It only takes five basic ingredients to make this quick and easy dinner!
It is no secret that I love quick and easy meals. Yes, I love to cook, but with three kids, a busy schedule, and the general craziness of life, the reality is that most days I need quick and easy, get it to the table fast, meals. I am guessing most of you need those same type of meals.
I love layered Mexican casseroles and have made them for years. I recently came across a burrito casserole that looked great, but used ingredients that my family cannot have like store bought frozen burritos.
I am sure the casserole was delicious, but since we deal with food allergies we have to be careful about the prepackaged items that we buy. Frozen burritos are pretty much on the no list when it comes to things we can and can’t buy.
Besides that buying frozen burritos for a casserole seems like a bit of a waste and a bit expensive. Now, don’t get me wrong, I have bought plenty of frozen burritos in my lifetime. They are great for a quick lunch or dinner, especially for kids or for my husband to take to work.
However, for using in a casserole, to feed a family of five, they seem like a bit of a waste. I knew this was one of those cases where making a homemade version would be much cheaper. And for my family much safer to eat.
To make this without the frozen burritos I took the basic ingredients that you would have in a burrito and turned it into a layered casserole. It really was easy to make a homemade version!
And it was delicious! My whole family loved this.
Quick, easy, and delicious! I love recipes like that.
5 Ingredient Burrito Casserole
5 Ingredient Burrito Casserole is a great make ahead freezer friendly dinner.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1- 15 ounce can chili beans ( I use Bush's Beans)
- 1 1/2 cups salsa
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 8 tortillas ( I used gluten free tortillas)
Instructions
- In a skillet brown ground beef until done and no longer pink.
- Drain off any fat.
- Stir in chili beans.
- Line a 9x13 pan with 4 tortillas. Cutting if needed to fit pan.
Layer meat mixture onto tortillas. - Sprinkle with half of the cheese.
- Place remaining 4 tortillas on top of cheese. Cutting if needed to fit pan.
- Spread salsa on top of tortillas.
- Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until heated through.
Notes
This casserole can be made ahead and frozen. Defrost and bake at directed.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8 servingsServing Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 436Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 64mgSodium: 1109mgCarbohydrates: 40gFiber: 5gSugar: 5gProtein: 26g
I’ve never really liked the chili beans, but I bet they’d be perfect in this recipe. Thanks, Lynn!
Shirley
I am so going to make this Friday night with some Aldi GF sandwich wraps. Have you tried those yet? They are awesome as is everything GF I have tried from that store,
Yes we love those wraps. We have not used them much for Mexican food, but love them for sandwich type wraps.
Made half of this burrito casserole tonight for dinner and my son and I really like it! I bought medium chili beans, then added some chili powder and ground New Mexican hot chiles to give the beans and meat some heat. I used a small casserole and made 3 layers of the tortillas, meat/bean mixture, and cheese – no need to cut up the tortillas, just plopped them in whole and they fit fine.
I’ll make this again – love a dish with so few and uncomplicated ingredients!
I am so glad that you enjoyed it! Thanks for letting me know!
What size tortillas?
I usually use the basic flour tortilla size, but if I have another size instead I use that. You may just need more or less tortillas. You basically want it to fit the pan and you can tear the tortillas to make them smaller and fit if needed. I hope that helps.
Fajita size?
I usually use the soft taco of fajita size
Have you made this recipe with corn tortillas?
Yes, the texture and taste are a little different, but it does work.
Since this is a Mexican dish why wouldn’t you use a Mexican blend of cheeses. I can’t wait to try this recipe. I LOVE Mexican food, and this recipe sounds AMAZING :o}. I was just curious about the cheese choice.
Thanks, Jan
Mexican cheese would work fine. In fact I have used it and I have used just cheddar, colby jack, or a combination. I usually just use what I have on hand. I hope that you enjoy it!