This cheesy beef enchilada casserole is an easy family dinner filled with ground beef, cheese, and traditional Mexican flavors.
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This Cheesy Enchilada Casserole recipe is the perfect way to make a ground beef recipe without using some of your overused old recipes.
This casserole is also one of our more popular dinner recipes, and you will see why when you make it. This recipe is ideal for picky eaters. Our family loves pretty much anything Mexican so this has definitely become a go-to recipe during the week. We get half the way through the week only to realize most of the recipes we made had a Mexican feel to them.
Recipe Ingredient Notes
- Lean ground beef
- Onion
- Salsa
- Black beans
- Italian dressing
- Taco seasoning
- Ground cumin
- Flour tortillas
- Corn
- Sour cream
- Shredded Mexican cheese blend
- Shredded lettuce
- Tomato
- Fresh cilantro
Equipment Needed
- Large skillet
- 2-quart dish
- Spatula
- Aluminum
- Nonstick cooking spray
How To Make Cheesy Enchilada Casserole
- Begin by preheating the oven to 400 degrees.
- In a large skillet, brown the ground beef and onion over medium heat until the meat is done, and then drain the meat.
- Place the meat back into the pan and add in the salsa, black beans, Italian dressing, sour cream, drained can of corn, taco seasoning, and cumin, and mix it all together.
- In a 2-quart baking dish add about ⅓ of the seasoned meat mixture.
- Next, sprinkle ⅓ of the grated cheese on top and put a layer of tortillas over top.
- Once you have completed that layer, spread another ⅓ of the meat mixture over top of the tortillas, along with another ⅓ of the cheese.
- Add another layer of tortillas and then repeat the meat and cheese layers.
- Spray a piece of tin foil with nonstick cooking spray and then cover the baking dish with the foil and place the dish in the oven for 25 minutes or until the casserole is hot and bubbly.
- Once the casserole is done cooking, pull it out and top it off with the lettuce, diced tomato, and fresh cilantro.
Taco Seasoning Recipe
One way I like to make my Mexican recipes feel more “homemade” is by making my own taco seasoning! It might not seem like much, but it actually does add more flavor. If you want an easy recipe to make your own, take a look at Allrecipes.com and use their Taco Seasoning recipe instead of using a taco seasoning packet.
Explore More Delicious Casserole Dinners
- Baked Spaghetti Casserole
- Beef and Noodle Casserole
- Cheesy Chicken Pot Pie
- Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
- Chicken Taco Casserole
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Cheesy Beef Enchilada Casserole Recipe
This cheesy beef enchilada casserole is an easy family dinner filled with ground beef, cheese, and traditional Mexican flavors.
Serving servings
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 ½ cups salsa
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed, (15 ounce can)
- ¼ cup Italian dressing
- 2 Tablespoons taco seasoning, (or 1 taco seasoning packet)
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- 6 8-inch flour tortillas, (corn tortillas will work as well)
- 1 can corn, drained, (15 ounce can)
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
- 1 cup shredded lettuce
- 1 tomato, diced
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, minced
Instructions
- In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.
- Stir in the salsa, beans, dressing, sour cream, corn (optional), taco seasoning and cumin.
- Spoon ⅓ of meat mixture on bottom of 2 quart baking dish. Sprinkle with ⅓ of the grated cheese.
- Layer a couple of tortillas on top of meat. Continue with next layer using ⅓ of the meat mixture and and then ⅓ of the cheese. Top layers with tortillas.
- Continue the next layer with remaining meat mixture and the rest of the cheese on top.
- Cover with foil that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray and bake at 400℉ for 25 minutes or until hot & bubbly
- Let stand for 5 minutes before topping with lettuce, tomato and cilantro.
Notes
You can also substitute ground turkey for the ground beef and it works great!
Nutrition
Calories: 465 kcal · Carbohydrates: 48 g · Protein: 28 g · Fat: 19 g · Saturated Fat: 9 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 2 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 6 g · Trans Fat: 1 g · Cholesterol: 69 mg · Sodium: 1206 mg · Potassium: 839 mg · Fiber: 7 g · Sugar: 10 g · Vitamin A: 1070 IU · Vitamin C: 9 mg · Calcium: 290 mg · Iron: 4 mg
Did You Make This Recipe?We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave a review or a question in the comment section below the post.
i make my menu on saturday or sunday too. and i plan WAY too much mexican for the weeks (a lot of times from your blog too)!
That looks delicious! I love Mexican food too and have about ten different enchilada recipes. Looks like I need to add this one to the list. 🙂
Mexican is my favorite. This looks delish!
Made this tonight and it was fantastic!! Thanks for a great addition to the rotation.
Looks great! What kind of Salsa do you use?
Hi Holly,
I just use the cheapest salsa they sell at WalMart. Any salsa that is “chunky” will do! And mild is best if you have kids! 🙂
Made this tonight, used soft taco kit that included salsa and didnt add anymore, other than that all was the same.. Hubby and 15 month old ATE IT UP. total hit will make this again. Thanks for sharing it..
Made this last night with corn tortillas (Celiac’s in this house) and it was a hit. Three generations loved it, and the leftovers were claimed for lunches already!
Mmm…this looks divine. Someone shared the link on Facebook; so glad they did!
Hi! I am very excited to try your recipe tonight.. This might sound like a silly question, but I just want to be sure I do this right… Do you lay the tortillas down, similar to Lasagna.. or are they rolled? Thanks!!
Hi Anonymous! It is totally not a silly question! Just lay the tortillas down flat- not rolling necessary!
Oops- I meant “no”, not “not”. 🙂
Thanks!!
the recipe didn’t mention the corn!!
I’m gonna have to try this with the boca crumbles instead of the ground beef. It looks amazing!
MAde this tonight. Thanks for sharing it is a keeper for us. We served with LOTS of fresh tomatoes and cilantro. Love the balance of savory and freshness!
I used chicken instead of ground beef. To get it super tender, I put my raw chicken breasts in the crock pot with the onion, a little garlic, seasonings, and salsa. Then, I cooked on low all day for moist, fall-apart chicken. This was delicious!
Could it be made the night before?
Can this be made the day of but not cooked until dinner time?
@ Jordan,
I think that would work fine! I wouldn’t make them more than a day in advance to avoid them getting soggy.
I have a question for the cheese? You said use 2 cups of cheese( 4 ounces). Isn’t 2 cups 8 ounces?How much did you use?
@Anonymous- So sorry about that! It should read 8 ounces. Thanks for catching that for us!
This is also a GREAT recipe to use up the last of the tortilla chips that have gone a little stale. You would layer them the same, just crunch them up a little. Makes this delicious dish just a tiny bit better…
Have you ever tried doing this as a freezer meal?
cannot wait to try this! thanks so much for the recipe 🙂
Made this a few nights ago and it has to be one of my favorite new dishes!!! Thank you!! I am NOT a leftover girl and I actually like this one left over.
Just wanted to comment on how delicious this recipe is! It was a success and my family loves it, including my 19 month old!
Okay, this looks FANTASTIC! I always seem to incorporate too much Mexican as well and try to add some variety to our kitchen, but I can’t seem to do it consistently enough when recipes like this keep tempting me! Thanks for sharing, I’m excited to make this 🙂
Gonna make this tomorrow! But 2 cups of cheese would be 16 oz. wouldn’t it? I thought there was 8oz in 1 cup?
Sorry about that! Just use 2 cups of shredded cheese.
I had to modify this as I didn’t have the right beans(used refried beans instead) but we really enjoyed this!! I cleaned the kitchen and was about to put the leftovers away when my oldest came in and asked if he could have another small plate 🙂 Thanks!!
Made this for dinner tonight and my husband had a hard time pulling himself away from the table. He said it’s definitely a keeper!!!
So I *love* enchiladas and this looks amazing but, being from Texas I gotta ask, What place does Italian dressing have in Mexican food? Where did that come from?
Can you make ahead of time and freeze this meal?
Hi Jordan!
I think that would work fine! I wouldn’t make it more than a day in advance so the tortillas don’t get soggy.
Hi Kelli!
I have never tried to freeze it before. I am not sure if it would work because the tortillas might get soggy when it thaws. Let us know how it goes if you try it!
Definitely want to give this a try. Thanks!
I make this once a week! Thank you so much for sharing!
I made this! Turned out great! I added scallions on top and also added some Spanish rice in with the meat mixture. I will definitely make it again!
I just made it for dinner and it was fabulous!! I added some sliced olives and diced green chilies too!! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!!!
By chance do you have the nutritional value of this dish which looks delicious?
I found this recipe on Pinterest, tried it for dinner tonight. LOVED IT!!!! Husband scarfed it all down, so I’m guessing I can add it to my line-up! 😀
thanks for a very yummy recipe! I follow you guys on Facebook, I’ll be checking out more of your recipes. Keep up the good work!
My question is if the you can start with the tortilla layer on the bottom like a pie crust? Anyone tried that yet?
Hi Susan!
I have never tried it but that is a great idea! I think it would totally work. Let us know if you try it!
Hi,
We don’t have the nutritional facts but you can plug the ingredients into this website to find out. Thanks!
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/calculator
This was definitely wonderful. A keeper for sure. Thanks.
this may be a silly question…but do you use a round or rectangular baking dish??
I use Las Palmas enchilada sauce. So much more authentic Mexican. I should know…. I’m Mexican.
Made this tonight. It was wonderful. Thanks for sharing.
I LOVE this recipe! I make it all the time for my family- thank you so much for the great recipe!
I did. I put a thin layer of enchilada sauce down first and then tortillas. Worked great. Loved this dish – thank you.
Since ground beef is on sale at my store this week, I am going to cook the filling (minus sour cream) and freeze in a freezer bag lying flat. Then, I’ll thaw when it is on my menu, stir in sour cream, layer & bake.
I made this yesterday and LOVED it! I used the black beans and a regular sized can of corn then topped it off with shredded lettuce, sliced olives, tomatoes, cilantro and green onions. Will definitely be making it again! Thank you for sharing this.
Hi Pamela!
You are fine! It is a regular rectangle baking dish. Hope you like it!
This was delicious! I made put it all together Sunday & cooked it on Monday for dinner & it held up great in the fridge – no problems at all with the tortilla’s – it was great!
Love…love…love!!! This a keeper and so easy to make!
I made this tonight for dinner, it was very good. Did not have enough salsa so I added Rotel. A little spicy but good. Thank you, I will try more of your recipes this week.
I just put this together and will pop in the oven a little later … the only modification I made was adding a little more cheese to the top layer and will use green onions opposed to the cilantro
oh my goodness, I absolutley love your blog! thankyou for all these super recipes & ideas! I hope to do the above mexican casserole tonight for my family! I have 4 sisters….I wish we were as close as you guys are. Dont take for granted. What a blessing!
I made this for my husband and one yr old son! They LOVE IT! Thanks a million! My Trini husband has a HUGE stomach that’s hard to fill! He’s been requesting this at least twice a week since I made it the first time!
That makes three of us then! Thanks for the recipe – can’t wait to try it!
This is a family favorite as well. I look forward to trying your recipe as you add some italian dressing into it and a little extra punch would be fun. Just to respond to the women asking about freezing, I freeze ours for our freezer club all the time. We do use refried beans, but I don’t imagine beans make any difference. I do highly recommend only using jarred salsa and not fresh. The only time we had an issue with it was with fresh salsa and it flooded the food when thawed. It is a Freezer Favorite with our group! It is an easy one to multiply and put several away for later. Always great when thawed.
I made this recipe and it’s out of this world, WONDERFUL thank u!!
Wonderful! Thanks for your sharing! http://www.food-machines.org/
Did you make this dish completely and freeze in the 2 quart baking dish?
TRIED IT! LOVED IT! I doubled the meat mixture because, well, I wanted thick layers of it in between the tortillas. I did have quite a bit extra but that’s ok. I just stored it and heated it back up the next day and put it on the extra tortilla shells. Even my most pick eater asked for seconds of this!
I’m trying this tomorrow I can’t wait. I have two picky eaters at home and based on the comments I’m really hoping they’ll enjoy it. ^_^
I made this Friday night, and my family ENJOYED it
I use corn…..yummy
the recipe calls for Italian dressing yet no where is it mentioned in the direction part of the recipe. It it to be used where you say to mix in taco seasoning (which is not in the list of ingredients)?
I just wrote down the recipe and both are mentioned. Taco seasoning is mentioned right after the Italian dressing in the list. The dressing is in directions right after the beans. Long story short: mix everything except the tortillas, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and cilantro in the meat.
I tried this and it was very very good. Made quite a bit for just the two of us but we sure enjoyed it.
Anyone tried this with corn tortillas?
I used whole wheat tortillas, and Greek yogurt in place of the sour cream. It was AMAZING! My picky daughter ate it all, even the beans! I think I’m gonna try it meatless next time, and just double the amount of beans. Thanks for an awesome recipe!
Made this tonight – AMAZING!!! Sooooo completely yummy! I had to force myself to walk away from the table. My husband said his waistline grew just smelling it. Three kids between 11 and 2 all ate it and asked for more! Thank you so much for sharing!!!
I found this on Pinterest and it was listed under gluten free.
I am just starting to use a gluten free menu so maybe I can lose some weight.
I want to know if there is such a thing as gluten free tortillas. I am not sure if I have ever seen any.
Help!
The recipe is a lot like several we already make and we love it!
This is wonderful! I made it last night and my son had two helpings and he had some again this morning at breakfast. For sure I will make this again and again. Next time I think I’ll add sliced black olives.
Once the meat mixture is cooked, do you think it would be ok to layer everything in a slow cooker? I need a mexican dish for a potluck at work.
That should work fine! Let us know how it goes.
Yes. I layered the “pie” with corn tortillas & it turned out fabulous! Also, instead of salsa I used a can of rotel & a small can of green chilies. Squeeze of 1/2 lime was the right kick of zest! Yum!
Hi what does spraying the tin foil do? Both sides?
Just spray the tin foil on one side. Then cover the casserole with the sprayed side down next to the cheese. It prevents the cheese from sticking to the foil.
This is in the oven as we speak. I made a batch of homemade salsa to use and will keep the remaining ford weekday snacks.
Ingredients
1 can (28 Ounce) Whole Tomatoes With Juice
2 cans (10 Ounce) Rotel (diced Tomatoes And Green Chilies) mild
1/4 cup Chopped Onion
2 cloves Garlic, Minced
1/4 teaspoon Sugar, we use 2 Splenda packets
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Ground Cumin
1 bunch cilantro, just leaves
1/2 whole Lime Juice
Place in food processor and process about 30 seconds, or to desired consistency.
This looks awesome! Can’t wait to give it a whirl. Question: how many layers do you suggest?
We usually only do 2 or 3 layers.
Do you use salad dressing in a jar or can you use the dry salad dressing mix? Thank you.
Can you use dry salad dressing mix or only dressing in a jar?
We used the salad dressing in a bottle that is already made.
Do you use creamy italian dressing or zesty?
Just regular Italian dressing. Not the creamy dressing.
Can I use the Corn tortillas instead of flour? I would think they would hold up better?
Corn tortillas should work great too!
I always like to read the comments and I seen some people say they used enchilada sauce. Is this in place of something else or In addition to? Thanks so much. Going to try this soon
This recipe was amazing, I’m frustrated it took me so long to remember to make it ! I took some great pictures that you could feel free to use in your blog, if you share your email (or email me above at my address) I’d love to send them to you.
FANTASTIC!
Could this be done the night ahead and put in the icebox and cook tomorrow
Hi Mary, you could definitely prepare this the night before and then cook the next day.
Sometimes I find that recipes found on Pinterest aren’t as good as they look. I’ve made a couple of things that weren’t all that great. But, this recipe was AMAZING!!! My husband and 6 year old son loved it. Both are super picky eaters. Especially my son lately. My husband said that I put my foot in it ( it’s a compliment). Some of the ingredients that I used were corn tortillas, ground turkey and Rojo’s restaurant style salsa. I think the sour cream brings it all together. I sprinkled chopped cilantro and green onion on top once I took it out of the oven. I did not use corn in mine. Had salad on the side along with mexican rice. SO GOOD!!! Will KEEP this recipe!
Tried it for the first time this evening for dinner. I had to double my ingredients due to the fact that we are a family of 7 lol! I used pinto beans instead of kidney and did not add the corn, but still looks delicious! Can’t wait to try it.
It is amazing with the veggie crumbles!
Thank you for the recipe! Was wondering if you could freeze this?
One of my all time favorite recipes!
The casserole was ok, not great. Hoping that it would be better
This meal was absolutely delicious!
This is an amazing recipe! My husband loved it, and gave it 5*. I did substitute ground turkey for the ground beef, and it was so flavorful, you couldn’t tell. I also used corn tortillas instead of flour. Being empty nesters, we got three meals a piece out of this delicious casserole. I will be making this regularly!