the most popular side dishes to serve with taco casserole.

These side dishes are all easy to prepare, and a few of them can even be made ahead of time.

1. Healthy Taco Salad

A Mexican inspired dish, taco salad usually consists of shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, and a dollop of cheese. But if you don’t have time to make your own salad, a good quick and easy option is to buy some ready made from your supermarket.

They’re packed full of flavour, nutrients, and goodness and will provide a healthy and satisfying side dish for your dinner guests.

2. Grilled Vegetables

A great option for what to serve with a taco casserole is grilled vegetables. Veggies like corn, mushrooms, and peppers all work really well here, and are a great way of adding a bit of extra colour and texture.

You can either grill them individually, or pile them up in a big pile in the centre of the table.

3. Grilled Avocados

If you want to go the extra mile for what to serve with taco casserole, then grilled avocado is the way to go! Taco casserole has a creamy, cheesy flavour that you’ll really enjoy with a crunchy fruit salad alongside it.

You can buy a ready made one in the supermarket or even make your own by simply putting some fresh avocados on a grill pan and slicing them into thin wedges.

4. Cucumber Gazpacho

As an alternative to avocado, you could also choose to serve up a bowl of this refreshing gazpacho instead! It’s the perfect accompaniment to a warm, spicy Mexican meal. It’s easy to make, and a great way to use up some left-over cucumber.

I like to chop mine into small cubes, then add garlic, lime juice, and a generous pinch of cayenne pepper. A little more than that and you risk overpowering the delicate flavours of the cucumber, so make sure you start with a small amount to begin with and add more if needed.

5. Cilantro Lime Rice

A Mexican casserole dish is really delicious, and this is one of my all time favourite options for side dishes to serve with it! It’s super healthy, too, so it’s a great option for any time of day.

The secret to this is the addition of black beans, and not the inclusion of cream cheese. Black beans are a fantastic source of protein, fibre, and essential vitamins and minerals, and the addition of some lime juice really amps up the flavour.

Cilantro Lime rice is an absolute classic for any taco casserole, but feel free to use whichever herbs you prefer, or even a bit of fresh basil if you’re in the mood for something a little different.

6. Mexican Street Corn Salad

This is a great option for when you want to serve taco casserole at your next party, as it’s super easy to prepare and has lots of fresh ingredients that add lots of variety and nutrition.

The key thing to remember here is that corn on the cob is best served raw, so make sure you cut off the kernels after boiling, and try to avoid buying frozen corn.

7. Elote-Style Grilled Corn on the Cob

When it comes to Mexican food, you can’t really go wrong with grilled corn on the cob. It’s easy to make, and the flavour is out of this world. Just open up a bag of ready salted sweet corn and grill for a couple of minutes until it’s just cooked through.

To serve with taco casserole, slice it into rounds and serve alongside a bowl of your favourite salsa.

8. Mexican Coleslaw

You can buy pre-made coleslaw in the supermarket, but I find that the flavour really isn’t up to scratch! Instead, you can make your own from fresh, seasonal produce.

Combine some carrots, cabbage, and onions, then add in the dressing. The recipe below is what I use for my homemade coleslaw, and it’s always a hit!

9. Black Bean Salsa

This is one of my favourite side dishes when I’m having dinner at home on my own, because it means I can eat a lot of Mexican food without getting weighed down by all the carbs!

I love that this recipe uses beans, which are a great source of protein, fibre, vitamins, and minerals. This is the kind of dish where you want to go for authentic flavours, so choose a good quality salsa here and you’ll be fine. You could even make a batch of the salsa to freeze, so you can grab a spoonful whenever you feel like it.

10. Mexican Sweet Potatoes

If you want to make a more substantial option, then these are a really healthy option to serve alongside your taco casserole.

Sweet potatoes are rich in potassium and vitamin A, and they’re also one of the most nutritious vegetables you can buy in the supermarket. If you’re feeling adventurous, try making your own sweet potato fries too!

11. Chips and Salsa

If you’re making your own taco casserole, then I would suggest serving it with a crunchy, healthy side such as chips and salsa.

The corn tortillas are really good with a fresh salad and homemade guacamole, or you could even make your own and pack them in a Tupperware box for easy, on the go snacking.

You could also get creative with the salsa by adding a couple of chopped tomatoes, some finely diced cucumber, and maybe a few slices of onion.

Related:

What to Serve with Chicken Divan? 17 Best Side Dishes

What to Serve with Taco Casserole

11 Best Taco Casserole Side Dishes

One of the reasons why it’s such a good idea to serve side dishes with your taco casserole is because it can be quite a heavy dish. By serving some lighter and healthier options, you’ll help balance out the meal and make sure that everyone enjoys their dinner.
Another reason is that Mexican food is all about variety, and by serving lots of different side dishes, you’ll get to try lots of different flavours. This is a great way to add some excitement to your dinner table, and it means that there’s something for everyone to enjoy.
Finally, another reason why it’s a good idea to serve side dishes with your taco casserole is because you can make it more nutritious. A lot of Mexican food is made from ingredients that are high in fat and calories, so adding a few healthier options to the mix can help to offset this.
So, whether you’re looking for something light and healthy, or you just want to add some extra flavour to your meal, serving side dishes is a great idea.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 4 people
Calories 360 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • Healthy Taco Salad
  • Grilled Vegetables
  • Grilled Avocados
  • Cucumber Gazpacho
  • Cilantro Lime Rice
  • Mexican Street Corn Salad
  • Elote-Style Grilled Corn on the Cob
  • Mexican Coleslaw
  • Black Bean Salsa
  • Mexican Sweet Potatoes
  • Chips and Salsa

Instructions
 

  • Choose any of these tasty sides to serve along with your taco casserole dinner.
  • Prepare the ingredients according to the recipe.
  • Enjoy your Mexican dinner in no time!
Keyword Taco Casserole Side Dishes, Taco Casserole Sides, What To Serve With Taco Casserole
CEO at Happy Muncher | benjamin@happymuncher.com | Website | + posts

Hi, I'm Benjamin. I love cooking, long walks, and my girlfriend! Here you’ll find simple and delicious recipes that you can make in 30 minutes or less.