John Wayne Casserole starts with a golden biscuit crust, then stacks taco-seasoned ground beef, sliced tomatoes, sautéed peppers and onions, and jalapeños under a creamy layer of sour cream, mayonnaise and cheddar. More cheddar melts over the top. It is hearty, a little spicy, and one 13×9-inch dish feeds 10.
How to make it: Press canned biscuits into the dish and pre-bake them for 12 to 15 minutes. Meanwhile, brown the beef with taco seasoning and sauté the onion and pepper. Layer the meat, tomatoes, vegetables, jalapeños and the creamy cheese topping over the crust, finish with cheddar, and bake at 350°F for 30 to 40 minutes.
Why You’ll Love It
- A crust built in: the biscuits bake into a soft, bready base that holds every layer.
- Taco night in one dish: seasoned beef, tomatoes, peppers and jalapeños with a creamy, cheesy top.
- Feeds a crowd: 10 servings from a 13×9-inch dish.
- Easy to adjust: swap the jalapeños for green chiles, or the canned biscuits for Bisquick.
Ingredient Notes
Large refrigerated biscuits: One 16-ounce can, pressed together into a single sheet of dough.
Ground beef and taco seasoning: Two pounds of beef with a 1-ounce packet of taco seasoning and the water the packet calls for.
Tomatoes, onion and red bell pepper: Two sliced tomatoes go on raw. The onion is split: half is sautéed with the pepper, and half is stirred into the creamy topping.
Canned sliced jalapeños: Four ounces for the heat.
The topping: Half a cup each of sour cream and mayonnaise mixed with half of the 8 ounces of cheddar. The rest of the cheddar goes on top.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 ounce packet taco seasoning
- Water, as listed on the taco seasoning packet
- 16 ounces large refrigerated biscuits (1 can)
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded and divided
- 1 medium onion, halved and sliced, divided
- 2 medium tomatoes, sliced
- 1 medium red bell pepper, halved and sliced
- 4 ounces canned sliced jalapeño peppers
How to Make a Beef and Biscuit Casserole
1. Heat the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the center. Spray a 13×9-inch glass baking dish.
2. Bake the biscuit crust. Place the biscuits in the dish in a single layer and press them into the pan, joining them together and pressing the dough halfway up the sides. Set the dish on a baking sheet and bake 12 to 15 minutes, checking every few minutes after 12, until the dough is very light brown where the edges are just starting to color. Leave the oven on.
3. Make the taco meat. While the crust bakes, brown the ground beef in a large skillet until no longer pink (160°F) and drain it. Add the taco seasoning and the water listed on the packet and cook according to the packet directions. Transfer the meat to a bowl and wipe out the pan.
4. Mix the topping. In a separate bowl, stir together the sour cream, mayonnaise, 4 ounces of the cheddar and half of the onion.
5. Cook the vegetables. Sauté the remaining onion and the bell pepper in the same pan until slightly tender.
6. Layer and bake. On the baked crust, layer the taco meat, tomato slices, pepper and onion mixture, jalapeños and the sour cream mixture, then sprinkle with the remaining 4 ounces of cheddar. Bake uncovered 30 to 40 minutes, until the edges of the dough are lightly browned, the cheese is melted and the center reaches 165°F.
Canned Biscuits or Bisquick?
Look up this casserole and you will find two kinds of crust. Both work; they just go into the dish differently.
Canned biscuits (this recipe). Press the biscuits together into one sheet, about halfway up the sides of the dish, and pre-bake the crust for 12 to 15 minutes before the fillings go on. Start checking at 12 minutes and take it out when the edges are only just starting to color, because it bakes again under the fillings. Setting the dish on a baking sheet makes it easy to move in and out of the oven.
Bisquick. Stir about 2 cups of Bisquick with 1 cup of water into a soft dough and press it over the bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of the dish. The dough is sticky; a sheet of parchment on top and a spatula for the sides make it easier to spread. You can pre-bake it for 15 minutes, or layer the fillings straight onto the raw dough and bake at 325°F for 30 to 35 minutes, until the edges brown and the base is set on the bottom.
Whichever you choose, the crust is done when its edges are lightly browned and the base is set, not doughy, when you lift out a square.
Tips for Success
- Drain the meat well: lift the taco meat onto the crust with a slotted spoon so extra liquid stays behind.
- Keep the layers in order: meat, tomatoes, peppers and onion, jalapeños, creamy topping, cheese.
- Let it rest: give it 5 minutes out of the oven before serving.
Variations
- Cream cheese topping: mix 8 ounces of softened cream cheese with the 1/2 cup of mayonnaise and a cup of cheese in place of the sour cream topping.
- Rotel and corn: stir a can of diced tomatoes with green chiles and a cup of corn into the taco meat.
- Vegetarian: use a plant-based ground meat substitute in place of the beef.
Storage & Reheating
USDA FSIS says to refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow, covered containers and eat them within 3 to 4 days, or freeze them for 3 to 4 months. To freeze the whole casserole, bake it completely, let it cool, wrap it well and freeze. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat at 350°F for 40 to 45 minutes, until it reaches 165°F in the center.
What to Serve With It
Serve it with a crisp green salad. For more Tex-Mex casseroles, try walking taco casserole, layered taco bake, taco casserole or tamale casserole. For other ground beef bakes, there is easy cowboy casserole and Big Mac casserole.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s in a John Wayne casserole?
A biscuit crust, taco-seasoned ground beef, sliced tomatoes, sautéed onion and bell pepper, jalapeños, and a topping of sour cream, mayonnaise and cheddar, with more cheddar on top.
What makes a casserole a “John Wayne”?
The name. In 1979 a recipe contributed by John Wayne was published in Cooking with Love from Cara and Her Friends, a fundraiser cookbook for the American Cancer Society put together by a Beverly Hills teenager, Cara Connery. His recipe was a vegetarian dish of eggs, vegetables and cheese. The beef and biscuit casserole that carries his name today was made popular later by a hospital in Jackson, Mississippi.
What is the difference between cowboy casserole and John Wayne casserole?
Our easy cowboy casserole is ground beef, corn, bacon and a creamy mushroom soup sauce under a layer of tater tots. John Wayne casserole has a biscuit crust on the bottom, taco-seasoned beef and vegetables in the middle, and a sour cream and cheese topping.
Is it spicy?
The jalapeños give it some heat. For a milder casserole, use a 4-ounce can of diced green chiles instead.
Final Notes
Pull the crust when its edges just start to color, drain the meat well, and give the casserole a few minutes before you cut it. If you make it, tell me how it turned out in the comments.
John Wayne Casserole
Want This Recipe Later?
We'll send this recipe straight to your inbox.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 ounce taco seasoning 1 packet
- water as listed on the taco seasoning packet
- 16 ounces large refrigerated biscuits 1 can
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 8 ounces cheddar cheese shredded, divided
- 1 medium onion halved and sliced, divided
- 2 medium tomatoes sliced
- 1 medium red bell pepper halved and sliced
- 4 ounces canned sliced jalapeño peppers
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the center. Spray a 13x9-inch glass baking dish.
- Place the biscuits in the dish in a single layer and press them into the pan, joining them together and pressing the dough halfway up the sides. Set the dish on a baking sheet and bake 12 to 15 minutes, checking every few minutes after 12, until the dough is very light brown where the edges are just starting to color. Leave the oven on.
- While the crust bakes, brown the ground beef in a large skillet until no longer pink (160°F) and drain it. Add the taco seasoning and the water listed on the packet and cook according to the packet directions. Transfer the meat to a bowl and wipe out the pan.
- In a separate bowl, stir together the sour cream, mayonnaise, 4 ounces of the cheddar and half of the onion.
- Sauté the remaining onion and the bell pepper in the same pan until slightly tender.
- On the baked crust, layer the taco meat, tomato slices, pepper and onion mixture, jalapeños and the sour cream mixture, then sprinkle with the remaining 4 ounces of cheddar. Bake uncovered 30 to 40 minutes, until the edges of the dough are lightly browned, the cheese is melted and the center reaches 165°F.
