Mexican Casserole with Beef, Beans, and Chiles

This Mexican Casserole with Beef, Beans, and Chiles is a delicious family-friendly dinner option that has just enough spicy flavor notes! This is probably lower in net carbs than you might think, but skip the beans and double the ground beef for a low-carb version!

PIN the Mexican Casserole with Beef, Beans, and Chiles!

I’m a card-carrying member of The Casserole Fan Club, partly because casseroles usually mean leftovers in the fridge for easy meals later in the week. And although some of my Casserole Recipes contain rice, quinoa, or pasta, for the last few years I’ve been working on more casserole recipe ideas like this Mexican Casserole with Beef, Beans, and Chiles that are carb-conscious and family-friendly.

This recipe was definitely inspired by the Mexican Chicken Casserole with Pinto Beans, but if you’ve tried that one I think you will find this recipe is quite different. I do warn you that this casserole is definitely spicier, which is one reason it tastes so great with a dollop of low-fat sour cream, but if you’re cooking for a family I’ll share how to tone down the heat.

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

• 27 oz. can Whole Roasted Green Chiles (affiliate link)
• can of black beans (or more beef)
• onion
• Olive Oil (affiliate link)
• lean ground beef
• Kalyn’s Taco Seasoning, or commercial taco seasoning
• can of petite dice tomatoes
• eggs
• Hatch Green Chile Enchilada Sauce (affiliate link) (or other low-sugar green chile enchilada sauce)
• Mexican Four Cheese Blend
• sour cream for serving (optional)

What kind of chiles did I use for this recipe?

One reason this recipe is spicy is because it uses Whole Roasted Green Chiles (affiliate link) between the layers, plus green chile enchilada sauce. You can omit the extra layer of green chiles in the middle of the casserole and use those extra green chiles to make something else with green chiles if you want less spice. And be careful to buy mild whole green chiles and not whole jalapenos to make this! I love Hatch Green Chile Enchilada Sauce (affiliate link) which is gluten-free, but there are other good brands, but ff you’re cooking for kids, use MILD green chile enchilada sauce.

How can you make this Mexican Casserole lower in carbs?

I developed this recipe when I was eating lots more beans than I do now. To make a version of this casserole that’s lower in carbs I would simply omit the can of beans and double the amount of ground beef, and it would be just as delicious!

More Casseroles with Mexican Flavors:

For more tasty Mexican Casseroles, check out Layered Mexican Casserole with Chicken and Cauliflower Rice, Green Chile and Chicken Mock Enchilada Casserole, or Slow Cooker Mexican Lasagna Casserole.

How to Make Mexican Casserole with Beef, Beans, and Chiles:

(Scroll down for complete recipe with nutritional information.)

1. Dump green chiles into a colander and let them drain. When the chiles are drained, remove to cutting board and rinse and drain black beans.
2. Heat 2 tsp. olive oil and cook onions until they’re starting to brown.
3. Remove the onions, add 1 tsp. more of olive oil and brown the ground beef, breaking apart with the turner. When beef is brown, add the Taco Seasoning and cook a couple of minutes more.
4. Then add the petite dice tomatoes, drained black beans, and browned onions and simmer on low until all the liquid from the tomatoes has evaporated, about 10 minutes.
5. Open each whole green chile with your fingers; then use a paper towel to wipe away any seeds and blot the green chile dry.  Arrange in 3 stacks. 
6. This will take 6-8 paper towels to get all the chiles dry. Don’t leave the seeds in unless you want it to be much spicier.
7. I used my favorite new square glass casserole dish.  If you’re making the layers you need a dish with high sides, but it doesn’t have to be square like this. 
8. Spray the dish with non-stick spray and then make a layer of 1/3 of the green chiles.
9. Put half the ground beef mixture over the green chiles.
10. Then make a second layer of green chiles. (This is the layer you could skip if you’re making this for kids. Just make a thicker layer of ground beef if you want to do that.)
11. Then put the other half of the ground beef mixture over the green chiles, and make a final layer of green chiles on top.
12. Beat three eggs and then whisk together with 1/2 can (1 cup) of the Green Chile Enchilada Sauce. (You can freeze the extra sauce to use later.) 
13. Pour the sauce over the casserole and then use a fork to move the ingredients aside so the sauce will run down.
14. Sprinkle on a layer of Four Cheese Mexican Blend and cover the casserole with the lid or foil. 
15. Bake at 375F/190C for about 30 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
16. Then remove the lid or foil and bake another 20-25 minutes, or until the casserole is bubbling.
17. If you like your cheese nicely browned (like I do), turn to broil and broil the top for a few minutes.
18. Serve hot, with a dollop of sour cream if desired.

More Casseroles from Kalyn’s Kitchen:

Easy Baked Pesto Chicken

Ham and Cauliflower Casserole au Gratin

Sausage and Kale Mock Lasagna Casserole

Grilled Zucchini Lasagna

Weekend Food Prep:

This recipe has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep where you’ll find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!

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Yield: 8 servings

Mexican Casserole with Beef, Beans, and Chiles

Prep Time 35 minutes

Cook Time 55 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

This Mexican Casserole with Beef, Beans, and Chiles is a delicious dinner option!

Ingredients

• one 27 oz. can whole green chiles, drained
• one 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed well with cold water and drained
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 tsp. + 1 tsp. olive oil
• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 1 T taco seasoning
• one 14.5 oz. can petite dice tomatoes
• 3 eggs, beaten well
• 1 cup Green Chile Enchilada Sauce (see notes)
• 1 1/2 cups Mexican Four Cheese Blend
• sour cream for serving (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375F/190C.
2. Dump the whole green chiles into a colander placed in the sink and let them drain while you prep the filling.
3. When the green chiles are drained, move them to a cutting board and then put the black beans in the colander, rinse with cold water, and let drain.
4. Heat 2 tsp. olive oil in a large heavy non-stick pan, add the onions, and cook over medium-high heat until onions are browned, about 5-6 minutes.  Remove onions to a small bowl.
5. Add the other teaspoon of olive oil and the ground beef and cook 6-8 minutes, or until the beef is well browned, breaking it apart with the turner as it cooks.
6. Add the taco seasoning and cook 1-2 minutes more.
7. Add the diced tomatoes and juice, drained black beans, and onions and turn heat to medium low.
8. Cook until the liquid from the tomatoes has evaporated. (When you use the turner to push the mixture aside, the bottom of the pan should look nearly dry.)
9. While the meat mixture cooks use your fingers to open each of the whole chiles and then use a paper towel to wipe away the seeds and blot each chile as dry as you can get it.
10. (You will need 6-8 paper towels to do all the chiles, but don’t skip this step.  If you don’t remove the seeds, this dish will be extra spicy.)
11. Divide the chiles into 3 piles as you dry them.
12. Spray the casserole dish with non-stick spray and make a layer of 1/3 of the chiles in the bottom of the dish.
13. Top with 1/2 the meat mixture.
14. Make another layer of chiles on top of the meat mixture, and top with the other 1/2 of the meat mixture.
15. Finish with a top layer of the last 1/3 of the chiles.
16. Beat the eggs and then whisk in the cup of Green Chile Enchilada sauce. Pour this over the casserole and then use a fork or knife to gently push the ingredients aside so the egg/sauce mixture can run down into the layers.
17. Top with the grated cheese and cover the casserole dish with the lid or foil.
18. Bake covered for 30 minutes, or until all the cheese is melted and the casserole is starting to bubble.
19. Remove the lid or foil and bake 20-25 minutes more.
20. If you want the top well-browned, switch to broil the last few minutes and brown the top.
21. This is easier to serve if you let it sit for about 10 minutes before cutting.
22. Serve hot, with a dollop of sour cream on top if desired.

Notes

I used Kalyn's Taco Seasoning, but use any brand you prefer. Freeze the rest of the green chile enchilada sauce for another use.

Use any dish that’s 8″x8″ or 9″x9″ with high sides.  (If you don’t have a dish that size, I think a rectangular glass casserole dish would work to make a flatter casserole, although you might not be able to make an extra layer of green chiles in the middle.)

Nutritional information doesn't include optional sour cream.

This recipe was created by Kalyn and Jake with inspiration from Layered Mexican Casserole with Chicken, Green Chiles, Pinto Beans, and Cheese.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 472Total Fat: 26gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 174mgSodium: 622mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 6gSugar: 8gProtein: 38g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

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Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Mexican Casserole with Beef, Beans, and Chiles is loaded with low-glycemic ingredients like green chiles, lean beef, black beans, and tomatoes. Remember that beans are a limited food, and that it’s important to use lean beef (less than 10% fat) and low-fat cheese if you’re making this for the original South Beach. The Green Chile Enchilada sauce does have a very small amount of modified corn starch, but using that ingredient only adds 2 carbs per serving to this dish, so I consider this to be suitable for any phase of the South Beach Diet. If you’d like to make a version that’s lower in carbs, skip the beans and double the amount of ground beef.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Casserole Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Recipes by Diet Type photo index pages to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest or on Facebook to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

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