This casserole has all the Tex-Mex flavors you want! Ground beef, bell pepper, Mexican spice blend, corn, guacamole, salsa, and of course, cheese! Garnish with green onions, black olives, and crushed tortilla chips, and serve with sour cream.
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Tex-Mex is a blending of traditional Mexican ingredients and flavors, and those brought by the Spanish like beef and coriander. It's one of the great fusion cooking styles, and it's one of our favorites. This recipe can be adapted in a number of ways, see the Change It Up! section below. If you've made a variation that turned out really well, please leave us a comment and tell us how you changed it!
Ingredients You'll Need
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 green bell pepper (or any other color) chopped
- 2 teaspoons Mexican spice blend or one packet of taco seasoning
- 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- 1 (4.5-ounce ) can chopped green chilies (optional)
- 2 (15-ounce) cans refried beans
- 1 (15-ounce) can corn drained
- 1 (13-ounce) container guacamole
- 1 (13-ounce) container salsa mild or hot
- 2 cups Mexican blend cheese
- 2 green onions sliced
- 1 (4-ounce) can sliced ripe olives drained
- 1 cup tortilla chips crushed
Change It Up!
Here are some things you can do to make this recipe your own!
- Replace the beef with ground pork, ground lamb, ground chicken, or a vegetarian textured soy protein.
- Want more heat? Replace the bell pepper with jalapeno, Anaheim, or serrano peppers.
- Use a different chile powder for more or less heat.
- Add more spices, like garlic powder, cumin or coriander.
- Try hominy instead of corn.
- Use a different kind of salsa or picante sauce.
- Try a different cheese mix. Good options are Cheddar, Colby, Monterey Jack, and Pepper Jack.
- Replace the tortilla chips with your favorite flavor of Doritos!
Learn to Make This Tex-Mex Casserole
Get your ingredients together! Guacamole, ground beef, salsa, sliced black olives, Mexican spice blend and chipotle chile powder, and corn.
But wait, there's more! Chopped onion, refried beans, chopped bell pepper, shredded cheese, and sliced green onions. The green bell peppers at the store didn't look that good, so I used yellow.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Put the ground beef, onion, and bell pepper in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook until the beef is completely browned. Add the spices and stir to combine.
I like to add a can of chopped green chiles because we like our heat, and it adds another layer of flavor.
Pour the meat sauce into a greased 9x13 baking pan.
Let the layering begin! Refried beans...
Kitchen Tip: Canned refried beans can be stiff and hard to spread. I scoop them out of the can into a glass bowl and microwave then for a minute at a time, stirring after each heating until they're soft enough to spread.
Corn...
Guacamole...
Salsa...
And cheese.
Bake the casserole for 30 minutes. Here it is out of the oven.
Top with crushed chips, green onions, and olives. Add more cheese if you like. You could also put some shredded lettuce on top.
This casserole is bursting with flavor, and it's very filling!
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📖 Recipe Card
Layered Tex-Mex Casserole
Special Equipment Needed
- 1 large skillet
- 1 9x13 baking dish
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 green bell pepper (or any other color) chopped
- 2 teaspoons Mexican spice blend or one packet of taco seasoning
- 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- 1 (4.5-ounce ) can chopped green chilies (optional)
- 2 (15-ounce) cans refried beans
- 1 (15-ounce) can corn drained
- 1 (13-ounce) container guacamole
- 1 (13-ounce) container salsa mild or hot
- 2 cups Mexican blend cheese
- 2 green onions sliced
- 1 (4-ounce) can sliced ripe olives drained
- 1 cup tortilla chips crushed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Add the beef, onion, and bell pepper to a large skillet and cook over medium heat until meat is browned.2 pounds ground beef, 1 medium onion, 1 green bell pepper
- Add the Mexican spice blend, chipotle powder, and green chilies (if using) and stir to combine.2 teaspoons Mexican spice blend, 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder, 1 (4.5-ounce ) can chopped green chilies
- Pour the meat sauce into a greased 9x13 baking pan. Add the following layers: refried beans, corn, guacamole, salsa, and cheese.2 (15-ounce) cans refried beans, 1 (15-ounce) can corn, 1 (13-ounce) container guacamole, 1 (13-ounce) container salsa, 2 cups Mexican blend cheese
- Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
- Top with the tortilla chips, green onions, olives, and more cheese if you like.2 green onions, 1 (4-ounce) can sliced ripe olives, 1 cup tortilla chips
Nutrition Estimate
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Elaine
Very flavorful, hearty and filling. I served it in bowls with the suggested toppings, but I think this would also be great as a filling in soft flour tortillas. This will be a go-to winter casserole!
Grey
Using the casserole in tortillas is a great idea! And I bet it would be good in burritos and enchiladas too. Time to put on my Mad Scientist outfit and start experimenting!