Charlie’s Layered Mexican Casserole with a Salsa-licious Twist

[Updated October 14, 2020] Charlie’s Layered Mexican Casserole with a Salsa-licious Twist is a delicious and easy dinner for a busy night or a night when you crave Mexican food, but don’t want to spend a lot of time slaving over a hot stove.  Using a combination of fresh ingredients plus items from your pantry and refrigerator, this easy Mexican casserole comes together in minutes and then bakes to perfection in the oven.  Topped with melty, cheesy goodness, each bite of this Mexican bake satisfies with an explosion of flavors.

Charlie’s Layered Mexican Casserole is a recipe created by my husband, Charlie.  Here’s the twist:  it does not contain canned enchilada sauce but uses jarred salsa instead.

Unfortunately, I suffer from migraines, and most of my migraines are caused by food additives and MSG (monosodium glutamate).  MSG is the bigger culprit usually resulting in an instant migraine and my goal in life is to “practice avoidance” of anything that has MSG in it!  Twelve years ago, when Charlie created this recipe, it was difficult to find canned enchilada sauce without MSG.  Plus, I’ve never taken the time to learn how to make enchilada sauce from scratch.  After telling Charlie that I missed having a yummy Mexican casserole dish with enchilada sauce, I came home from work one day to find that he had created this recipe using salsa!  That Charlie – he’s a genius!  Consequently, this layered tortilla casserole recipe has become a family favorite.

This recipe is an “eyeball” thing – feel free to add and/or subtract ingredients to create your own version.  In addition to its versatility in combining whatever is available in your pantry or refrigerator, the other good thing is that I rarely make it – my wonderful husband, Charlie, does!  A win-win for me!

How to Build Charlie’s Layered Mexican Casserole

Gather your ingredients.  This Mexican casserole recipe has a lot of ingredients, but that’s what makes it so delicious!  So, for the ultimate fiesta-in-your-mouth sensation, don’t skimp; unless, of course, you really, really, really don’t like or can’t tolerate one of the ingredients!  Then substitute something you do like and make it your own!  Here’s the list of ingredients:

The Main Ingredients

Ground Beef – I have made this casserole with ground turkey, rotisserie chicken, chunked poached chicken, and while all are good, I prefer ground beef.  You saute the ground beef in a skillet, drain off the accumulated grease, add the onions, saute some more, then add some of the salsa (refer to the printable recipe below for the specific instructions on this step).  If you are looking for ground beef dinner ideas, this delicious Mexican ground beef casserole is one to keep in your arsenal of recipes!

1. Salsa – I use my favorite jarred salsa, which happens to be my local grocery store chain’s brand.  In Southern California, we have a chain of grocery stores (Vons/Safeway/Pavillion) that have several different names for their “store” brands.  One store brand name is “Signature Select” and the type of salsa I use is their Signature Select Garlic Lovers’ Salsa.  It’s chockful of slices of garlic that are very visible (and delicious).  By the way, this is not a sponsored post for Vons or their brands – I just want to share with you the specific type of salsa I use that makes this casserole so delicious!
2. Flour Tortillas – I have used both flour and corn tortillas in this recipe and sometimes both.  For example, if I only have a few of each type of tortillas handy, not enough of either to make this casserole, I have used both.  Whenever possible, I practice not wasting food and this is a good recipe to use whatever you have on hand.  I do, however, personally prefer to make this layered Mexican casserole with flour tortillas over corn tortillas.
3. Grape Tomatoes – I use grape tomatoes, but you can substitute cherry tomatoes.  I slice them lengthwise and nestle them in the layers.  I love the way they pop in your mouth, even after cooking in the casserole, giving you a juicy squirt of tomato-ey deliciousness.
4. Yellow or White Onions – Peeled and chopped, these are added to the ground beef as it sautes’ in the skillet before assembling this casserole.
5. Corn – I use frozen corn for ease of use.  But, you can substitute fresh or canned.  If using canned, be sure to drain the can before adding the corn to the layers.
6. Chopped Canned Green Chilis – I scattered these around one of the layers of this casserole using a small teaspoon.  I don’t bother to drain the can of chilis because they are not wallowing in juice, but have just the right amount of juice.  They don’t spread easily, so I dollop them here-and-there in the layer until I’ve used the whole can.
7. Kidney Beans – I prefer kidney beans in this Mexican casserole, which, of course, I drain thoroughly and rinse under cold running water.  You can substitute your own favorite beans, such as black beans or pinto beans, but I prefer kidney beans after trying others over the years.
8. Black Olives – you can use sliced olives, if you wish, to save time.  However, I prefer whole olives that I cut in half.  I do this because I feel the canned sliced olives are too thin and I prefer a little more of a chunky bite of olive in this casserole.
9. Sliced American Cheese – okay, okay!  Don’t hate me because I like American cheese!  Placing a layer of sliced American cheese in the middle of the layers of this casserole makes it ultra cheesy!

10. Corn Tortillas – As I said in bullet point number 2 above, you can substitute corn tortillas for the flour tortillas or use both.
11. Shredded Cheddar Cheese – I also use shredded cheddar cheese on the top of this casserole.  And, I’ve used several types of shredded cheese (Mozzarella, 3-cheese or 4-cheese Mexican blend, or a combination of both), so shredded cheddar cheese isn’t a hard-and-fast rule.  Use whatever shredded cheese you have handy.

Condiments

12. Canned or Jarred Jalapenos – This is strictly a choice depending on your tolerance for spicy heat.  You can use fresh, canned, or jarred jalapenos and you can use just a little or be more generous in the layers, or serve them on the side and let your family choose whether to add them or not.
13. Fresh Jalapenos – Ditto above!  Depending on your tolerance for heat, though, you may want to seed the jalapenos or expect your mouth will light on fire!

14. Fresh Cilantro – Cilantro isn’t for everyone, but if you love cilantro like I do, sprinkle a few leaves over your finished casserole and serve it on the side so that your family can add more.
15. Avocados – I use sliced avocadoes as a condiment and serve them on the side of the casserole.
16. Sliced Green Onions – Again, I use this as a condiment and I only use them if I happen to have them on hand.
17. Guacamole – Another on-the-side condiment choice.  Here’s our family’s favorite guacamole recipe!
18. Sour Cream – Even though this, too, is a condiment served on the side, in my opinion, a dollop of sour cream on top of each serving is a must!

After removing your casserole from the oven, let it sit for at least 5 minutes (10 is better) so that the liquid absorbs back into the casserole.  It works like a steak or a turkey or a whole chicken in that when you remove any of those from the oven (or the grill, in the case of the steak), you let them rest before you cut into them.  If you can’t wait, you might as well serve your portions of this casserole in a bowl because it will be slightly soupy.  It won’t alter the taste, but you can eat it with a spoon at that point so that you are sure to get every delicious bite and leave nothing on your plate.

Also, you may notice in the photo above that not all of the shredded cheese is melted.  This happens when you use cheese that is already shredded.  The manufacturer coats the cheese in an anti-caking agent to prevent it from globbing together in the package.  You can, of course, elect to shred your own cheese from a block of cheese.  Here’s a tip to melt packaged shredded cheese more thoroughly:  after you scatter the shredded cheese over the top of the casserole, tent the casserole with aluminum foil.  This will help the cheese melt more consistently and not burn the edges of your casserole!

The photo above is a picture of Charlie’s Layered Mexican Casserole cold from the refrigerator.  There are only two of us most of the time (me and Charlie), so when I make this casserole, we eat it over several days.  We don’t necessarily eat it for 4 days in a row; we rotate it between other dinners.  That way we don’t get completely burned out by having the same dinner every night!  Anyway, I sliced it cold and put it on this plate so that you could see the layers of goodness.  When it’s hot, it’s like lasagna in that it collapses a bit on the plate and the layers are less discernable.

You can see what I mean in the photo above which is the first slice out of the 9″ x 13″ casserole dish.  In the casserole dish, you can see the juicy goodness in the bottom of the pan where the piece was removed.  You can also see how the casserole spreads out on the plate.  Yes, that big piece of Mexican casserole came out of that small space in the casserole dish!

By the way, this casserole reheats beautifully in the microwave.  Just slice it cold, place it on a microwave-safe dish, cover it lightly with a piece of wax paper, and zap it for about 2 minutes.  If that’s not enough, zap it 30 additional seconds at a time until it is heated through.

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Kitchen Equipment and Supplies Needed to Make This Recipe:

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Chopping Board || Kitchen Knife || Can Opener || Strainer || Skillet || Wooden Spoon || Casserole Dish || Hot Pads || Spatula

Here’s the recipe for Charlie’s Layered Mexican Casserole with a Salsa-licious Twist:

Charlie’s Layered Mexican Casserole with a Salsa-licious Twist

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Charlie’s Layered Mexican Casserole with a Salsa-licious Twist is a delicious and easy dinner for a busy night or a night when you crave Mexican food, but don’t want to spend a lot of time slaving over a hot stove.  Using a combination of fresh ingredients plus items from your pantry and refrigerator, this easy Mexican casserole comes together in minutes and then bakes to perfection in the oven.  Topped with melty, cheesy goodness, each bite of this Mexican bake satisfies with an explosion of flavors.

• Author: Carole from Toot Sweet 4 Two
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 45 mins
• Total Time: 1 hour 5 mins
• Yield: 8 1x
• Category: Casserole
• Method: Oven
• Cuisine: Mexican

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• Non-stick cooking spray
• 10 to 12 – 5″ flour or corn tortillas (or large tortillas, quartered or torn into large pieces)
• 48 ounces (two 24-ounce jars) favorite bottled salsa, divided; I use Safeway Select Garlic Lover’s Salsa
• 1 pound lean ground beef, cooked and crumbled
• 10 grape or cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
• 1 small yellow onion, peeled and chopped
• 8 ounces frozen corn (1/2 of 16-ounce package) or 8 ounces canned corn, drained
• 1 can (7 ounces) diced green chilies
• 1 can (15 ounces) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup black olives (about 1/2 of a 6-ounce can), sliced
• 9 slices of American cheese
• 3 cups of shredded cheddar cheese, divided

For Garnish (each of these is optional):

• 1/2 bunch Cilantro, picked from stems
• Sour Cream
• Additional Salsa
• Jalapeno – canned, jarred, or fresh (if using fresh, seed and slice)
• 2 Green Onions, sliced
• Avocado – peeled, sliced, and seeded
• Guacamole

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Instructions

1. Prepare all the ingredients, except ground beef, in the list above, i.e., peel, chop, slice, drain, etc.
2. Saute’ ground beef until browned and crumbled; drain any accumulated grease from the pan leaving the ground beef in the pan.
3. Add the chopped onion to ground beef in the frying pan and saute until onions are translucent.
4. Add 1 1/2 cups of salsa to ground beef mixture and stir to combine; remove from heat and set aside.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
6. Spray bottom and sides of 9″ x 13″ casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.
7. Coat bottom of baking pan with 1 1/2 cups of salsa, using the back of a spoon to spread around.
8. Next, layer five or six 5″ tortillas in the pan over the salsa (if using a large tortilla that you’ve torn into pieces, place them in a single layer over the salsa).
9. Layer the following ingredients on top of the tortillas: ground beef, corn, beans, another 1 1/2 cups of salsa, 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese, canned diced green chilies, sliced olives, and sliced tomatoes.
10. Layer American cheese on top of all.
11. Cover with the remaining five or six 5″ tortillas.
12. Pour remaining 1 1/2 cups of salsa over all and spread around.
13. Place casserole in preheated oven and bake for 40 minutes.
14. Remove casserole from the oven, add the remaining 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese, place back in the oven, and tent the casserole with aluminum foil.  Continue baking until the cheese is melted (about 5 to 8 minutes).
15. Remove from oven and cool for 5 to 10 minutes.
16. Cut into 8 generous squares to serve.
17. Top with a dollop of sour cream and sprig cilantro.
18. Pass additional sour cream, cilantro, avocado, salsa, green onions, jalapeno, and guacamole.

Notes

(1) You can substitute any type of meat in this dish, such as ground turkey (cooked, drained, and crumbled), cooked chicken either diced or shredded rotisserie chicken, OR cooked shredded beef. All options result in a delicious casserole, although my favorite is ground beef.

(2) You can substitute your choice of canned beans. Use black beans, pinto beans, or a combination of all three.

(3) This casserole can be made ahead and refrigerated until closer to dinner time.  If making ahead of time, top with remaining cheese, and cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate.  Remove from refrigerator about 30 minutes before baking.  Then, tent with aluminum foil and bake for about 50 minutes to an hour.  Add the shredded cheese, tent again, and bake for 5 to 10 minutes more until cheese is melted.

(4)  This casserole can also be made ahead of time and frozen (leave off shredded cheddar cheese until the appropriate time in the cooking process).  To reheat, thaw in the refrigerator overnight.  Then, increase baking time to more than an hour, checking casserole by inserting a knife in the center, removing and touching the blade to see if still cold.

(5) Reheat any leftovers in the microwave.  Place a slice on a microwave-safe plate, cover with a piece of wax paper, and microwave on high for 2 minutes.  Check to see it heated through and if not, microwave again for 30 seconds at a time until the slice is heated through.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: A Generous Scoop

Keywords: Layered Mexican Casserole

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