Tex Mex casserole is a hearty, cheesy bake of seasoned ground beef, black beans, brown rice, crushed tomatoes and salsa under a thick layer of melted cheese and diced green pepper. Everything but the rice is cooked in one skillet, then baked in a 9×9-inch dish and finished under the broiler until the top bubbles. It is a filling, family-style dinner with mild, familiar flavors, and the leftovers make a very good lunch.
How to make Tex Mex casserole: Brown 1 pound of lean ground beef to 160°F and cook 1 cup of brown rice by its package directions. Soften onion and garlic, return the beef, and stir in crushed tomatoes, salsa, black beans and the cooked rice. Spread in a sprayed 9×9-inch dish, top with 2 cups of grated cheese and diced green pepper, bake at 350°F for 25 minutes and broil 2 to 3 minutes.
Why You’ll Love It
- A full meal in one dish. Meat, beans, rice and cheese together.
- Pantry ingredients. A can of beans, a jar of salsa and a bag of rice.
- Mild and family-friendly. The heat depends on the salsa you choose.
- Plenty of cheese. Two full cups on top.
- Good the next day. It reheats well for lunch.
Ingredient Notes
Lean ground beef. One pound.
Onion and garlic. A 1/2 cup of diced onion and 2 minced cloves.
Brown rice. One cup, measured dry, then cooked before it goes into the casserole.
Black beans. One can.
Crushed tomatoes and salsa. A 3/4 cup of tomatoes and a 1/2 cup of salsa. Mild, medium or hot all work.
Cheese. Two cups, grated. Marble cheese is a good choice, and so is cheddar or a Mexican blend.
Green bell pepper. A 1/4 cup, diced, for the top.
Salt and pepper. To season the beef.
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1/2 cup onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup brown rice, measured dry, then cooked
- 1 can black beans
- 3/4 cup crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 cup salsa
- 2 cups cheese, grated
- 1/4 cup green bell pepper, diced
- Salt and pepper
How to Make Tex Mex Casserole
1. Brown the beef. Warm a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the ground beef, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and break it up as it cooks. Check that the beef reaches 160°F with a food thermometer.
2. Cook the rice. While the beef cooks, prepare the brown rice according to its package directions. The rice must be cooked before it is mixed into the filling.
3. Cook the aromatics. Transfer the cooked beef to a paper-towel-lined plate with a slotted spoon. Drain most of the fat from the skillet. Cook the onion, stirring frequently, until softened, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for 60 seconds, then return the beef to the skillet.
4. Combine the filling. Stir the crushed tomatoes and salsa into the beef. Add the black beans and cooked rice, and stir to combine.
5. Assemble. Heat the oven to 350°F and spray a 9×9-inch oven-safe casserole dish. Transfer the beef mixture to the dish, top with the grated cheese and sprinkle the diced green pepper over it.
6. Bake and broil. Bake for 25 minutes, then broil for 2 to 3 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling. Check that the casserole reaches 165°F in the center before serving.
Does the Rice Go In Dry or Cooked?
Cooked. This is the step that trips people up, because the ingredient list says 1 cup of brown rice and that cup is measured dry. You measure it dry, cook it in its own pot by the directions on the bag, and then stir the cooked rice into the beef.
Do not stir dry rice into the filling. The casserole bakes for only 25 minutes, and there is very little liquid in the dish. Brown rice needs far more time and far more water than that. Dry grains would still be hard when the cheese is done.
| If the rice goes in… | What you get |
|---|---|
| Cooked, as written | Tender rice that soaks up the tomato and salsa |
| Dry, straight from the bag | Hard, crunchy grains and a dry filling |
Start the rice first. Brown rice is the slowest part of the whole dinner, and it can simmer while you brown the beef and soften the onion.
Rice, Tortilla Chips or Cornbread?
Casseroles with this name are built on more than one base. This one uses rice. Others layer crushed tortilla chips through the dish, and others bake a cornbread topping over the meat. They are all good, but they are assembled in other ways, with other amounts of liquid, so the steps here cannot simply be swapped. If you want chips with this one, the easy answer is to serve them on the side for scooping.
Tips for Success
Why drain the fat?
Too much fat makes the filling greasy and keeps the cheese from setting. Leave just enough in the skillet to cook the onion.
Should I drain the beans?
The recipe does not say. Draining and rinsing them keeps the filling from turning dark and soupy, so that is what I do.
How do I know it is hot enough?
A thermometer pushed into the center should read 165°F.
How close should I watch the broiler?
Very close. Cheese goes from bubbling to burnt quickly, so stay by the oven for those last minutes.
Can I make it spicier?
Use a hot salsa, or serve it with hot sauce at the table.
Storage and Reheating
Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours, covered. They keep for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. Reheat until the center reaches 165°F. Do not reheat leftovers in a slow cooker.
What to Serve With It
Add sour cream, extra salsa and a green salad, and dinner is done. For more casseroles in the same spirit, try the tamale casserole, the easy chicken burrito casserole or the stuffed pepper casserole. For more ground beef dinners, there is the Big Mac casserole, the slow cooker Amish beef and corn casserole and the slow cooker Amish ground beef noodle casserole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the brown rice go in dry or cooked?
Cooked. Measure 1 cup dry, cook it by the package directions, then add it to the filling.
Should the casserole use rice, tortilla chips or a cornbread topping?
This recipe uses rice. Chip and cornbread casseroles are put together in other ways.
What is a Mexican casserole called?
There is no single name. In American home cooking, layered bakes of beef, beans, cheese and salsa go by Tex Mex casserole, Mexican casserole or taco casserole.
Can I use white rice?
Cooked white rice should work in the same amount. Cook it fully before it goes in.
Final Notes
I put the rice on before I even take the beef out of the fridge, so it is ready when the skillet is. If you make it, leave a comment to tell me how it turned out or ask a question.
Tex Mex Casserole
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Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1/2 cup onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup brown rice measure dry, then cook according to package directions before adding to the casserole
- 1 can black beans
- 3/4 cup crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 cup salsa
- 2 cups cheese grated; marble cheese or cheddar
- 1/4 cup green bell pepper diced
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Warm a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the ground beef, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and break it up as it cooks. Check that the beef reaches 160°F with a food thermometer.
- While the beef cooks, prepare the brown rice according to its package directions. The rice must be cooked before it is mixed into the filling.
- Transfer the cooked beef to a paper-towel-lined plate with a slotted spoon. Drain most of the fat from the skillet. Cook the onion, stirring frequently, until softened, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for 60 seconds, then return the beef to the skillet.
- Stir the crushed tomatoes and salsa into the beef. Add the black beans and cooked rice, and stir to combine.
- Heat the oven to 350°F and spray a 9x9-inch oven-safe casserole dish. Transfer the beef mixture to the dish, top with the grated cheese and sprinkle the diced green pepper over it.
- Bake for 25 minutes, then broil for 2 to 3 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling. Check that the casserole reaches 165°F in the center before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
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