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Cheesy Beef Mexican Casserole - an easy dinner
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Cheesy Beef Mexican Casserole

Cheesy Beef Mexican Casserole has hearty layers of spicy cheese, gooey cheese, and crunchy tortillas! It's a great make ahead meal for busy weeknight dinners!
Course Casserole, Main Dish
Cuisine Mexican
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings 8
Author Amy

Ingredients

  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • 1 pkg. taco seasoning
  • 1 can refried beans
  • 1/2 c. salsa
  • 3-4 c. grated cheese cheddar, Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack are all good choices
  • about 1/2 a bag of tortilla chips (use and variety you like and it's okay to use more than one variety.
  • cilantro for serving
  • sour cream for serving

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  • Grease a 7 x 11 baking dish. If you want you can use a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. The layers will just be a little shorter and you might need a little more cheese and chips to cover the whole surface area.
  • Brown ground beef. Add taco seasoning, refried beans, and salsa. Stir.
  • Add one cup grated cheese. Stir.
  • Sprinkle tortilla chips on the bottom of baking dish.
  • Spread about half of the meat mixture over the tortilla chips. Sprinkle with half of the remaining cheese.
  • Repeat chips, meat, and cheese layers one more time.
  • Add one more layer of tortilla chips to the top of the casserole.
  • Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 5 minutes or until chips are slightly toasted!
  • NOTE: This casserole can easily be made ahead of time. I make it all the way through the final cheese layer then cover with foil and refrigerate unti I'm ready to bake it. When you're ready to bake it remove the foil, add the final layer of tortilla chips, put the foil back on and continue with the baking instructions. You might have to increase the baking time to 45-50 minutes because they casserole will be cold all the way through before you start baking.