This burrito casserole is made with juicy Tex-Mex seasoned beef, then layered with flour tortillas, cheese, and a secret ingredient that makes the whole dish irresistible. The best part is that you can make this burrito casserole in less than 20 minutes!
Tex-Mex casseroles are always a hit. From Crescent Roll Taco Bake to John Wayne Casserole and zesty Taco Stuffed Shells, it’s hard to go wrong with a casserole infused with Mexican spices and flavors. This cheesy burrito casserole is going to be your new favorite!
In just 20 minutes you can create a delicious meal that is big enough to serve a crowd. Everyone will be asking for this easy burrito casserole after trying it—I know my family wants it all the time! And I am happy to make this cheesy burrito casserole recipe anytime because, the truth is, it is one of my favorite meals too!
Easy Cheesy Burrito Casserole Recipe
If you have ever made tacos or burritos from scratch, then you will have absolutely no problem making this burrito casserole. Even if you’re new to cooking, you will be able to whip up this tasty dinner recipe in mere minutes. It is a simple recipe that will have big success at the dinner table.
My burrito casserole filling is made with savory ground beef, refried beans, and seasonings like lime juice and taco spices. I make a special blend of sour cream and cream of mushroom soup, an ingredient that really makes this casserole extremely flavorful. You may not think that cream of mushroom soup goes with burritos but it definitely does—at least in this recipe! It’s my secret ingredient for a crowd-pleasing burrito casserole recipe.
Once I have all the parts of the recipe ready, they’re layered into a casserole dish with some flour tortillas and shredded cheese and then baked. Easy enough! You are going to want a big serving of this burrito casserole straight from the oven while it is nice and hot. I wish I had a piece right now…
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Ingredients
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- Olive oil
- Ground beef
- White onion – I like white onions, which have a stronger bite than other onion varieties.
- Taco seasoning – Old El Paso original taco seasoning is my favorite, or use homemade taco seasoning.
- Refried beans – I like canned refried beans made with jalapeños, but you can feed free to pick any type. If you choose to make your own refried beans, you will need 1 ½ cups of cooked beans. (My no-soak Instant Pot black bean recipe is perfect for this!)
- Lime juice
- Cilantro
- Sour cream
- Cream of mushroom soup – Campbell’s makes the best condensed cream of mushroom soup. You will need a standard 10.5-ounce can for this casserole.
- Flour tortillas – Flour tortillas tend to get dry after the package has been opened. However, this is the perfect recipe to use older tortillas. The thick sauce and juicy beef will help make the tortillas tender again.
- Mexican shredded cheese – Mexican shredded cheese is usually a blend of Monterey Jack, cheddar, asadero, and quesadilla cheese
Variations
- Use ground chicken or ground turkey in place of ground beef.
- Add one diced jalapeño pepper to the skillet along with the ground beef. This will make the beef spicier for those who love a little bit of heat.
- Add shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, sliced black olives, and other toppings just before serving.
How to Make Burrito Casserole
- Prep the equipment: Preheat the oven to 350ºF and then spray a 9×13 casserole dish with cooking spray. Set the dish aside.
- Cook the beef: Sauté the ground beef and chopped onions in a large skillet. Be sure to break up the beef with your spatula or spoon as it cooks. You want nice, small crumbles.
- Season the beef: Once the ground beef is browned, stir in the canned refried beans, lime juice, cilantro, and taco seasoning. Stir everything together well, then remove the pan from the stovetop.
- Make the sauce: Whisk the sour cream and cream of mushroom soup together to make a quick sauce.
- Layer the casserole: Start by spreading a little of the sour cream sauce in the bottom of the casserole dish, then make a layer of tortillas across the bottom of the dish. Top the tortilla layer with some of the ground beef and some shredded cheese. Add a layer of sour cream to start the layering process again. Continue layering in the sour cream mixture, tortillas, beef, and cheese until the pan is full. You want to end with a shredded cheese layer on top.
- Bake the burrito casserole: Bake the casserole in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes. The sauce will be bubbling around the edges and the cheese will be completely melted on top. Cut into servings and enjoy!
Quick Tip
Do you like spicy burritos? In addition to the ideas I’ve listed above, you can also buy extra spicy taco seasoning or add cayenne pepper to the ground beef as it cooks to really crank up the heat.
How to Store Burrito Casserole
If you happen to have leftover burrito casserole, wrap the casserole dish in plastic wrap and store it in the fridge for 3-4 days. To reheat the casserole, you can simply pop a piece in the microwave and heat it up for about 1-2 minutes.
This burrito casserole also freezes really well. Bake and cool the casserole completely, then wrap it tightly and freeze for up to two months. To thaw the casserole, unwrap the plastic wrap and cover it loosely with a piece of foil. Place it in a 300ºF oven for about 45 minutes. The burrito casserole will be ready to serve and as delicious as the day it was baked!
FAQs
I like to mix refried beans, onions, lime juice, taco seasoning, and cilantro into my burrito filling. These 5 simple ingredients really make the filling delicious. They add a ton of flavor without needing too many ingredients.
Yes! You can definitely add a layer of Mexican style rice on top of the tortillas in the casserole dish. You can also stir some cooked rice into the ground beef mixture. This helps make the casserole hearty and even more filling.
You can easily replace the flour tortillas with soft corn tortillas. This will make the burrito casserole gluten-free if you use gluten-free cream of mushroom soup.
More Delicious Casserole Recipes
Burrito Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 cup chopped white onion
- 2 tablespoon taco seasoning
- 1 can refried beans
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
- 10 flour tortillas, cut in half
- 3 cups shredded Mexican cheese
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and spray a 9×13 casserole dish with cooking spray.
- Add the olive oil to a large skillet. Add the ground beef and chopped onion to the pan and cook for about 8 minutes. The meat should no longer be pink. Chop up the beef while it is cooking to make small crumbles.
- Add the refried beans, lime juice, cilantro and the taco seasoning to the skillet and stir into the beef. Remove the pan from the stovetop.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the sour cream and cream of mushroom soup.
- Spread about ½ cup of the sour cream mix across the bottom of the greased casserole dish.
- Layer 6 tortilla halves in the bottom of the casserole dish, on top of the sour cream. It is okay if they overlap a little bit but you want to try to cover the entire bottom of the casserole dish with the tortillas.
- Spread about 1 ½ cups of the ground beef mix on top of the tortillas.
- Sprinkle with 1 cup of shredded cheese.
- Repeat the layering process, starting with another layer of sour cream mix, then adding another layer of tortillas, a layer of ground beef and sprinkling with cheese. You should repeat this whole process three times, making three layers in the casserole dish, ending with the shredded cheese on top of the casserole dish.
- Bake the casserole for 20 minutes. The cheese on top should be completely melted and beginning to brown. The sauce will be bubbling around the edges of the pan.
- Let the casserole sit for 5 minutes then divide between plates.
