Cheesy Mexican Casserole
This Mexican casserole is an easy ground beef dinner made with tortilla chips, cream soups, enchilada sauce, green chiles, and plenty of sharp cheddar cheese. It’s cheesy, a little creamy, and ready in about 30 minutes.
This is one of my granny’s recipes. I remember her making it when I was a kid, and it was the only time I ever remember seeing her eat chips of any kind.
After she passed away in 2017, I was thumbing through one of her old cookbooks and found the recipe. My aunt, her daughter, had submitted it to the cookbook, so I finally had the actual version Granny made. It was such a nice thing to find tucked away after all those years.
John likes the way the tortilla chips soften into the sauce but still keep a little texture. The casserole is also incredibly easy. Brown the beef, stir everything together, cover it with cheese, and bake.
A Couple of My Best Tips
The tortilla chips aren’t meant to stay completely crispy. They soak up some of the creamy sauce as the casserole bakes, while the larger pieces keep a little bite. Break them into small pieces, but don’t crush them into fine crumbs.
You can drain the grease from the ground beef. That’s what my granny did. When I make this casserole, I don’t drain the grease since that’s the way John likes it. Either way works. Just know that the casserole may be greasier if it’s not drained.
If you don’t have an oven-safe skillet, make the filling then transfer it to a baking dish.
Serve it with Mexican rice, then add restaurant-style salsa or cilantro lime crema at the table.
How to Make Mexican Casserole
Brown the beef: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cook the ground beef in a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat until no longer pink, then drain away the grease.
Make the filling: Stir in the cream of mushroom soup, cream of chicken soup, enchilada sauce, green chiles, and evaporated milk. Once everything is evenly combined, gently fold in the broken tortilla chips.
Add the cheese and bake: Spread the mixture evenly in the skillet and cover the top with shredded cheddar. Bake for about 20 minutes, until the casserole is hot and bubbling around the edges and the cheese is fully melted. Serve hot.
How to Video
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds ground beef, we used 90/10
- 10 ½ ounces cream of mushroom soup, 1 can
- 10 ½ ounces cream of chicken soup, 1 can
- 10 ounces enchilada sauce, 1 can
- 5 ounces evaporated milk, 1 can
- 4 ounces green chiles, 1 can, undrained
- 8 ounces tortilla chips, broken into small pieces
- 1 ½ cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Cook the ground beef in a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat until browned and no longer pink. Drain away the grease.1 ½ pounds ground beef
- Stir in the cream of mushroom soup, cream of chicken soup, enchilada sauce, green chiles, and evaporated milk until evenly combined.10 ½ ounces cream of mushroom soup10 ½ ounces cream of chicken soup10 ounces enchilada sauce4 ounces green chiles5 ounces evaporated milk
- Carefully fold in the broken tortilla chips, then spread the mixture into an even layer.8 ounces tortilla chips
- Sprinkle the cheddar cheese evenly over the top. Bake for 20 minutes, until the casserole is hot and bubbling and the cheese is melted. Serve hot.1 ½ cups sharp cheddar cheese
Notes
- If you don’t have a large oven-safe skillet, transfer the mixture to a greased 9×13-inch baking dish before adding the cheese.
- The tortilla chips will soften as the casserole bakes, but larger pieces will keep some texture. Break the chips into small pieces rather than fine crumbs.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- The calories listed are an approximation based on the ingredients in the recipe card and a serving size of about 1 cup. Actual calories will vary.