Description
Cheesy Mexican Beef Bake delivers pure comfort straight from your kitchen to the dinner table. Sizzling ground beef, melted cheese, and zesty spices create a crowd-pleasing meal that makes your family smile with every delicious bite.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Protein:
- 1 pound ground beef
Vegetables and Beans:
- 1 large onion
- 1 green bell pepper
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 (15 ounce) can black beans
- 1 (15 ounce) can corn
- 1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chilies
Seasonings and Additional Ingredients:
- 1 (1 ounce) packet taco seasoning
- ½ cup water
- 1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
- 12 corn tortillas
- 4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup sour cream
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 350°F and coat a 9×13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- Brown 1 pound ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat, crumbling the meat completely.
- Drain excess fat from the skillet, then add 1 chopped onion and 2 chopped bell peppers. Sauté for 5-7 minutes until vegetables soften.
- Mix in 1 can black beans, 1 can corn, and 1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies.
- Sprinkle 1 packet taco seasoning and ½ cup water into the skillet. Simmer the mixture for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Season the beef mixture with salt and pepper to your taste preference.
- Pour a thin layer of enchilada sauce across the bottom of your prepared baking dish.
- Layer 6 corn tortillas over the sauce, slightly overlapping to cover the entire dish.
- Spread half the beef mixture evenly across the tortilla layer.
- Scatter 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese over the beef mixture.
- Drop spoonfuls of ½ cup sour cream across the cheese layer.
- Create a second layer by arranging the remaining 6 corn tortillas on top of the sour cream.
- Cover the tortillas with the remaining beef mixture.
- Sprinkle the final 1 ½ cups of shredded cheddar cheese over the top.
- Bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes until cheese melts and becomes bubbly.
- Allow the casserole to rest for 5-10 minutes after removing from the oven.
- Garnish with chopped cilantro and additional cheese before serving.
- Accompany the dish with optional toppings like salsa, guacamole, or hot sauce.
Notes
- For the most tender beef, choose ground beef with a slightly higher fat content like 80/20, which adds more flavor and keeps the meat juicy.
- Drain the beef thoroughly after browning to prevent excess grease making the bake soggy and ensure crisp, clean flavors.
- Switch corn tortillas with flour tortillas for a softer texture, or use grain-free tortillas to make the dish low-carb and gluten-sensitive friendly.
- Spice lovers can amp up heat by adding diced jalapeños or using a hot taco seasoning blend instead of the standard mild version.
- Prep Time: 20-25 minutes
- Cook Time: 25-30 minutes
- Category: Baked
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 480 kcal
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 620 mg
- Fat: 28 g
- Saturated Fat: 14 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 32 g
- Fiber: 7 g
- Protein: 30 g
- Cholesterol: 85 mg