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.
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❤️ 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!
🥘 Ingredients
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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.
📚 Related Recipes
4 Bean Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing
Lentil Loaf With Sweet and Sour Topping
Green Chicken Enchiladas - low carb recipe
🍽 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
Mexican Casserole
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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)
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.
Mari
Shelby, your pasta sauce look scrumptious. It one of the best I have seen. If it wasn't so late I would go to the kitchen and prepare some right now. Already saved the recipe! Have a great evening 🙂
Bizzy B. Bakes
Easy to make and presents beautifully. Kudos.
michele
i agree this is a good meal for a weeknight and looks colorful and welcoming.
Cindy
This would be a hit at our house too. With garden tomatoes and fresh cilantro this will be delish. Yes, one must have Frito Scoops. I'll have to check out BlogChef. Where have I been? Have a great day.
CookiePie
That looks great and sounds delicious - perfect for a busy weeknight!
Coleen
I've been so hungry for something like this...perfect timing!! Thank you for sharing.
Aggie
I saw you post this on FB and it gave me cravings, this looks so delicious! I can Mexican so many times a week, it's just one of my favorite foods.
teresa
i am definitely pinning this, how yummy! right up our alley, and i love the cilantro. i sooo miss being able to grow our own herbs, i agree, they're so much better!
Curt
That looks great. I was sold as soon as I got to the refried beans part. Being from Texas, I love Mexican food.
Jennifer Sikora
Thanks for stopping by my blog! I enjoyed participating in Presto Pasta Nights.
Your mexican casserole looks delicious.
Miss @ Miss in the Kitchen
Beautiful picture and what a flavorful dish. Mexican is my favorite!
Tessa
We've made several of Bobby's recipes too. Love his chinese recipes.! This ooks really good. We're Mexican "fans here, and quick meals are always a plus!
Cookin' Canuck
What a pretty casserole! I'll definitely have to stop by Bobby's site.
Mads
Funny, I just made a Mexican casserole last night.
Since I know you are such a big fan of CL, here's the recipe:
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/baked-black-beans-with-chorizo-50400000113028/
It has made the regular recipe rotation because we love it so much.
I do love me some Fritos though. I might have to try your recipe too!
Inspired by eRecipeCards
Such Beautiful colors Always tough to cook for someone else. It sounds terrific!
Lana @ Never Enough Thyme
I love this recipe, Shelby! Mexican is one of my favorites, too. I love those combinations of flavors topped off with that fresh, bright tasting cilantro. Yum. Yum!
Lesa @Edesia's Notebook
This looks so good, I wish I had the ingredients to make it tonight! I love your addition of cilantro--love that stuff! I think it would be good with the scallions AND the cilantro!
Thanks for sharing!
Fallon
That looks so good. I use to not like cilantro but I just started liking it a few years ago. It just grows on you!
I make a Mexican lasagna that Rachael Ray makes by tweaking it a little but this is somewhat similar expect there are layers of corn tortillas. The leftovers are great! I just never had a chance to blog about it but the photos weren't nice looking. 😉
Denise @ Creative Kitchen
This looks really good! I love cilantro also. I hear you either love it or hate it. I've really enjoyed the flavor of taco meat lately so much that I've been putting it in my omelettes!
It is SO good mixing it with refried beans...also when you add cream cheese. Mmmm.....can't wait to try this or a variation soon.
Oh yeah...totally agree about the Frito Scoops. I buy very little processed food, but a couple of my recipes just scream "scoops." Especially my bacon tomato dip. They're addicting! 🙂
Pegasuslegend
Our second favorite food! Wow this looks good and its easy to fix... I know this will be on our menu this week! Hubby will love love love it!