Charlie’s Layered Mexican Casserole with a Salsa-licious Twist
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.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 mins
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Casserole
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients
- 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
Instructions
- Prepare all the ingredients, except ground beef, in the list above, i.e., peel, chop, slice, drain, etc.
- Saute’ ground beef until browned and crumbled; drain any accumulated grease from the pan leaving the ground beef in the pan.
- Add the chopped onion to ground beef in the frying pan and saute until onions are translucent.
- Add 1 1/2 cups of salsa to ground beef mixture and stir to combine; remove from heat and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Spray bottom and sides of 9″ x 13″ casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.
- Coat bottom of baking pan with 1 1/2 cups of salsa, using the back of a spoon to spread around.
- 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).
- 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.
- Layer American cheese on top of all.
- Cover with the remaining five or six 5″ tortillas.
- Pour remaining 1 1/2 cups of salsa over all and spread around.
- Place casserole in preheated oven and bake for 40 minutes.
- 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).
- Remove from oven and cool for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Cut into 8 generous squares to serve.
- Top with a dollop of sour cream and sprig cilantro.
- 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
Find it online: https://tootsweet4two.com/charlies-mexican-casserole/
