We have Mexican food for dinner at least once per week, sometimes more. Some recipes are more intensive than others but my favorites are the one dish meals. When we want low carb, I go for the Tex Mex Stuffed Peppers or Chicken Fajita Cauliflower Rice Bowls. I love making enchiladas but I found a far better and easier way to make them with this enchilada casserole. I based it loosely on my Mexican Lasagna that is also very delicious.
For this recipe I decided to use corn tortillas because flour tortillas often become chewy when baked. When using a ceramic baking dish not all of the tortillas will fit so you can just cut a few to fit. I can tell a successful meal by the leftovers, and we hardly have any when I make this dish.
Enchilada Casserole Variations
Beans
pinto
black Beans
refried
Veggies
red/yellow peppers
onions
tomatoes
corn
poblano
Protein
ground beef
ground turkey
shredded chicken
The best part is you can tailor it to what you like. Use your favorite beans, veggies, change up the protein or use none at all. I prefer the flavor of this dish when using ground beef but shredded chicken or ground turkey will work also.
If you can’t find authentic cotija cheese, shredded cheddar or mexican blend cheeses will work just fine. Whatever you use, I recommend coating the foil with cooking spray so it doesn’t stick during baking.
How to make Enchilada Casserole
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 2 T taco seasoning
- ½ c. water
- 12 yellow corn tortillas
- 20 oz red enchilada sauce
- 8 oz rinsed black beans
- 8 oz corn kernels
- ¾ c. salsa
- 1 c. shredded mexican blend or cheddar cheese
- 1 c. grated cotija
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 1 tomato, diced
- Sour cream
- Sauté ground beef until no longer pink, drain any fat.
- Add 2 T taco seasoning and ½ cup of water and stir over low heat until seasoning is absorbed.
- Combine meat mixture with corn, black beans and salsa.
- Coat the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish with sauce and add one layer of tortillas, breaking some to fit.
- Add half of the meat mixture and sprinkle with ⅓ of the cheeses.
- Top with enchilada sauce and repeat.
- Top second layer of meat mixture with cheese, enchilada sauce and the final layer of tortillas.
- Finish with the remaining sauce and cheeses.
- Cover dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake for 5 more.
- Remove from the oven at let rest.
- Top with tomatoes and green onions before serving with a side of sour cream.
This casserole goes great with a side of sour cream, a spritz of fresh lime and my favorite Herdez salsa. I hope you enjoy this dish as much as we do!
Originally published May 14, 2020
These enchiladas look fantastic. I’m putting this on my menu for next week. My boys will love this.
I can definitely have this any time of the day. The recipe looks so easy to copy.