Heyllo! I am back with another casserole. You would think that is all I eat…but it’s just such an easy option when cooking for a crowd. It is super hard to mess up (although I am sure I have) when all of the ingredients are mixed together and thrown in the oven.
This week I made a Mexican inspired casserole dish. When buying ingredients, I didn’t really have a step by step process in mind or measurements, but I find that those are the recipes that turn out the best. I bought the typical ingredients: ground beef, rice, diced tomatoes, bell peppers, refried beans, etc. See below for the exact measurements I actually used because it turned out great!
Most of the time when I am cooking, I start with the basics: diced up an onion and warm it in a pan with olive oil on the stove. I just saw a great tweet that said “An onion is the bass player of food. You would probably not enjoy it solo, but you’d miss it if it wasn’t there.” I couldn’t agree more. I am not one to take a bite out of an onion like an apple or anything but I find that it really adds a subtle flavor when cooked in the base of the meal.
Once the onion starts to become translucent, I added the two pounds of ground beef and broke it up. I cook this until it is completely brown- usually about 10 minutes.
In the meantime, I diced up the bell peppers that I wanted to add. I had initially taken out six peppers but realized that might be a little overload. I settled on one of each color that I had: yellow, orange, and green. I always like to use lots of color when cooking. I knew I would be adding tomatoes eventually, so didn’t chose the red pepper for that reason. But obviously whatever you have on hand will work and taste the same!
Once the meat is browned, I added the diced peppers to the meat/onion mixture. You’ll want these to be soft, so they will need a few minutes of cooking on their own. That and combined with oven time we will do later, they will turn out nice and soft. This is when I added the Ortega Taco Seasoning. I actually order the big container from Amazon to keep in my pantry. For all of my 20’s I used to buy the 99 cent packets that were for one time use and never had them unless I purposely went out and bought it for a meal. I learned in my 30’s that taco seasoning is just something you should have. You are throwing things together often and it comes in handy.
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After following the directions on the Ortega Taco Seasoning package, I made sure to cook until the water that we added for the seasoning cooked down. You definitely do not want a soupy casserole.
This meat and vegetable mixture will be the main innards (I love using that word) of the casserole. We will also be using Spanish rice. I suggest that while the meat is cooking, you also cook the rice according to the box instructions. As you know, some rice takes quite some time and needs to sit covered in order to absorb the water and moisture. You do not want to wait until you are done with the meat mixture before starting the rice.
Hopefully both innards (lol, got to use it again) will be ready around the same time. I like to use a rice pot large enough that when the time comes and they are both fully cooked, I scoop the meat mixture into the rice and mix together.
This is where I also added the can of diced tomatoes. Once all mixed, set aside.
In the casserole dish, open the can of refried beans and smooth into a layer with a spoon on the bottom. This will act as our base.
Add a layer of cheese to the beans and then start evenly spooning in the meat and rice mixture. You should have just enough to fill the dish, or a little extra. I like to keep the extra for a meal prep lunch when I am on the go.
Next, sprinkle the cheese on top and bake in the oven at 350°F for 30 minutes or until the edges of the cheese are starting to brown. Crumple up some tortilla chips and dice up some green onions to the top for garnish. Serve hot!
This casserole really was a hit- I had friends texting me about it days later. One even took the leftovers home and used it as a dip!
If you make it, let me know how it goes! Find me on Pinterest, Twitter, or Instagram!
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Mexican Fiesta Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Ground Beef
- 2 boxes Spanish Rice Pilaf (6.1 oz each box)
- 16 oz Refried Pinto Beans
- 10 oz Tomatoes Diced with Jalapeno and Cilantro (Rotel style)
- 1 Yellow Onion (diced)
- Taco Seasoning Follow instructions on packet for 2 lbs of meat
- 1 Orange Bell Pepper (diced)
- 1 Yellow Bell Pepper (diced)
- 1 Green Bell Pepper (diced)
- 16 oz Mild Cheddar & Monterey Jack Shredded Cheese
- 1 handful Tortilla Chips Crumble and place on top
- 1 tsp Olive Oil
- 1 bunch Green Onions Diced for garnish on top
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- In a large pot, start cooking your Spanish Rice according to the box instructions
- Peel and dice up yellow onion
- Warm a pan on the stove and add olive oil
- Add yellow onion
- Saute for about 5 minutes or until starting to become translucent
- Add the 2 lbs of ground beef to pan
- Cook meat until brown- this will take about 10 minutes
- In the meantime, dice up your 3 bell peppers
- Once meat is fully cooked, add diced peppers to pan
- Let cook for 2-3 minutes
- Add taco seasoning to mixture according to instructions (most will have you add water that will need to be cooked down)
- At this time, the rice and the meat should be fully cooked
- If rice pot is large enough, add the meat mixture from pan and mix together. If not, use a large bowl and combine all of the ingredients
- Add diced tomatoes to mixture and mix
- In a 9"x13" casserole dish place entire can of refried beans on bottom and spread with a spoon until even
- Add a handful of cheese on top of refried beans layer
- Next, scoop the meat/rice mixture into dish
- This should be just the right amount, but if a little extra, save for a meal prep lunch, if needed
- Make even across dish and add the remainder of the cheese to top
- Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes and edges are browning
- Add crumpled tortilla chips and green onions to garnish
- Serve hot
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