I love a good burrito, but I must confess, I don’t always have the time to make each one out separately. Sometimes, it’s just easier to throw it all together and make what is essentially one giant burrito… A Beef Burrito Casserole!
Filled with fresh veggies, lean ground beef, protein packed beans, cheese, brown rice and whole wheat flour tortilla, you’ve got everything thing you need to make a balanced meal in one 9×13″ casserole dish! And all in under 30 minutes from start to finish!
Top this plate off with a dollop of sour cream and a nice fresh Pico de Gallo. I like to start with the Pico de Gallo so the flavors have time to hang out together a bit while I prepare the rest.
This meal is perfect for hungry families, company and pot lucks! Once you make it once, it is sure to become a family favorite that you will find yourself making time and time again!
I start by dicing half a large red onion.
Then I like to soak it in water to take the bite out of the onion.
While your onions are soaking, gather up about a dozen grape tomatoes… if you only have cherry that’s fine too…
Chop them up to a medium dice… I like grape tomatoes because aside from them being super sweet, they are also low in liquid.
Drain water from the tomatoes and start building your Pico de Gallo.
Add the tomatoes in with your onions.
Chop up a good handful of cilantro.
Chop up a good handful of cilantro
Add in with onions and tomatoes.
Sprinkle with kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper.
Now my little surprise add in is some pickled hot peppers.
Chop them up and add them in to your mixture.
To finish it off grab a lime.
Add the juice of half a lime.
And here you have it, fresh Pico de Gallo. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit until it’s time to top your plate.
Now we can start building our spice mix:
You can make a spice mix big enough for this one casserole or multiply the amounts in the recipe below and keep your burrito spice mix in a mason jar. It can then be used for burritos, tacos and any manner of Tex-mex and Mexican dishes. And, if you can’t have time or all of the necessary spices, you can always pick up a burrito seasoning packet from the supermarket (I won’t tell anybody).
Mix it all up and it’s ready to add in to your casserole.
Now start prepping your ingredients for your filling:
Start off by dicing one medium onion.
Grab a red bell pepper. Halve and seed it.
Slice it up.
Dice it.
Now bring a large skillet to a medium/high heat.
Brown up some ground beef.
To the meat, add in about half the seasoning mix.
Once browned, move the meat to one side of the pan… You can always remove from the pan, but to me this is easier than getting another bowl dirty.
Add the onions and peppers into the other half of the pan and start to saute.
Open up a can of pickled jalapeno. These are not only easier to use than dealing with chopping up fresh jalapeno, but I like the brine that comes along with it.
Add in a big spoon full of the jalapenos, reserving the rest with the liquid in the can.
Stir it all in together.
Rinse off some canned or frozen black beans.
Add in the black beans.
Rinse off some pinto beans.
Add them in.
I would normally use corn on the cob, but I didn’t have any on hand, so I opened up a can of corn to add in.
Add in about half a bottle of beer. This is a light Mexican beer.
Open up the tomato sauce. Add it into your mixture.
Add in about 2 cups of cooked brown rice. (any rice will do)
Mix everything together and let simmer for about 10 minutes to cook out the alcohol and allow the flavors to mingle a bit.
Once the filling is all set, it’s time to build your casserole:
Grab some medium whole wheat tortillas. I normally really like plain flour tortillas, but I find that these hold up well in this dish and you really can’t taste the flavor difference, so why not go with the healthier option?
Pour about 1/4 cup of olive oil into your casserole dish. Be sure to coat the bottom and sides of your dish.
Now line your pan, bottom and sides with the tortillas.
Pour in your filling.
Add on a layer of shredded cheddar cheese.
Now gently start folding in the edges of the tortillas all the way around.
Add a layer of tortillas to the top being sure to cover all the mixture.
What you essentially have now is a giant burritos in your casserole dish.
You should find that coming up around the edges is some pools of olive oil, use that to brush right on top of your burritos.
Once that is all set, you will need to make a quick sauce and top it:
Take what is remaining of your tomato sauce and add it into a bowl.
Then add in the remainder of the peppers in with that.
To that add in a pinch of kosher salt.
Then some fresh cracked black pepper and that’s it! Just stir together and top your casserole.
Spread the sauce all over the top.
Bake at 350°F for about 45 minutes.
When it’s time to serve, top with some sour cream and your freshly made Pico de Gallo! Enjoy!
Recipe for Beef Burrito Casserole:
(serves 6-8)
1 1/4 ground beef, browned
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 can pinto beans, rinsed
1 can corn, drained
1 onion, diced (small dice)
1 red bell pepper, diced (small dice)
2 cups brown rice, cooked
1 can chiles, divided
1 can tomato sauce, divided
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup olive oil, divided
9-10 medium tortilla wraps (whole wheat or plain flour)
Taco spice mix (recipe to follow)
For sauce topping:
1/2 can of tomato sauce
1/2 can of jalapeno
pinch of salt
fresh cracked black pepper
For Taco spice mix:
1 Tbs. cumin
1 Tbs. paprika
1 Tbs. kosher salt
1 Tbs. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. Hungarian paprika
For Pico de Gallo:
1/2 red onion, diced and soaked
12 grape tomatoes, diced
handful of cilantro, chopped
3 Tbs. hot pepper rings, chopped finely
Juice of half a lime
kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Prepare Pico de Gallo: Add all ingredients into a bowl and mix together. Cover and set aside.
Prepare spice mix: Add all spices into a bowl, stir and set aside.
Prepare filling: Saute ground beef and brown. Add in half the spice mix and stir. Once browned and seasoned, push to one side of the pan. On the other side of the pan, add a little olive oil and saute the onions and peppers until tender. Add in one spoon full of canned jalapeno. Combine with the meat.
Add in beans, corn and rice. Then add in half a can of tomato sauce and half a bottle of beer. Add in the remaining spice mix. Once the filling is prepared, set aside and prepare the casserole dish.
In a 9″x13″ casserole dish, add in about 1/4 cup of olive oil. Line the dish with tortillas being sure to go up the sides of the pan. Add in filling and top with cheese. Fold the tortilla sides in and cover the top with tortillas. Brush with olive oil.
Prepare the sauce: To a small bowl add in the remainder of the tomato sauce, the remainder of the jalapenos, a pinch of salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Stir.
Top the casserole with the sauce. Bake for 45 minutes.
Serve with sour cream and Pico de Gallo.
Enjoy!