Dump-and-Bake Beef Enchilada Casserole
Stir, bake, top with cheese, and dinner is done with almost no thinking.
When you’re too tired to assemble a real dinner but still want something warm, cheesy, and filling, this is the move. It keeps the familiar enchilada casserole idea—seasoned beef, tortillas, sauce, and melted cheese—but cuts out the fussy layering and long simmering. Everything comes together in one baking dish with a short pre-cook on the stove, so you get dinner on the table fast without standing over a pan for ages. Expect cozy, saucy, scoopable comfort food, not restaurant-style enchiladas. It’s weeknight practical, family-friendly, and very forgiving if your energy is running on fumes.
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 unit yellow onion — small, diced
- 2 unit garlic cloves — minced
- 2 tbsp enchilada seasoning
- 1 cup enchilada sauce
- 1 cup salsa
- 1 cup black beans — drained and rinsed
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 6 unit corn tortillas — cut into strips
- 2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 0.25 cup water
- 2 tbsp chopped cilantro — optional
Method
- 1 Heat the oven to 425°F. Grease an 8x8-inch baking dish or similar small casserole dish.
- 2 Warm the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for 2 minutes, then add the ground beef and cook until no longer pink, breaking it up as it cooks. Stir in the garlic and enchilada seasoning.
- 3 Add the enchilada sauce, salsa, black beans, corn, and water. Stir for 1 minute just to combine and heat through.
- 4 Fold in the tortilla strips, then scrape everything into the baking dish. Top with the cheddar and Monterey Jack.
- 5 Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until bubbly and melted. Rest for 2 minutes, then finish with cilantro if you want and serve hot.
Variations
- Vegetarian swap — Swap the beef for 2 cups cooked pinto beans or black beans and keep the rest the same.
- Faster swap — Use pre-cooked ground beef or leftover taco meat so you only need to mix, assemble, and bake.
- Substitutions — Use flour tortillas instead of corn if that’s what you have, or swap cheddar for any good melting cheese.
Notes
If your salsa is very thick, add an extra tbsp or two of water so the casserole stays saucy. For a crispier top, broil for 1 to 2 minutes at the end, watching closely.
Equipment that helps
- Skillet — Lets you brown the beef and build the sauce before it goes into the casserole dish.
- 8x8-inch baking dish — The compact size keeps the casserole thick, bubbly, and fast to heat through.
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