Name: Mexican Casserole
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 1 pound lean ground beef; 2 tablespoons homemade taco seasoning; 15 ounces refried beans; 1 cup salsa; 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend; 4 ounces tortilla chips; ½ cup sliced black olives; ½ cup diced tomatoes; ½ cup cilantro (, chopped); sour cream (, optional); 1 avocado (, optional (chopped))

A layered ground beef casserole with all of your favorite Mexican flavors!

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My whole family loves Mexican food and this Mexican casserole with ground beef has all the flavors in one easy casserole dish.

It is so easy to make with a few pantry items and your favorite taco toppings, making this an easy weeknight meal.

Overhead view of a Mexican Casserole made with ground beef and topped with fresh veggies.

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❤️ Why you'll love it
🥘 Ingredients
🔪 Instructions
🥄 Equipment
🥫Storage
📖 Variations
💭 Tips
📚 Related Recipes
🍽 Serve with...
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments

❤️ Why you'll love it

✔️ It is like a big taco in casserole form! Just scoop with chips or use it as a filling for flour tortillas.

✔️ It can be serve deconstructed as is with tortilla chips or used as a filling for crunchy taco shells or flour tortillas.

✔️ It is the easiest Mexican beef casserole dish to make and it is packed with tons of flavor, 28 grams of protein, and 5 grams of fiber per serving!

Seasoned ground beef cooking in a cast iron skillet.

🥘 Ingredients

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Lean ground beef

Taco seasoning, I like to make my own homemade taco seasoning, it is simple with just a few ingredients you probably already have in your pantry.

Refried beans, I like to buy the can of refried beans for convenience, but if you make your own, that works well also.

Salsa, spicy is the way I like to go, but choose your favorite heat factor.

🔪 Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown ground beef beef for 7 minutes, or until browned.
Drain any fat from the beef and add the taco seasoning and water according to packet instructions. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, warm refried beans for 5 minutes, or until warmed thru. Stir the salsa and 1 cup of the cheese into the refried beans.
Place the corn chips in the bottom of the baking dish that has been coated with nonstick cooking spray. On top of the corn chips, add the layers as follows: bean mixture, ground beef mixture, and top with the remaining shredded cheese and black olives.
Bake the casserole for 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and casserole is heated through.
Remove from oven, top with chopped tomatoes and cilantro. Serve with extra corn chips if desired..

🥄 Equipment

8 x 8 glass baking dish

Large skillet

Medium saucepan

Wooden spoon

Rubber scraper

🥫Storage

Store any leftovers in the refrigerator up to 3 days. I do not recommend freezing this recipe once it has been completely assembled.

📖 Variations

Black beans or kidney beans make a great substitute for refried beans, just smash them lightly and add the salsa and cheese.
Use lean ground turkey or ground chicken in place of the ground beef.
Use a variation of your favorite fresh vegetables as topping. Chopped red bell pepper, sliced jalapenos, chopped avocado, and green onion are a few I like to add.

💭 Tips

Use crispy tostadas or corn tortillas in place of the tortilla chips and assemble the casserole in lasagna like layers.
Wrap leftovers in a tortilla, roll into a burrito, and sear in a hot skillet.

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🍽 Serve with...

Serve this Mexican casserole with ground beef with flour tortillas, tortilla chips along with a scoop of sour cream and homemade guacamole on the side.

📖 Recipe