Beef Burrito Casserole

Beef burrito casserole is one of those casseroles that makes sense. The combination of seasoned ground beef, melty cheese, flour tortillas, and refried beans all come together and meld into burrito bliss.

Add in some sour cream and cream of mushroom soup and it’s an incredible weeknight meal.

Why This Bakes Up Just Right

There are many burrito casseroles out there, and this is by no means the only way to make one. But, there are a couple of things about this recipe that make it work for us.

• The cream of mushroom soup is added to the sour cream to make a sort of sauce that goes over the top before baking. This sauce is what keeps the casserole squares from oozing everywhere on your plate when you carve it up. It’s a very handy trick.
• Using smaller flour tortillas (6 inch ones) means they’ll all fit into the 9×13 pan nicely. You’ll use two whole and two in half. Larger burrito sized tortillas end up overlapping or getting torn and it’s a pain.
• Refried beans are a casserole classic for a reason. They add body and substance and help stretch that one pound of ground beef to serve our family of 6.

What to Know Before You Start

• This beef burrito casserole can be made hours ahead of time, making it a 20 minute casserole once it’s time to pop it in the oven.
• When browning ground beef for casseroles, drain, drain, drain. Too much grease thins out the sour cream mixture and makes for a soggier casserole.
• If you love crispy cheese edges (we do) broil this casserole for 3-5 minutes at the end. Keep an eye on it so it doesn’t get too dark.
• This recipe leaves plenty of leftovers for another night.

Diced onion

1 packet of taco seasoning – About 2 Tbsp. of homemade taco seasoning is a great sub. Store-bought packets like Old El Paso and McCormick are portioned for 1 lb of ground beef so it’s an easy way to season the meat.

1 can fat-free refried beans – You could use homemade or store-bought black beans mashed up but fat-free canned refried beans are so easy and help to bulk up 1 lb of meat so it goes further. They also thicken up the meat so the casserole holds together better since skipping these will result in a very loose filling that will separate in layers when served.

Mushroom soup – You can sub cream of chicken for a slightly lighter flavor. The soup doesn’t really contribute a lot of flavor, just creaminess.

It also thickens up the sour cream so it doesn’t seep into the tortillas and make them too moist.

½ cup sour cream – I recommend using regular, not light. You’re less likely to get separation or watery sour cream when it’s baked in the casserole but using full-fat is best.

Tortillas: 6-inch flour tortillas, with 2 whole plus 2 cut in half per layer of casserole, so you’ll probably need a total of 8-10 tortillas depending on brand

2 cups shredded cheese – Mexican cheese blend is perfect but any mix with some cheddar will work so it browns in the broiler. Mozzarella doesn’t have the right taste, but I like the flavor of Mexican blend best.

How to Make Beef Burrito Casserole

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9×13 dish.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown the beef and onion. Remove from heat and drain fat, either by tipping and spooning or tipping into a colander.

Be sure to drain as much as you can. Add taco seasoning and refried beans.

Mix well, remove from heat.

Layer tortillas, beef, sour cream mixture and cheese as directed. You’ll probably have a couple of tortillas left, as typical packages have 8-10, and a bit of beef which can be formed into burritos.

Bake at 350, then broil for a few minutes until cheese is browned. Allow to sit before cutting into squares to serve.

Mix taco seasoning and refried beans into beef mixture, which should be thick. In a separate bowl mix together sour cream and cream of mushroom soup until smooth.

Cut tortillas in half, as you’ll be using 2 tortillas whole and 2 tortillas in half for each layer. Spoon half of sour cream mixture on the bottom of your pan.

Top with tortillas, 2 in half and 2 whole. Spoon half of beef mixture evenly over tortillas.

Cover with 1 cup cheese. Repeat layers with remaining ingredients.

Cover tightly in foil and bake at 350° for 20 min. Remove from oven and remove foil.

Broil for 3-5 minutes or until cheese is bubbling and golden brown, keeping an eye on casserole when broiling, as it can go from perfect to burnt in a flash. Remove from oven and allow casserole to sit 5 minutes before serving because casserole thickens slightly as it sits and will hold together better when cutting/serving.

Can be made ahead and stored, covered, in refrigerator. Will keep up to 4 days.

Helpful Tips

This recipe will serve a small family. This casserole holds together really well when reheated, actually I think it holds together better the next day.

To make this recipe spicy, though not a recipe that kids would likely go for, use a HOT taco seasoning, and/or cook up some diced up jalapeño with your ground beef. Be sure to drain excess grease off ground beef, the extra grease will thin out your sour cream mixture and will make casserole fall apart when ready to serve.

If you’re doubling recipe do not attempt to fit all ingredients into a deeper pan because the casserole will cook unevenly. Use two pans and it’ll be perfect.

This burrito casserole recipe makes a fantastic make-ahead dish. It’s completely assembled and then can be kept in the refrigerator (covered) for up to 24 hours.

Just add an additional 5 minutes of covered cooking time if you pull it straight from the refrigerator.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use ground turkey instead of ground beef?

You can! Just brown and drain the turkey (use 93/7) just like you would ground beef.

Ground turkey is a bit more mild in flavor but I’m not sure anyone would even notice since there are so many other strong flavors from the beans and the taco seasoning.

Can I use corn tortillas instead of flour?

Although you can use corn tortillas in this dish, the results will be a bit different. Corn tortillas don’t soak up liquid quite as well as flour tortillas do, so they won’t meld together as well and will be a bit crumbly, making them harder to slice up into neat portions.

What should I serve with beef burrito casserole?

While this recipe was created to go perfectly with Spanish rice, you can serve it with a number of side dishes to switch things up a bit. A simple green salad, some corn on the cob, or even chips and salsa go great with this dish.

Keep some sour cream and salsa on the table as well.

Can I freeze beef burrito casserole?

You can! Assemble the casserole and keep it in the refrigerator as usual.

Then, before baking, wrap the pan tightly and store in the freezer for up to 2 months. Allow the casserole to thaw in the refrigerator overnight before baking.

You can freeze this casserole after it’s been baked, but it doesn’t hold together quite as neatly upon reheating as the tortillas get a bit more soft. To reheat, cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes in a 325°F oven or microwave individual servings for 2-3 minutes.

Make sure the casserole is heated through.

Can I substitute a different soup for the cream of mushroom?

I recommend cream of chicken. The difference in flavor isn’t much after baking.

Other soups, particularly the condensed cheddar soups, will make the mixture quite thick and it has a bit of a gummy texture.

More Easy Casserole Dinners

• Taco Crescent Bake is a flavorful and easy casserole with crescent roll dough, taco beef, cheese, and sour cream that will be the highlight of your weeknight menu.

Mexican-Inspired Recipes to Try Tonight

Looking for more easy Mexican inspired recipes to add to your repertoire? Try these:

Shredded Chicken Tacos (slow cooker recipe)-make tacos without turning on the oven with shredded chicken that cooks low and slow all day long.

Deep dish taco squares-make your own deep dish tacos with a crispy crescent roll crust that’s easy to cut into squares and take along to a potluck.

Salsa from canned tomatoes-make salsa in 5 minutes with this super easy recipe that starts with canned tomatoes and ends up blended up in a blender.