This Beef Enchilada Casserole is super easy to make and deliciously tasty. You’ll love the Mexican flavors of the creamy refried beans, layered beef, corn tortillas, and melted cheese smothered in a flavorful enchilada sauce and baked to a bubbly perfection!
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Beef Enchilada Casserole: What To Know & Recipe Highlights
Ingredients Overview: This recipe contains layer upon layer of soft corn tortillas spread with creamy refried beans topped with ground beef, corn, and black beans. I then top off this casserole with shredded cheese and then bake it in a delicious red enchilada sauce.
Spice It Up: To add some heat, add in a can of hot green chilis or freshly chopped jalapeño and seeds.
Time Saving Tip: You can prepare it ahead of time and cook it later. And...it's a great freezer meal! (More details below about this in the FAQ section and the recipe card!)
Pantry Recipe: This means it's made with really common ingredients. You probably have the majority, if not all the ingredients you need to make this in your kitchen!
Leftovers & Storage: Keep the casserole in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. You can place the dish directly in the refrigerator covered with aluminum foil or place it in a large plastic container with an airtight lid.
Toppings: Try topping it with fresh diced tomatoes, black olives, sour cream, green chiles, fresh cilantro, sliced avocado, or my homemade recipe for guacamole!
🛒 Ingredients You'll Need
- Beef - ground beef works best. For more flavor, use 80/20. If you prefer a leaner option, go with 93/7 or 96/4. You can also substitute ground turkey, chicken, or pork. Or, use a meat substitution if you are vegan or vegetarian.
- Tortillas - use the small (8-inch) soft corn shells for best results. They won't get soggy and they hold up well with each layer of ingredients. Flour tortillas also work well.
- Enchilada Sauce - the homemade version is in the recipe card below. And it's ridiculously tasty. If you don't have time to make the homemade version, you can use a store bought canned or jarred version.
- Corn - a thawed bag of frozen corn or canned corn works well and adds a sweet and slightly crunchy texture to the casserole. You can also use fresh corn on the cob.
- Refried Beans - use the canned version for an easy spread on top of the tortillas to add an extra depth of flavor to each layer.
- Black Beans - used in the filling and adds extra texture, flavor, and added protein.
- Diced Tomatoes - use canned tomatoes instead of fresh to add additional texture and flavor.
- Shredded Cheese - freshly grated from a block of Colby Jack cheese tastes best. Or, if you don't have time to shred the cheese, use a bag of pre-shredded cheese. I've had a good experience with the Mexican cheese blend. To maximize the flavor, use at least 2 different kinds of cheese, such as mozzarella and mild cheddar or pepper jack and Colby jack.
- Seasonings - chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, and salt provide the authentic Mexican flavor in every bite.
👩🏼🍳 Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full ingredients list & instructions!
🔪 Here's How To Make It
Step 1: Start by preheating the oven to 350°F. In a large skillet, brown the ground beef until it is no longer pink.
Step 2: Prepare the enchilada sauce. You can make your own enchilada sauce recipe (ingredients and directions are in the recipe card below) or you can use enchilada sauce in a can. Pour half of the enchilada sauce into a baking dish.
Step 3: Using a large bowl, combine the remaining enchilada sauce, corn, black beans, ground beef, can of undrained tomatoes, salt, cumin, chili powder, and garlic powder. With a large spoon, stir until well combined.
Step 4: Using a dull knife, evenly spread half a can of refried beans onto 6 soft corn tortillas.
Step 5: Place the tortillas on top of the enchilada sauce. It's fine if they overlap.
Step 6: Add the enchilada sauce to the mixture. To do this, evenly layer the enchilada beef mixture on top of the corn tortillas topped with refried beans. Then, add 1 cup of shredded cheese.
Step 7: Repeat the layers. Add on 6 more soft corn tortillas layered with the rest of the refried beans. Then, layer on the rest of the beef mixture. To finish off the layers, top the beef enchilada casserole with the rest of the shredded cheese.
Step 8: With this beef enchilada casserole, you're not going to cover it with aluminum foil before baking. Instead, place the uncovered casserole dish in the oven and bake for 35 minutes. Once done, remove from the oven and let the dish cool for 10 minutes before cutting it into slices.
Once it's cooled and you're ready to eat, use a spatula and pile a piece onto a plate. You are going to LOVE every bite of this beef enchilada recipe!
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🙋 Recipe FAQS
No matter if you use corn or flour tortillas, they won’t get soggy—even if you prep the dish ahead of time and cook it later.
Yes! I've made this dish with both a mild and hot green enchilada sauce and it turned out just as delicious as using red enchilada sauce!
You can freeze this beef enchilada casserole either before you cook it or after.
- To freeze the casserole before cooking, brown the meat, add the layers, and top with cheese. Make sure to use a freezer safe container for casseroles. Cover and place in the freezer for up to 3 months. To thaw, place the frozen casserole in the refrigerator overnight and then bake as instructed.
- You can also freeze the baked casserole. To defrost the entire frozen casserole, place the frozen dish in the refrigerator and allow it to thaw overnight. From there, bake at 350°F for 30 minutes, or until the center is hot and the edges are bubbly.
To reheat individual pieces, you can reheat in the microwave or the oven.
- You can also freeze individual pieces after the casserole is cooked. To do this, place each piece in a freezer safe container, cover, and freeze. To thaw, place in the refrigerator overnight and reheat in the microwave.
🍚 What To Serve It With
🍽️ More Mexican Inspired Recipes
If you tried this beef enchilada casserole leave me a comment and a 5 star rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and let me know how it turned out!
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Beef Enchilada Casserole Recipe
Equipment
- 9x13 baking dish
- large skillet
- mixing bowls
Ingredients
Enchilada Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 10 ounce can red enchilada sauce, (or make the homemade enchilada sauce. Recipe is below.)
- 1 12 ounce package canned corn, drained
- 1 16 ounce can refried beans
- 12 soft corn tortillas, street taco size/individual taco size.
- 1 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 14.5 ounce petite diced tomatoes, undrained
- 3 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese,
- 1 Tablespoon chili powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
Homemade Red Enchilada Sauce
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon oregano, dried
- 2½ teaspoons chili powder
- ½ teaspoon basil, dried
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cumin, ground
- 1 teaspoon parsley, dried
- ¼ cup salsa
- 6 ounce tomato sauce
- 1 ½ cup water
Instructions
Beef Enchilada Casserole Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Cook ground beef until brown and no longer pink.
- Spread half of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of the dish.
- Cook the corn in microwave according to package directions.
- Spread half of refried beans on 6 corn tortillas. Place tortillas, bean-side up, over sauce in dish, overlapping to fit.
- Stir together remaining enchilada sauce, corn, black beans, spices, salt, ground beef, and undrained tomatoes in a large bowl.
- Spread half of beef enchilada mixture over the corn tortillas that are layered in the dish. Then layer with 1 cup of cheese.
- Repeat layering – take 6 more corn tortillas and spread with the rest of the refried beans and place as another layer in your 13X9 baking dish. Then layer with the enchilada mixture and remaining shredded cheese.
- Bake uncovered for 35 minutes or until hot. The center should be hot and the casserole should be bubbly around edges. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting into 8-12 pieces.
- Top off your dish with your favorite enchilada toppings – shredded lettuce, sour cream, avocado, etc.
Homemade Red Enchilada Sauce
- Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add 2 cloves of minced garlic and sauté for 1 to 2 min.
- Add ½ teaspoon of oregano, 2½ teaspoons of chili powder, ½ teaspoon basil, ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper, ⅛ teaspoon of salt, ¼ teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon parsley, ¼ cup of salsa, and 6 ounces of tomato sauce. Mix together and then stir in 1½ cups of water.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a low simmer for 15 to 20 min.
Video
Notes
- Substitutions:
- Use a bag of frozen corn that has been thawed or fresh corn from the cob.
- Use a store bought can of red enchilada sauce if you don't want to make a homemade version.
- A block of fresh grated cheese works best. If using a bag of pre-shredded cheese, the Mexican cheese blend works well. If grating your own cheese, use at least 2 different kinds of cheese, such as mozzarella and mild cheddar or pepper jack and Colby jack.
- Toppings: Try topping it with fresh diced tomatoes, black olives, sour cream, green chiles, fresh cilantro, or sliced avocado.
- Let it rest: After baking, let the casserole cool for at least 10 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld together.
- Storage: Keep the casserole in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. You can place the dish directly in the refrigerator covered with aluminum foil or place it in a large plastic container with an airtight lid.
- Freeze and Reheat:
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- To freeze the casserole before cooking, brown the meat, add the layers, and top with cheese. Make sure to use a freezer safe container for casseroles. Cover and place in the freezer for up to 3 months. To thaw, place the frozen casserole in the refrigerator overnight and then bake as instructed.
-
- You can also freeze the baked casserole. To defrost the entire frozen casserole, place the frozen dish in the refrigerator and allow it to thaw overnight. From there, bake at 350°F for 30 minutes, or until the center is hot and the edges are bubbly.
-
- To reheat individual pieces, you can reheat in the microwave or the oven.
-
- You can also freeze individual pieces after the casserole is cooked. To do this, place each piece in a freezer safe container, cover, and freeze. To thaw, place in the refrigerator overnight and reheat in the microwave.
- You can also freeze individual pieces after the casserole is cooked. To do this, place each piece in a freezer safe container, cover, and freeze. To thaw, place in the refrigerator overnight and reheat in the microwave.
-
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Grammy's Grub
Can anyone help me with an idea I have? I'd like to add premade mexican rice to this dish so that its an all in one casserole. I'm considering using tortillas to create separation and 'trenches' along each side of the dish. Then filling it with the rice mixture and the center of the casserole dish would be layered as per the recipe. Has anyone tried something like this? Any recommendations?
joy Miller
I made this last night and we loved it! I did add a couple of extra things to jazz it up for our particular taste. I added homemade taco seasoning, a can of chopped green chilies, and a blend of cheddar and Mexican cheese. I also added a bit of salsa on top of each layer of the meat. It was really delicious. We will definitely have this again.
Amanda Mason
So glad you loved it!! Those adds sound amazing!
Janice
Very good. I omitted the chili powder from the meat mixture. I also used only 1/2 tsp salt in the meat mixture. Finally, I used flour tortillas instead of corn tortillas, and I topped the baked casserole with corn chips to add another texture. I would make this again.
Amanda Mason
I'm so glad you enjoyed it!! Thanks for writing in and letting me know how it turned out!! I can't to hear what other recipes of mine you make!!
Adam Freeman
You wrote a dictionary about this recipe but never stated what size or kind of cookware you will need.
Amanda Mason
No, I did write the exact size and the kind of cookware used. If you read the step-by-step recipe instructions and the recipe card...you will see the following:
- In a large skillet, brown the ground beef until it is no longer pink.
- Pour half of the enchilada sauce into a baking dish.
- Using a large bowl,
- Using a dull knife,
- Step 7 in recipe card says: Repeat layering – take 6 more corn tortillas and spread with the rest of the refried beans and place as another layer in your 13X9 baking dish.
Not sure how you missed all that.
Julie Hand
Can you prepare this the night before and put in fridge overnight then bake the next day?
Amanda Mason
Yes you can!! It's a great make ahead recipe!
Mindy
I'm going to make this today but hoping to skip the homemade enchilada sauce step. Is there a particular enchilada sauce brand that you would recommend that isn't too spicy?
Amanda Mason
Yes! Old El Paso is the best flavor wise and you can get a mild version!
Zhen
If I don't want to use canned refried beans, can I make my own?
Amanda Mason
Yes, absolutely! And, they will taste so good in this recipe! Often times, I use my crock-pot pinto beans recipe here https://recipesworthrepeating.com/slow-cooker-pinto-beans/ and then put them in the food processor with milk and shredded cheese to make my own refried beans! They always taste so amazing!! So yes, I highly recommend you using your own refried beans!
Jana
I made this for our dinner the other night and it was really delicious! I didn’t have a can of black beans, sadly, but the dish didn’t suffer for it. I had it with some sour cream and it was such amazing comfort food. I’ll definitely make it again!
Amanda Mason
I'm so glad it turned out so well and you liked it so much!!!
Sherri Devins
Definitely a keeper. It was excellent.
Amanda Mason
So glad you loved it! It's a great recipe!!
ERIN LANNING
If I only have tortilla chips can I use those instead of the tortillas?
Amanda Mason
I've never tried making it that way so I'm not sure. My thought would be that the texture would turn out more on the soggy side. But if you try it, let me know how it turns out!
Tracy
Hi! All I have on hand is a can of green enchilada sauce. Can I sub that in? Would I need to make other adjustments?
Amanda Mason
Green enchilada sauce works great! No other adjustments needed!
Jamie
Awesome! This casserole dish looks amazingly delicious! It's stuffed with so much cheese that makes this so enticing! Perfect food for everyone to love and enjoy!