Sometimes you just need a good comfort food recipe… a recipe that is easy-to-make… and a meal that every member of your family will eat without complaints. I’ve got one one those recipes for you: Beef and Bean Enchilada Casserole
Beef and Bean Enchilada Casserole
This dinner idea is a simple one: rather than rolling the ingredients up into a corn tortilla, the ingredients are layered into the casserole dish instead. It’s the best of both worlds, all of the flavors of enchiladas in a quick and easy to make casserole.
🛒Ingredients needed:
- ground beef
- onion
- chili pwder & cumin
- canned pinto beans
- canned diced green chiles
- sour cream
- flour
- garlic powder
- tortillas
- enchilada sauce
- mixed cheddar/Jack shredded cheese
- optional toppings
✏️How to make Beef and Bean Enchilada Casserole:
*The complete, printable recipe with all ingredients and instructions is at the end of this post.
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Preheat the oven to 350℉. Spray a 9×13-inch pan or 2-quart baking dish with nonstick spray.
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In a large skillet, cook the ground beef and onion together over medium heat until the beef is browned and the onion is tender. Drain any fat, if needed. Stir in the chili powder, cumin, beans, and chiles; set aside.
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In a medium bowl, whisk together the sour cream, flour and garlic powder.
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Place half of the tortillas in the bottom of the prepared dish, tearing them apart as needed to cover the bottom (overlapping is fine). Top with half of the meat mixture, spoon half of the sour cream mixture on top of the meat, and drizzle ¾ cup of the enchilada sauce on top of that. Repeat the layers one more time. At this point, you can cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 24 hours before baking (take off plastic wrap). Or you can bake now and enjoy!
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Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with cheese and bake 5 minutes or so more, until the cheese is nice and bubbly. Serve immediately.
➡️Recipe Tips:
- If you want to add some more layers…try adding corn, olives or feta cheese! Try substituting a can of chili beans for refried beans.
- If you’re counting calories, you could try using low carb flour tortillas in place of the corn tortillas.
- If you are preparing this recipe as gluten-free, be sure to use brands of pinto beans, enchilada sauce and corn tortillas that are known to be GF. Use an alternative thickener in place of the all-purpose flour, such as cornstarch or a GF flour blend.
✔️What to serve with Beef and Bean Enchilada Casserole:
- Since this is a casserole, it doesn’t need much with it, but I think a simple fresh green salad goes nicely with it.
- If you’re in the mood for a glass of wine with this dish, I think a good Argentinian Malbec with its dark fruit flavors would be a great compliment.
- Serve a small scoop of Vanilla Bean Ice Cream to top off this meal.
★How to Store:
Since this recipe makes 8 servings you very well may have leftovers. Store them in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or you can freeze it in a tightly sealed container for up to 3 months.
❤️Why I love this recipe:
- We love this recipe, usually served on a bed of shredded iceberg lettuce and then topped with sour cream, guacamole and chopped tomatoes.
- I love that it makes plenty so there are leftovers for lunches or maybe even for dinner on another night.
- If I’m feeling extra ambitious, I have a great recipe for Enchilada Sauce. It really amps up the flavor and I love that, plus, it’s a very popular recipe with my RecipeGirl readers too!
Casserole recipes you might like to try:
- Chicken Enchilada Casserole
- Easy Taco Casserole
- Tex Mex Black Eyed Pea Casserole
- Ritz Chicken Casserole
- Tex Mex Chicken and Rice Casserole
- Cowboy Casserole
- Chicken Spaghetti Casserole
Beef and Bean Enchilada Casserole
Recipe Details
Ingredients
- 8 ounces lean ground beef
- ½ cup chopped sweet onion
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- One 15-ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- One 4-ounce can diced green chiles
- 8 ounces sour cream (light is fine)
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- Eight 6-inch corn tortillas
- 1½ cups enchilada sauce
- 1½ to 2 cups mixed cheddar/Jack shredded cheese
- topping suggestions: chopped tomatoes, sour cream, guacamole
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Spray a 9x13-inch pan or 2-quart baking dish with nonstick spray.
- In a large skillet, cook the ground beef and onion together over medium heat until the beef is browned and the onion is tender. Drain any fat, if needed. Stir in the chili powder, cumin, beans, and chiles; set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the sour cream, flour and garlic powder.
- Place half of the tortillas in the bottom of the prepared dish, tearing them apart as needed to cover the bottom (overlapping is fine). Top with half of the meat mixture, spoon half of the sour cream mixture on top of the meat, and drizzle ¾ cup of the enchilada sauce on top of that. Repeat the layers one more time. At this point, you can cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 24 hours before baking (take off plastic wrap). Or you can bake now and enjoy!
- Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with cheese and bake 5 minutes or so more, until the cheese is nice and bubbly. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- *If you are preparing this recipe as gluten-free, be sure to use brands of pinto beans, enchilada sauce and corn tortillas that are known to be GF. Use an alternative thickener in place of the all-purpose flour- such as cornstarch or a GF flour blend.
- *Suggestions for additional layers: corn, olives, feta cheese
- *Change-it-Up: Sub canned chili beans for the pinto beans (undrained).
Shopping tomorrow just to pick up the supplies for this recipe. Mmmmmm
This looks so easy and so delicious! I am planning to make it for dinner this week!
This looks really tasty!! I love the photos too. So pretty and looks really warming and perfect for the cold months 🙂
Any thoughts on if this would work without the beans? Cannot get my son to eat them…
Leave them out? Add in some of the other suggested add-ins perhaps?
Yay! I love enchilada casseroles.
Looks and sounds delish. May have to substitute the beef for tuna because my husband is a vegetarian.
seriously gotta make this tonight!
Oh this looks fabulous! I have to make this for dinner one night this week!! Thanks for sharing!
Yum! I’ve been looking for a new go-to casserole recipe for the fall!
I’m going to try this and invite others to share. Sounds and looks yunmy and will be easy to make GF.
Oooooh my gosh these look like heaven!
This recipe looks great! The melted cheese on top seals it!
This looks delicious and easy to make. Love it.
I love easy recipes such as these for the weeknights when I’m coming home from work and exhausted. This looks so delicious and I love all that cheese on top!!
Great recipe, I have never made an enchilada casserole. I was making mexican for dinner tonight and thought I would try it in a casserole . I used flour tortillas and chicken in place of the corn tortillas and beef. It was delicious. I really liked the garlic sour cream, it tied the entire dish together. It really was so much quicker than individual enchiladas (or burritos). Thanks for another quick delicious dinner, perfect for a weeknight.
Love the layering idea, so much easier and no need to be precise, plus I can goop if up with extra cheese :). Great for a neighborly dinner idea too!
Thanks Lori, I must have miss it! This sounds amazing and easy!
Wow Lori – this is so smart and yummy! So perfect after long day at work.
I have to admit I hated enchilada casseroles when I was growing up… but now I love them! I’ve also been looking to add more beans to my diet and this recipe looks like a keeper! Can’t wait to try it.
Maybe I missed it, but what is the sour cream mixture? Do you mix the green chiles, sour cream and garlic salt? Thanks-this sounds amazing!
Sorry- I left out a line of detail, but it’s in there now.
I love meals like this! Perfect for weeknights 🙂
Deaaaaaaaath becomes me. Yum.
When do you put the flour in?
Mix it with the sour cream.
This is my kind of dinner! Perfect!
I love easy dinners and this is right up my alley!!! Thanks 🙂