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Mexican Ground Beef Casserole

  • Author: Christine Pittman
  • Prep Time: 8 minutes
  • Cook Time: 55 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 3 minutes
  • Yield: 4-6 servings 1x
  • Category: Entrée
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: Mexican

DESCRIPTION

Using easy-to-find store bought ingredients and needing very little prep, this tasty Mexican dinner is a winner! And while it’s absolutely delicious as-is, you also enhance it with your favorite toppings, including tomatoes, scallions, chips, cilantro, sour cream, avocado, and olives!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 1/4 lb. ground beef (see note)
  • 2 cups salsa
  • 1 16-oz. can beans, drained
  • 4 cups tortilla chips, crushed
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend (see note)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 9×13-inch pan or 2-quart baking dish with nonstick spray and set aside.
  2. Meanwhile, in a very large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the beef and, using a spatula, press the beef into an even, flat layer in the pan. Let cook untouched for 4 minutes.
  3. Stir the beef, breaking it up, and continue cooking until the meat is cooked through, about 3 minutes.
  4. Stir in the salsa and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is cooked off, about 20 minutes.
  5. Add the beans and cook until heated through, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.
  6. Add the tortilla chips to the prepared pan or baking dish. Top with the beef mixture and cheese.
  7. Bake until heated through, about 20 minutes.

Notes

Note: For the beef, I like to use 85% lean, but whatever you like will work for this recipe. You can even use ground pork, chicken, or turkey. And for the cheese, I like a Mexican cheese blend, but really any kind of shredded cheese will work.