Mexican Ground Beef & Rice Casserole

You'll love this super easy weeknight meal!

🗝️ Key takeaways

• It's hearty and filling plus it uses common, inexpensive ingredients.
• No-fuss casserole dishes make for easy weeknight dinners—great for meal-prepping, too!
• Using Minute Rice in this recipe keeps it quick and easy.

Mexican Beef and Rice Casserole is one of our favorite dinners. It's the kind of flavor-packed comfort food that you'll crave every night of the week.

Best of all? It's an easy recipe made with simple ingredients from the pantry.

🧾 Ingredients

This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.

I use fire roasted corn because I like the flavor but any corn will do.

📖 Variations

There are so many ways you can adapt this recipe to fit your family's cravings—or to satisfy picky eaters!

• Instead of ground beef, try using ground turkey, ground pork, or ground chicken.
• Before baking, add your favorite taco toppings, like green chilies, red or green peppers, black olives, or fresh tomatoes. (This is a great way to "clean out" your fridge before a big grocery haul!)
• I love a little bell pepper sauteed with the meat.
• For more spice, season with hot chili powder or sauce. You can also buy a hotter version of your favorite salsa.
• Don't forget the garnish! Here are my faves: green onions, cilantro, shredded lettuce, avocado, crushed tortilla chips, a squeeze of fresh lime juice, and, of course, a big dollop of sour cream!
• Instead of black beans, you can substitute them with kidney beans or refried beans.
• If you don't have salsa on hand, use the same measurement of plain tomato sauce or a can of Rotel tomatoes.

🔪 Instructions

This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page.

1. Saute the chopped onion. In the same pan, brown the meat and season with garlic powder and salt.
2. Then, add the ground beef mixture to the prepared casserole dish.
3. Mix in 1 cup of the Cheddar cheese. Add the remaining ingredients
4. Bake covered with foil for 35-40 minutes. Top with more cheese and bake again until melted.

Casserole times and temps

Sometimes you need to bake two things at once - here's how to adjust the time and/or temperatures of your casserole!

These times are only an estimate. Be sure to check your casserole often. It's done when an instant-read thermometer registers 165F when stuck in the middle of the casserole.

🥫 Storage

This is the ultimate Mexican casserole because it's just so versatile. You can refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to three days. Simply microwave individual servings until they're heated through.

Because this casserole includes rice it freezes much better than the beefy Dorito bake recipe. If you think you're going to want to freeze it and can't decide between the two - choose this!

If you'd like, you can freeze leftovers in airtight, freeze-proof containers or bags. They'll last frozen for up to three months.

Let the frozen Mexican Ground Beef Casserole thaw first in the refrigerator for a day or skip straight to the microwave! (Hint: if you flatten the freezer bags before freezing, they'll thaw more evenly and quickly!)

Alternatively, to reheat a larger portion, place the leftovers into an oven-proof dish and bake at 350°F until thawed and warm throughout. See, I don't call this the best Mexican beef casserole ever for nothing!

💭 Things to know

Expert Tip: Before adding the beef to the baking dish, be sure to drain it well so your casserole isn't oily. However, don't put beef fat down your sink! Instead, line a drinking glass with a plastic bag or foil and pour the grease in, letting it cool before sealing and discarding it in the trash.

• Carefully drain your beans and corn before adding them to the dish. A little residual moisture is fine, but too much liquid can turn your Mexican casserole into soup!
• Use lean (90/10) ground beef for best results and less need to drain the fat.
• Don't pre-cook the Minute rice before adding it to the casserole. During the baking process, it will soak up the liquid and cook to al dente perfection.

👩‍🍳 FAQs

📚 Related recipes

• The perfect combination of Italian and Tex-Mex, Cheesy Mexican Lasagna will please the whole family.
• Creamed corn is the secret ingredient in this Monterey Chicken Casserole—try it and see why!
• Love enchiladas but hate rolling them all out? Beef Enchilada Casserole is the easiest version of your favorite Mexican meal!
• Y'all, we love this hearty John Wayne casserole!

🍽️ Serve with...

• Southern Cornbread Salad
• Candied Jalapenos (Cowboy Candy)
• Lime and White Chocolate Tres Leches Cake

📞 The last word

I love Tex-Mex flavor and we eat a lot of Mexican food! This quick and easy casserole is a favorite.

This taco casserole is another easy weeknight meal.

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.

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

📖 Recipe

4.73 from 11 votes

Mexican Beef & Rice Casserole

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When you're looking for an easy dinner recipe pull out this Mexican beef and rice casserole! So cheesy and delicious the whole family will love it and it takes just 30 minutes.

Course Main Dish - Ground Beef,Main Dish (Quick and Easy)

Cuisine American - Southern

Servings:8

Calories:390

Author:Marye Audet-White

Ingredients

1x2x3x

• ▢ 2 tablespoons oil
• ▢ 1 onion, diced
• ▢ 1 pound ground beef, lean or extra-lean
• ▢ 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
• ▢ 15 ounces fire roasted corn kernels, drained and rinsed
• ▢ 15 ounces black beans, drained and rinsed
• ▢ 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
• ▢ 14 ounces chunky salsa
• ▢ 1 cup Minute rice, uncooked
• ▢ 1½ cups beef stock
• ▢ 2 cups shredded cheese, divided use

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Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375F°F.
• Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with no stick cooking spray and set aside.
• Cook onion oil over medium heat until they have softened and are translucent.
• Add to the prepared baking dish.
• Season ground beef with garlic powder and salt.
• Cook ground beef over medium high heat (you can use the same pan), breaking up beef into crumbles while it cooks.
• Drain off any grease and add the meat to the baking dish.
• Add corn, black beans, taco seasoning, salsa, uncooked rice, and 1 cup of shredded cheese to the baking dish.
• Mix well.
• Pour beef stock over ingredients and mix together,
• Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and check that the rice has softened. If not, place it back into the oven for an additional 5 minutes and check again.
• When the rice has cooked, remove the foil and sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of cheese over top of the casserole.
• Return to the oven and bake uncovered for an additional 5 minutes or so to melt the cheese.
• Serve hot.

Notes

Storage:

Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container or covered in plastic wrap for up to three days.

You can freeze leftovers in airtight, freeze-proof containers or bags. They'll last frozen for up to three months.

To reheat:

Let the frozen Mexican Ground Beef Casserole thaw first in the refrigerator for a day. (Hint: if you flatten the freezer bags before freezing, they'll thaw more evenly and quickly!)

Place the leftovers into an oven-proof dish and bake at 350°F until warm throughout.

Tips:

• Expert Tip: Before adding the beef to the baking dish, be sure to drain it well so your casserole isn't oily. However, don't put beef fat down your sink! Instead, line a drinking glass with a plastic bag or foil and pour the grease in, letting it cool before sealing and discarding it in the trash.
• Carefully drain your beans and corn before adding them to the dish. A little residual moisture is fine, but too much liquid can turn your Mexican casserole into soup!
• Don't pre-cook the Minute rice before adding it to the casserole. During the baking process, it will soak up the liquid and cook to al dente perfection.

You'll find more helpful tips and variations in the body of the post.

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 390kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 59mg | Sodium: 935mg | Potassium: 701mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 513IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 188mg | Iron: 4mg

Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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First published May 15, 2022. Last updated September 23, 2023, for more information and editorial improvements