• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Restless Chipotle

  • Home
  • Recipe Index
  • Start Here
    • Ingredients Substitutions
    • Tips for Measuring Ingredients Accurately
  • About
  • Shop
  • Your Recipe Box
  • Meal Plans
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About
  • Recipes
  • My Recipes
  • Meal Plans
  • Start Here!
  • Videos
  • Blog
  • Shop
  • Recipe Box
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • About
  • Recipes
  • My Recipes
  • Meal Plans
  • Start Here!
  • Videos
  • Blog
  • Shop
  • Recipe Box
×

Home » Recipes » Beef

John Wayne Casserole

Published: Dec 14, 2021 Last Updated: Feb 13, 2022 by Marye 1243 words. | About 7 minutes to read this article.

John Wayne casserole is made of delicious layers of biscuit, seasoned ground beef, and a creamy sauce all covered in a layer of gooey cheese. It's a hearty family meal that's guaranteed to please your picky eaters!
Total time 45 minutes
Jump to Recipe
Overhead view of recipe with text overlay for Pinterest.

Overhead view of casserole with a serving removed. Title text overlay.
Jump to:
  • ❤️ Why you'll love it
  • 🧾 Ingredients
  • 🔪 Instructions
  • 🥄 Equipment
  • 🥫 Storage
  • 📖 Variations
  • 💭 Tips
  • 👩‍🍳 FAQs
  • 📚 Related recipes
  • 🍽️ Serve with...
  • 📞 The last word
  • 📖 Recipe
  • 💬 Comments

❤️ Why you'll love it

  • Not only is this casserole easy to make, but it is packed with flavor!
  • You'll only need to use a couple of dishes to put this together, which means less to clean up.
  • You can make this ground beef casserole in advance and easily freeze it into serving sizes making it the perfect meal-prep recipe!

Some foods just make us feel good, don't they? This simple John Wayne casserole is one of them! Cheesy, beefy, and a little spicy - it's definitely family friendly comfort food.

🧾 Ingredients

Ingredients for this recipe.

The following are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

  • cheese
  • yellow onion
  • lean ground beef
  • mayonnaise
  • taco seasoning
  • Bisquick mix
  • bell peppers
  • Rotel tomatoes with green chilies
  • sour cream
  • Ranch seasoning

🔪 Instructions

These are an overview of the instructions. You'll find the full instructions in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page.

Steps for layering the casserole.
  1. Brown ground beef in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the diced onions, bell peppers (you can use red bell pepper or green bell pepper), taco seasoning and ½ cup water.
  2. Blend together the sour cream, mayonnaise, shredded cheese and ranch seasoning to create the sour cream mixture.
  3. To create the biscuit layer combine the Bisquick with ¾ cup of water in a medium bowl. Stir the biscuit mix until combined.
  4. Pat dough into a 13-inch casserole dish to create the the biscuit base and bake for 5 minutes.
Steps for baking the casserole.
  1. Add the ground beef mixture, making sure to cover all edges of dough.
  2. Scoop on the sour cream and cheese mixture the top with the remaining cheese.
  3. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
  4. Serve up this beef and biscuit casserole for your whole family to enjoy!

🥄 Equipment

The following are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

You'll need the following items to make this recipe successfully.

  • 9 x 13 inch casserole dish
  • a large skillet
  • a couple of mixing bowls

🥫 Storage

You can store any leftover casserole in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container. This can be reheated in the oven or microwave easily.

You can also store this easy casserole in the freezer for up to 3 months. Also use an airtight container to prevent any freezer burn.

Side view of the casserole with a serving removed showing layers.

📖 Variations

  • If you do not like red meat, you can easily replace the meat mixture with ground turkey.
  • We love cheddar cheese in my house, but if you want an extra kick of spice you can swap it for pepper jack cheese!
  • And if you're really looking to amp up the level of spice, you can add jalapeño peppers to the top of the meat layer.
  • Don't have enough onions handy to make this great recipe? You can always add onion powder to make up for it!
  • Cream cheese makes for a great alternative if you don't like (or don't have) sour cream.
  • Looking to make this a bit healthier? Sneak in any fresh vegetables you like as an extra single layer in this casserole.

💭 Tips

Expert Tip: Make sure to prepare your baking dish with non-stick cooking spray to get the most of your biscuit layer.

  • If you're looking to make this more hands off, you can make your delicious layer of ground beef in a slow cooker.
  • If you have leftover taco meat, you can use that in place of the ground beef mixture.
  • This original recipe has fairly simple ingredients, but can adapt to different flavors. Feel free to experiment and use what you have on hand to create more layers!
  • Save time (and dishes) by mixing the biscuit dough directly in the prepared baking dish.

👩‍🍳 FAQs

Can I make this gluten free?

Absolutely! Instead of making a biscuit layer as the base, you can use tater tots, or any other kind of shredded potatoes. Just make sure they are gluten free.

Why is this casserole named after John Wayne?

The famous actor contributed the original John Wayne casserole recipe to a cookbook of the stars put together by Cara Connery in the 70s.

Can I make this ahead of time?

You can easily assemble this delicious casserole in advance and cover in your fridge with aluminum foil to bake at a later time.

A serving of casserole on a plate.

📚 Related recipes

  • Chicken casserole with stovetop stuffing is one of my favorite weeknight dinner recipes.
  • This low carb green chile chicken casserole recipe has a similar flavor but with a healthy twist.
  • If you love this John Wayne casserole recipe, then my indulgent hamburger noodle casserole is perfect for you!
  • This easy cornbread casserole is bound to hit the spot and become a family favorite.
  • Cheesy Mexican Lasagna Recipe
  • Pulled Pork Casserole
  • Cheesy Ham & Noodles Casserole
  • Old Fashioned Stuffed Bell Peppers

🍽️ Serve with...

  • Crispy fried potatoes are a great side to round out a meal filled with comfort food!
  • If you're looking to balance out this indulgent casserole with some veggies, then this green bean salad is exactly what you're looking for.
  • My family also loves my sweet and spicy sweet potato dish to go alongside this cheesy casserole.

📞 The last word

My dad loved John Wayne - and I don't think he ever missed a movie when it was on tv. I can't tell you how many times I fell asleep on Dad's lap watching westerns and war movies!

This vintage casserole is a perfect example of what dinners were like - comforting, simple, and filling!

If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need. Don't forget that you can click on "add to collection" to save it to your own, private recipe box!

If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📖 Recipe

Closeup of the top of the casserole showing all of the cheesy goodness.
4.72 from 70 votes

John Wayne Casserole

Print Pin Recipe Save Go to Collections
Prevent your screen from going dark
John Wayne casserole is made of delicious layers of biscuit, seasoned ground beef, and a creamy sauce all covered in a layer of gooey cheese. It's a hearty family meal that's guaranteed to please your picky eaters!
Course Main Dish - Ground Beef
Cuisine American - Vintage
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings:8
Calories:437
Author:Marye Audet-White
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Equipment Needed

  • Iron Skillet
  • 13x9-inch pan
  • 4 quart mixing bowl

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ pounds lean ground beef
  • 2 cups onion, diced
  • ½ cup bell pepper, diced
  • 1 ounce taco seasoning , 1 packet
  • 1-½ cups Cheddar cheese, divided use
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • ½ cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons Ranch seasoning, dry
  • 10 ounces Rotel diced tomatoes with green chilies
  • 2 cups Bisquick, or favorite biscuit mix
  • 1 ¼ cup water, divided

Instructions

  • Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Spray 13X9 baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
  • Brown ground beef in a large skillet; drain off any grease that accumulates.
  • Add diced onion, bell pepper, taco seasoning and ½ cup of water to pan.
  • Stir until well blended.
  • Bring to a simmer and cover.
  • Simmer 10 minutes or so - until onion & pepper are soft.
  • In a medium mixing bowl combine sour cream, mayonnaise, ½ cup of the cheese, and Ranch seasoning.
  • Whisk until smooth and blended. Set aside.
  • Add Bisquick (or other biscuit mix) to a large bowl.
  • Pour in ¾ cup of water and stir to make a soft dough. You may ned a little more water.
  • Gently press dough into bottom of pan and bake 5 minutes - just until set.
  • Remove from oven.
  • Spread ground beef mixture over the biscuit layer.
  • Spread the Rotel over that.
  • Spoon the sour cream mixture over that and gently spread over the top.
  • Finish with the remaining cheese.
  • Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until biscuit layer is done and the casserole is heated through.

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 437kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 74mg | Sodium: 1158mg | Potassium: 514mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 580IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 151mg | Iron: 4mg

Sign up for the emails and never miss another recipe!!

    We'll never share your email or send you spam. Pinkie swear.
    « Chicken Casserole with Stovetop Stuffing
    Gingerbread Snowball Cookies (No Nuts) »
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    About Marye

    With a 40 year focus on the importance of family and a passion for southern comfort food, Marye Audet-White is an expert in melding the two together effortlessly. Marye's a NY Times Bestselling author with 10 cookbooks under her belt and her recipes have been featured in Good Housekeeping, Country Living, Today, House Beautiful, Texas Living, Food & Wine, and many more.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Vanissa Bender

      June 22, 2022 at 3:06 pm

      5 stars
      This was a huge hit with the family. Definitely putting in my rotation. One thing I did (not because I thought it would better) but because it called for a 1 1/2 lbs hamburger and I only thawed 1, I added bacon for more meat.

      Reply
    2. Carmela Cox

      May 19, 2022 at 5:06 pm

      5 stars
      This is a favorite, I have made it many times and it's always good I sometimes use Jiffy cornbread mix instead of the biscuit mix and we love it.

      Reply
    3. Tena Dupree

      January 10, 2022 at 7:11 pm

      There are some steps missing when you go to layer. Like when to put the Taco seasoning stuff with the peppers lol

      Reply
      • Marye

        January 10, 2022 at 10:20 pm

        No - that's step 14. It's there.

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Love it? Give it 5 stars!




    Primary Sidebar

    Marye Audet-White, founder of Restless Chipotle Media

    Hey Y'all, I'm Marye.

    NY Times bestselling author. Written over 10 cookbooks. Mom of 8 kids. Homeschooling mom for 22 years. Army veteran. Nothing fazes me & together we're going to get the kind of meals on your table that you (and your family) have been dreaming of. 

    More about me →

    Summer Fun

    • Patriotic Fruit Salad
    • Patriotic Jello Poke Cake
    • Plain Cheesecake Recipe- No Fail NY Style
    • How to Make a Watermelon Basket

    Newest Meal Plan

    • Meal Plan 30: July 16 - 22

    Popular Recipes

    • Crockpot Ranch Chicken (Easy Weeknight Recipe)
    • Southern Chicken Spaghetti with RoTel
    • Crispy Fried Potatoes
    • Sex in the Driveway: Bright Blue Cocktail
    • Saltine Cracker Recipe (Soda Crackers)
    • Copycat Red Robin Campfire Sauce Recipe
    • Chicken Casserole with Stovetop Stuffing
    • No Bake Lemon Icebox Pie: Grandma's Favorite

    Easy Breakfast Ideas for the 4th of July

    Easy 4th of July Breakfast Ideas

    Footer

    ^ back to top

    About

    • About Marye Audet-White
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Accessibility Policy
    MaryeAudet Whiteandherchildren Dec

    Featured in:

    Companies that Marye Audet-White and Restless Chipotle have been affiliated with.

    Contact Marye

    • Contact
    Marye Audet-White, founder of Restless Chipotle Media

    Copyright ©2021 Restless Chipotle Media, LLC