Mexican Ground Beef Casserole (High Protein)
A lightened-up recipe for an easy high-protein Mexican ground beef casserole made with whole grain corn tortillas, black beans, lean ground beef, and a blend of white cheddar and Colby jack cheese with 30 grams of protein per serving.
Lately, I’ve been craving hearty casseroles. I love throwing everything in one dish to keep things simple, but I also love how all the flavors mingle together in a good casserole. This Mexican casserole is a family favorite because it has all the goodness of an enchilada in a one-dish meal. Not to mention, you get 30 grams of protein in a single serving!
I’ve lightened up the traditional Mexican casserole recipe to include 93% lean ground beef, low-fat cheese, and black beans instead of refried beans. I used a blend of Colby Jack and light cheddar cheese in this recipe. If you like it spicy, substitute the Colby jack with pepper jack cheese. I love homemade salsa here or store-bought fresh chunky salsa, but canned salsa in a jar works great, too. This dish is packed with protein and SO delicious!
Ingredients you’ll need
- 93% lean ground beef
- Red enchilada sauce
- Frozen shoepeg corn
- Thick & chunky salsa (fresh or canned)
- Soft corn tortillas
- Black beans
- Cabot light sharp cheddar cheese
- Cabot colby jack or pepper jack cheese
- Salt and pepper
How to make Mexican ground beef casserole
Step 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. then rinse and drain the canned black beans.
Step 2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and brown ground beef until it’s no longer pink. Season with salt and pepper. Add in enchilada sauce, salsa, corn, and black beans. Stir until combined. Bring the mixture to a low-boil, stir, and turn off the heat.
Step 3. Grease a 9×11-inch baking dish with cooking spray (I use olive oil spray) and place half of the tortillas in the bottom of the pan, overlapping as needed.
Step 4. Cover with half of the meat mixture.
Then top with half of the shredded cheese.
Repeat with the second layer finishing with the cheese on top. Bake for 30-35 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly. Cool for 5-10 minutes and serve warm.
What To Serve With Mexican Casserole
Great toppings for this casserole are freshly chopped cilantro, sour cream, sliced avocado, guacamole, pickled jalapenos, and extra salsa.
More high-protein Mexican-inspired dishes
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Mexican Ground Beef Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 lb 93% lean ground beef
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 20 oz red enchilada sauce
- 2 cups frozen shoepeg corn
- 8 oz fresh chunky-style salsa or your favorite canned salsa
- 8 soft corn tortillas
- 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 8 oz Cabot light white cheddar shredded
- 8 oz Cabot colby jack cheese shredded (or pepper jack)
Instructions
- Preheat oven for 350 degrees F. Heat a large skillet on medium heat and cook ground beef until no longer pink. Season with salt and pepper.
- Stir in enchilada sauce, corn, black beans and salsa. Bring the mixture to a low-boil, stir, then turn off the heat.
- Grease a 9×11 baking dish with olive oil cooking spray and place half of the tortillas in the bottom of the pan and overlap, as needed.
- Cover with half of the meat mixture and top with half of the cheese
- Repeat with second layer, finishing with the rest of the cheese on top.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly.
Nutrition
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