Use your Dutch Oven to make these amazing Camping Tacos on your next camping trip. This baked taco recipe can be customized with your favorite meat, beans, salsa, and cheese.

Tacos are a family favorite food in America. Hard tacos, soft tacos, fish tacos, walking tacos, you name it, people love it!

Traditionally, you cook taco meat, heat beans, and pile on your favorite toppings to create a handheld taco. This camping taco casserole is a little different, as it is all baked in one dish.

While we give directions for making this in a Dutch oven out at the campground, you can make it at home in your oven or on a grill. Home directions for this easy meal are included in the recipe notes.

Why You Will Love These Camping Tacos

Your family and friends will love these Dutch Oven Tacos because they are:

• fun to make and eat
• hearty and filling
• can be prepped ahead
• piled with favorite ingredients
• adaptable with different meat, beans, and cheese
• can be individualized with toppings of your choice
• great for feeding a large group

After you make them, we would love to hear what you think of this easy recipe.

Dutch Oven Taco Recipe

This recipe is a cross between tacos and enchiladas. We have gone with tacos because the tortillas are not rolled.

Campfire Taco Ingredients

This new camping recipe calls for the following ingredients:

• ground or shredded meat of choice
• canned beans of choice
• Spanish rice mix
• salsa of choice
• diced tomatoes & green chilies
• onion
• corn tortillas
• shredded cheddar cheese
• red or green enchilada sauce
• oil

Switch up your choices of ingredients and create a different taco meal each time. Check out this Walking Tacos recipe.

DO Camping Tacos Directions

This is one of the more involved Dutch Oven dinner recipes we posted, but the effort is worth it. You should check out Dutch Oven Chicken & Veggies, Dutch Oven Mac & Cheese, or Dutch Oven Salisbury Steak.

The basic instructions for this recipe are:

1. prepare coals for the Dutch oven
2. cook the taco meat and onions
3. add the beans and tomatoes
4. mix in the rice packet and salsa
5. assemble tacos by adding meat mixture to tortilla
6. arrange tacos in the Dutch oven
7. add enchilada sauce and cheese
8. create a second layer of tacos
9. top with the remaining sauce and cheese
10. cover and bake for 60-70 minutes

Preparing Coals

Since these are wet tacos, you can use higher heat in this recipe. Prepare at least 35 pieces of charcoal. We recommend 20 briquettes under the DO and 15 pieces on top.

Creating the Meat Filling

This recipe can be made entirely in the Dutch Oven, but the meat mixture must be transferred from the pot before assembling. Therefore, we create the meat mixture in a separate pan. A better way is to make the filling at home and store it in a Ziploc bag in your cooler for assembly at the campground.

In a large skillet (we use a 12-inch cast iron skillet), brown the chopped onion in a little oil or butter. When they are starting to get translucent, add the ground meat.

When the meat is browned, add the taco seasoning plus the liquid from the canned tomatoes & green chilies. Add a little water if there is not enough liquid for the seasoning. Let it simmer for a few minutes.

Drain and rinse two cans of beans (we used a kidney and a can of pinto beans) and add them to the meat along with the remaining canned tomatoes & green chilies. Stir to combine.

Add the contents of the Spanish rice packet. Read the packet instructions to find out how much water is needed, and add that amount of salsa instead of water. Ex: Our package asked for 2 cups of water, so we added 16 ounces of salsa.

You can add butter or oil as called for on the rice package if you want. Ours tasted just fine without it.

Mix thoroughly, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes less than the stovetop directions on the rice packet.

Assembling the Tacos

Line the Dutch oven with a liner. You can make your own or purchase paper or aluminum liners. If you prepared the meat in your pot, there is probably enough oil left on the surface to bake unlined.

Take a corn tortilla and fill it with about two-thirds of the meat, bean, and rice filling. Line up the tacos so they are tightly packed in the bottom of the Dutch oven.

We fit 26 tacos (12 on the bottom layer and 14 on top) in our cast-iron oven.

Pour half of the can of enchilada sauce over the tacos. Sprinkle half the cheese over the entire layer.

Repeat the process, creating a second layer of tacos. If you run out of meat, break up the rest of the tortillas and lay them over the first layer.

Cover with the rest of the enchilada sauce and cheese.

Time to Bake

Put the lid on the Dutch oven. Place 20 charcoal briquettes underneath the pot and 15 coals on the lid.

Bake for 60 to 70 minutes, rotating the pot a quarter turn every 20 minutes. If needed, add or replace briquettes or coals from the campfire.

The meal is done cooking when it is bubbling, the cheese is melted, and the tortilla edges are crispy.

Top with your favorite taco toppings, such as sour cream, chopped tomatoes, green onions, jalapenos or peppers, or even hot sauce, such as Cholula.

Recipe FAQ

The best part of these Dutch oven tacos is the crispy corn tortilla edges that mimic a taco shell. We’re rushing to call dibs on them.

Let us know your favorite thing about these Dutch Oven Camping Tacos in the comments below, on our Facebook page, or on this pin on Pinterest. We would love a 5-star review on the recipe card below.

More Dutch Oven Camping Recipes

• Easy Pizza
• Shepherd’s Pie
• Chicken & Pasta
• Beef Stew