This easy enchilada casserole features layers of seasoned ground beef, corn tortillas, black beans, and cheese. It’s so much easier than making enchiladas since you don’t have to roll them up one by one!
Weeknight Dinners Don’t Get Much Easier Than This
When dinnertime rolls around and I have no clue what to make and zero energy to poke around on Pinterest for inspiration, I make enchilada casserole.
It’s a mindlessly easy meal that layers seasoned ground beef taco meat with warm corn tortillas, shredded cheese, and black beans. Fast, easy, and filling, it’s a weeknight dinner win on all fronts.
I like serving it topped with chopped lettuce, tomato, green onion, avocado, and homemade salsa or pico de gallo. Feel free to tweak this recipe to use up what you have on hand. Ground turkey is a good sub for ground beef, the red enchilada sauce can be swapped for green, and any combo of beans and veggies you need to use up should work.
Enjoy!
Heidi’s Tips for Recipe Success
You can always make your own enchilada sauce (I’m always surprised how quickly my homemade recipe comes together), but for even faster assembly on busy nights, pick up a large can of your favorite enchilada sauce at the store.
I’ve found that corn tortillas hold their shape better in this casserole without becoming gummy or soggy like flour tortillas do.
Give the tortillas a quick dunk in hot oil to soften them and give them a richer flavor. If you skip this step, they’ll likely crack or crumble when you try to layer them.
What’s in This Recipe?
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Ground beef — I prefer using 85% lean; you need a little fat for flavor and moisture purposes.
- Spices — I seasoned the beef with cumin, chili powder, and garlic powder. Feel free to use your favorite taco seasoning instead.
- Green chiles — I used mild green chiles for a kick of heat, but you can turn things up a notch by using hot green chiles.
- Enchilada sauce — I used a can of red enchilada sauce to save time, but you can make your own enchilada sauce, if needed. Green enchilada sauce works great here, too!
- Corn tortillas — Either white or yellow corn tortillas may be used.
- Black beans — Feel free to swap with pinto beans or even refried beans.
- Shredded cheese — I used Colby Jack, but cheddar, Monterrey Jack, or a shredded Mexican cheese blend would all work too.
How to Make Beef Enchilada Casserole
- Cook the ground beef. Once the ground beef is browned, add in the onion, chopped green chiles, and spices. Stir well after adding the spices and cook for a couple minutes to really wake up their flavors.
- Mix in (some of) the enchilada sauce. I didn’t measure things exactly, but I poured in roughly ¾ of the can.
- Soften the corn tortillas. In a separate skillet, warm ¼ cup of oil (canola or another neutral-flavored oil is a must). Once it’s hot, dip each tortilla in the oil to make them more pliable.
- Layer the casserole. You’re going to layer the enchilada casserole in this order: tortillas, ⅓ of the ground beef, ½ of the beans, then ⅓ of the cheese. Rinse and repeat until the ingredients have all been used up.
Heidi’s Tip: Dunk each tortilla into the reserved enchilada sauce before placing in the baking dish for big Mexican-inspired flavor.
- Bake until golden and bubbly. The casserole goes into the oven covered, then it’s uncovered in the final 5 minutes of baking to help the cheese crisp up.
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below, leave a comment to tell us what you think, and tag me on Instagram @foodiecrush.
Enchilada Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound 85% lean ground beef
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 3- ounce cans of green chilies, drained and chopped
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 28- ounce can red enchilada sauce
- 12 corn tortillas
- ¼ cup canola oil
- 1 15- ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 pound colby jack cheese, grated
Instructions
- Prepare the beef mixture. Preheat the oven to 375°F and prepare a 9” X 13” baking dish with cooking spray. In a large skillet over medium, cook 1 pound lean ground beef breaking it into small pieces, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Add 1 chopped onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft, 3-4 minutes. Stir in the 6 ounces of chopped green chiles.
- Add the spices. Stir in 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, and ¾ teaspoon kosher salt and cook until spices bloom and become fragrant, stirring, about 2 minutes.
- Add half of the enchilada sauce. Stir ¾ of the enchilada sauce into the beef mixture, and cook for 2 minutes until warmed through. Place the rest of the enchilada sauce in a shallow bowl or pie tin and set aside.
- Soften the corn tortillas in hot oil. Warm ¼ cup oil in a small skillet over medium high. Dip each tortilla in the oil for 30 seconds, flip to the other side, and cook just until warmed through, then transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.
- Dip the tortillas in the sauce and layer. Spoon ¼ cup or so of the enchilada sauce on the bottom of the baking dish. One at a time, dip each fried tortilla in the enchilada sauce, coating both sides, and layer the bottom of the baking dish with 4 tortillas. Spoon ⅓ of the ground beef mixture over the tortillas, top with ½ of the black beans, and ⅓ of the shredded cheese. Repeat with 4 more tortillas dipped in sauce, ⅓ of the ground beef, the remaining black beans, and ⅓ shredded cheese. Top with the final 4 sauced tortillas and ⅓ beef mixture. Pour any remaining sauce over the beef then top with the rest of the cheese.
- Bake until bubbly. Cover with foil, bake for 25 minutes then remove the foil and bake for 5 more minutes. Allow the enchiladas to rest for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with minced green onion, sour cream or Greek yogurt, chopped tomatoes, and chopped avocado or cilantro. I like to serve it with slivered iceberg lettuce and Mexican rice.
Nutrition
What to Serve With Enchilada Casserole
- Pickled Jalapeños
- Cilantro Lime Rice or Mexican Rice
- Spicy Garlic Guacamole
- Mexican Street Corn
- Mexican Coleslaw
- Mexican Kale Salad
More Easy Enchilada Recipes
- Salsa Verde Chicken Enchiladas
- Chicken Mole Enchiladas
- Beef and Butternut Squash Enchiladas
- Creamy Green Chicken Enchiladas
- Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup
- Leftover Turkey Enchiladas
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Eva
So hearty and comforting — perfect for family dinner night!
Agreed! Glad it fit the bill!
Megan
Made this last night and it was easy and delicious! 100% do the toppings, especially the lettuce for a cooling effect.
So glad you enjoyed it Megan! Thanks for coming back around to leave a comment and 5 stars!
Megan
why does it say to divide the onion?
Nice catch! I originally intended to include the rest of the onion as the garnish but ended up throwing the whole thing in the main dish. I’ve fixed it in the recipe :). Glad you enjoyed it.