I'm always on the lookout for an easy casserole to throw together, and this Mexican Ground Beef Casserole recipe is a winner. It's simple to make, and it's sure to please even the pickiest eaters.
It reheats well so you can enjoy it for leftovers later in the week. All the moms rejoice...leftover taco meat!!!
Give this Mexican Ground Beef Casserole a try next time you're looking for an easy dinner solution!
Mexican Ground Beef Casserole Recipe
Warm ground beef, hearty potatoes and of course melty cheese make this the ultimate Mexican casserole!
Mexican food is my love language. I'm pretty sure in a previous life I was talking Spanish and whipping up homemade corn tortillas every night of the week ending with "y".
In reality, I took four years of Spanish and remember some random verb conjunctions and lots of vocab. Hey, it's something, right??
Anyway, this easy peasy recipe is a cross between a tater tot casserole and a taco casserole. Want one more variation? Try a cowboy cornbread casserole, too!
Translation: It's an easy weeknight meal your family will love!
Ingredients in Easy Mexican Ground Beef Casserole
- breakfast potatoes - I used cubed breakfast potatoes but you could also use hash browns
- ground beef
- Salsa - pick your favorite jarred salsa or make some of my restaurant style salsa. I usually go with a medium salsa on the spice-o-meter.
- sweet corn kernels - you can use fresh, frozen or canned corn
- shredded cheese - is there really such a thing as a wrong cheese? (short pause). I didn't think so. I used shredded cheddar cheese but a Mexican cheese blend would be downright delicious!
- green onions - these add a nice bit of color and some fresh flavor on top of the casserole
What to serve with this Mexican Ground Beef Casserole Recipe
Of course, I am here cheering you on as you add your favorite taco toppings. I'm thinking a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt for some creamy tang, maybe some sliced black olives over the top.
Ooooh, and if you've got an avocado or two, you should totally add some homemade guacamole!
I get excited, what can I say?!? Whatever you'd add to a taco, you can add to the top of this Mexican casserole.
On the sides, let's take the vegetarian refried beans route. My recipe uses a can of refried beans and is seriously easy so no worries there.
Want To Save This Recipe For Later?
I'll email it to you, so you can come back to it later!
Or, add some canned, drained and rinsed beans like black beans or pinto beans. And of course a side of tortilla chips with salsa or homemade pico de gallo.
Basically, they're always included because my family would be lost on taco night without them.
Variations and Tips
If you're out of salsa? No worries, you could substitute a can of rotel tomatoes with green chiles.
If you forgot to thaw your ground beef, no worries! You can easily thaw and cook ground beef in your Instant Pot.
Got beef? Here are some of the best ground beef recipes!
How to store leftovers
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
To make this as a freezer meal, you can assemble the casserole and freeze, unbaked, in the freezer for 3-4 mounts.
More of my favorite dinners with Mexican flavors:
Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Beef
If you make this easy Mexican casserole recipe, leave a recipe review or comment below. I'd love to hear from you!
5 Ingredient Mexican Beef Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 package 650g of breakfast potatoes
- 1 pound cooked ground beef
- Salt and pepper
- 1 ½ cup salsa
- 2 cups frozen corn
- 1 ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup green onion chopped
Want To Save This Recipe For Later?
I'll email it to you, so you can come back to it later!
Instructions
- Preheat to oven 400 ˚F. Spray your casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Brown ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat until thoroughly cooked, breaking it into pieces as it cooks. Drain fat if needed, then season to taste. (If you're using an extra lean ground beef or ground turkey, you may not need to drain it.),
- In an oven-safe dish, place the breakfast potatoes at the bottom of the baking dish. Press it down a little.
- Follow with the the cooked ground beef mixture.
- Top with frozen corn, salsa, and shredded cheese.
- Place in the oven and cook for 40 minutes.
Remove from the oven and sprinkle green onion on top
Notes
Nutrition
This Farm Girl Cooks is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Katie says
This was delicious and such a hit at our house! It was easy to put together with ingredients I almost always have on hand! This is also perfect for meal trains for new parents!
Rachel says
I have a bunch of regular fresh potatoes to use up. Could I use them in this recipe? Would I need to precook them?
Deanne Frieders says
Hi Rachel, I haven't tried it, but if it were me, I'd add the potatoes to the casserole dish and cook them for 20 minutes, then add the rest of the ingredients as outlined and follow the recipe. Let me know!!