This Tex-Mex ground beef casserole comes from the Creator Tess and her YouTube video. It's budget-friendly and can easily feed a crowd using ground beef, veggies, tortillas, and cheese. Think of this one as turning taco night into a tasty bake.
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Taco night is a treat in my house, but turning it into this casserole is so much easier and less stressful to make. I'm a huge fan of casseroles in general; they are the ideal comfort food, great to prep ahead, and you can use the leftovers easily too.
Five simple dinners. One grocery list.
No recipe hunting, no messy shopping notes, no complicated chef projects. Just family dinners that fit real weeks.
I enjoy cooking from a YouTube video compared to a standard written recipe; you learn more about the techniques used. I make pasta bakes regularly and like incorporating things like ground beef to make a complete meal.
Key Takeaways
Getting Your Ingredients Ready
Must-Have Kitchen Basics
Start by getting your ingredients ready. Most of them should come from your pantry. You should be using taco seasoning, chili powder, oregano, garlic powder, cumin, and diced tomatoes. Use your favorite salsa, black beans, and corn. Whatever you have in the pantry should work fine. If you don't have diced tomatoes, you can use Rotel too.
I have a large spice rack in the kitchen, and I always make sure it is well stocked for when I make recipes like this. I need to try to keep it as organized as possible.
If you want to really customize this dish, try making your taco seasoning from scratch. You can really tailor the flavor of this dish that way. I like to experiment with these kinds of things and have my own Cajun spice blend for situations like these.
Picking Your Ground Beef
Veggie Mix-Ins and Fun Extras
Getting the Beef Mix Ready
Browning the Ground Beef Perfectly
When getting your beef ready, go for an 85 to 15 blend and cook for around five to seven minutes. You want to get a good brown color on the meat, and don't forget to drain the extra grease. From there, you can build up the flavor starting with diced onion, bell peppers, even jalapeños, and some minced garlic.
If I am making something like this, I always check my beef ratio, as I want to have a decent amount of fat present for flavor. A good tip as well is always to drain the grease. I'm a big fan of adding jalapeños to this, as I love spicy food.
Take your time in browning the meat, as the majority of the flavor comes from this step so don't skip it or rush.
Building Flavor with Veggies and Spices
Combining Beans, Corn, and Tomato Goodness
| Ingredient | Notes |
|---|---|
| Canned diced tomatoes | She mentions Rotel works great too |
| Salsa | Use whatever brand your family loves |
| Corn | Adds sweetness and texture |
| Black beans | Rinse and drain them first |
Building Your Tex-Mex Casserole Layers
Creating the Crispy Foundation
To build your casserole, start with crumbled tortilla chips as a nice crunchy base. Then use a little bit of the meat and layer in the flour tortillas. Don't worry about it being perfect; it's the flavor that's most important. You can cut your tortillas into strips if needed.
When it comes to cooking casseroles, I don't worry too much about how it looks, as it is a rustic-style dish. You can even mix it up by using different flavors of chips. I do like to use corn tortillas, as I think they have more flavor when compared to flour, but you can use whatever you have.
Casserole recipes are excellent if you are feeling tired. They are super forgiving, and you can be a bit sloppy in your cooking process and still end up with something delicious.
Layering Tortillas and Beef Mixture
Picking Cheese for Melty Perfection
| Great Cheese Options |
|---|
| Cheddar and Mozzarella mix |
| Jalapeño Pepper Jack |
| Mexican blend cheese |
| Monterey Jack |
Including Sour Cream and Last Details
Cooking and Serving Guide
Temperature and Time Details
For cooking and serving, bake it at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for around 30 minutes. Watch for the cheese to be golden and bubbling, but remember to give it a good 15 minutes' rest before you cut it. It's far too hot to eat straight from the oven. Plus, if you slice it immediately, you will not get a clean slice, and it will be runny.
You wouldn't think that 15 minutes' rest would be so important, but it definitely is, having tried to skip it in previous attempts and ending up with a mess on the plate. Watching out for a nice golden color and bubbling; that's one of the great visual cues that show you the recipe is ready.
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I first learned that from making lasagne, and it's amazing how many dishes it can apply to.
Key Points:
Cooling Time for Perfect Slices
Simple Ways to Serve
Serving Ideas:
Customize It for Your Crew: Swaps and Family Favorites
Cheese and Topping Mix-Ups
This recipe can be easily customized to your own taste. Tess made this with cheddar and mozzarella, as this is what she had available, but you could also use something like pepper jack or a Mexican blend, or even sharp cheddar.
Tailor it to whoever is eating it. It's always nice to include olives and jalapeños as a garnish. If a recipe says just cheese, I always tend to opt for cheddar. You can't go wrong with a good cheddar.
It can be difficult sometimes to cook for people who are picky eaters, or people who like their food extra spicy. I always like to ask a few questions of the people I am making the meal for, and tailor the recipe around that information. That way, you have a better chance of everyone being happy.
I love the use what you have cooking philosophy. It forces you to cook without referring back and sticking closely to a recipe. You'll become a much better cook this way.
Making It Work for Little Ones and Heat Lovers
Kid-Friendly Changes:
Grandma’s Kitchen Clean-Out Magic
Smart Substitutions:
Keeping It Fresh and Sharing the Joy
Smart Ways to Keep Your Casserole Fresh
For storing this, try to get it into the fridge within two hours. It should keep for around four days covered in the fridge. You can also freeze this for up to around three months. Just ensure it is well wrapped in foil and marked with a good, clear, dateable label on it.
You can reheat this in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for around 15 to 20 minutes, or even in the microwave for a few minutes. It's so important to label and date your freezer food; otherwise, you are fishing in the dark.
Leftovers tend not to last too long in my house, so it's not something I worry about too often. But whenever I do have leftovers, I always freeze them. I hate wasting food.
Warming It Up Just Right
Spreading the Deliciousness Around
Staying Connected and Sharing the Love
Tess finishes off this video by asking her viewers to like and subscribe and hit the Bell so that they don't miss any good future recipes. She also appears on Facebook and has her own recipe website beyond YouTube.
I like to discover new recipe creators mainly on YouTube and Instagram, as this is where all of the food content tends to be. I love learning about food, so if the creators are friendly and easy to follow along, I generally subscribe pretty quickly.
I have done this on YouTube recently with Fallow. They have a great YouTube channel and a top restaurant in London. I try to stick to the platform that has the longest form content, like YouTube, as a lot of creators recycle their content for other platforms, and you end up watching repeats of stuff you've already seen.
