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Beef Enchilada Casserole. Our new weeknight staple! Ground beef mixed with red enchilada sauce, layered with rice, tortillas, peppers, and beans. Everything bakes together in one dish with cheese on top until it’s bubbling and so delicious. No need to cook the rice separately—just brown the beef, mix, bake, and load it up with all your favorite enchilada toppings. Simple and comforting!
I didn’t grow up eating enchiladas, which is funny because we ate tacos constantly. Yep, probably about twice a week—but never enchiladas!
The first time I made them for my family must have been before I even started the website. I remember making shredded chicken enchiladas and spending what felt like forever shredding, stuffing, and rolling each tortilla. They turned out great, but the prep was way too much work, so I didn’t make them again for a while.
Over the years, I started skipping the rolling altogether and making enchilada casseroles or quick skillet versions instead. Same flavor, just way easier to pull together.
When I created my Mix and Bake Chicken Taco Casserole, I knew I wanted to do the same concept with enchiladas. This beef version is hands-off, hearty, and perfect for feeding a family—or for entertaining as we head into the cozy season.
Here are the details
Ingredients
- ground beef – you can use ground chicken too
- yellow onions
- taco seasoning – or use chili powder
- red enchilada sauce
- tortillas
- dry rice
- poblano peppers
- green onions
- cilantro
- black beans
- mixed Mexican cheeses – I love a cheddar, colby jack, and pepper jack blend
Ingredients – for topping
- plain Greek yogurt – sour cream is good too
- cilantro and green onions
- cubed or sliced avocado
- lime zest and lime juice
Special Tools
You’ll need a skillet and a large oven-safe casserole dish with a lid. No lid? Foil works too!
Steps
Step 1: Cook the beef
In a large skillet, cook the ground beef with the onion and taco seasoning until the beef is browned all over and broken into crumbles, about 10 minutes.
Step 2: Assemble the casserole
Spread a little enchilada sauce over the bottom of a casserole dish, then layer with half of the tortillas. Spoon the beef on top and pour over a couple more cups of enchilada sauce.
Mix in the dry rice, peppers, green onions, cilantro, and beans—everything except the cheese. Pour in water to help the rice cook as the casserole bakes.
Add the remaining tortillas and top with the last cup of enchilada sauce.
Step 3: Add cheese and bake
Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top. Cover the dish and bake for 20–25 minutes, until the rice is tender. Uncover and bake a few minutes more, until the cheese is bubbling and just turning golden. The rice will be perfectly cooked, and the edges nice and crispy.
Step 4: Finish and serve
Top with fresh cilantro, a dollop of Greek yogurt or sour cream, sliced avocado, lime zest, lime juice, and green onions. I always add a pinch of flaky sea salt too—it’s the perfect final touch!
Looking for other easy dinners? Here are my favorites:
One Pan Chipotle Honey Chicken and Rice
One Pan Lemon Pepper Yogurt Chicken and Rice
One Skillet Louisiana Style Chicken and Rice
Broccoli Cheddar Chicken and Rice Casserole
Cheesy Zucchini Chicken and Rice Bake
Slow Cooker Herbed Chicken and Rice Pilaf
Spicy Sesame Chicken and Ginger Rice
Lastly, if you make this Beef Enchilada Casserole, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Beef Enchilada Casserole
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 695 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2-3 tablespoons taco seasoning
- 3-4 cups red enchilada sauce
- 12 corn tortillas
- 1 cup dry rice
- 2 poblano peppers, chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped green onions and or cilantro
- 1 cup black beans
- 1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican cheese
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.2. In a large skillet, cook the beef, onion and taco seasoning together until the beef is browned all over, about 10 minutes. Season with salt. Remove from the heat. 3. In a 9x13 inch baking dish, layer 1 cup of enchilada sauce with 6 tortillas. Add the beef, then 1-2 cups more enchilada sauce, the dry rice, poblano peppers, green onions, and black beans. Pour over 1 1/2 cups of water, season with salt, gently stir to mix, and arrange in an even layer. Lay over 6 corn tortillas. Add the final cup of enchilada sauce. Top with cheese. Cover and bake 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake another 10 to 20 minutes. If the rice is hard, add 1/3 cup more water and cook for an additional 10 minutes.4. Serve the casserole topped as desired. Enjoy!
This post was originally published on September 23, 2025
Hi, I’m wanting to cook this tonight but use chicken instead of beef. Do you have any recommendations?
Hi Austin,
Are you planning to use ground chicken? You can follow the recipe as is:) If you want to use chicken breasts or thighs, I would cut into 1 inch pieces and then keep everything as written. I hope you love this recipe!
I’d love to make this on a Sunday to cook up for Monday night dinner. Would there be a way of prepping this ahead or would it be a situation where I just have to bake the whole thing off on Sunday and then reheat on Monday?
Hey Alix,
I would go ahead and make up through the 30 minute bake and then finish the baking on Monday.
I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions!
Do you have to add rice?
Hi Carrie,
So sorry, I haven’t tried this recipe without the rice, you could probably leave it out but you would need to make some adjustments.
If I don’t have corn tortillas could I use flour?
Hi Jordan,
Yes, flour will work, but I prefer corn for this recipe. Please let me know if you have any other questions!
Such a hit! So easy and delicious! I read the reviews and saw many comments with the rice being too hard. I used a “90 sec rice packet” and it’s turned out perfect!
Hi Emie,
Awesome! Love to hear this dish turned out well for you, thanks a lot for making it!
I read the comments before I made this; I went heavy on the the liquids and cooked for ~20 min longer. I think it turned out great! Very easy and a crowd pleasure. I think I might try adding a layer of tortillas between the meat and veggies to make the casserole a little more solid/easier to serve. Will be making again!
Hey Kat,
Fantastic! I’m so glad to hear this recipe turned out well for you!
Thanks for giving it a try and your comment! Have a great week ahead!
Very easy to follow and came out perfectly!!! It’s delicious!
Thanks so much, Sue! Love to hear this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a lot for making it!
I love this recipe! It turned out perfect. Everyone in my family loved it! Saved and will definitely be adding to my rotation.
Hi Alli,
Amazing! Thank you so much for making this recipe, I’m so glad it was enjoyed!
Have the best fall weekend!
My dish has been cooking for almost 50 min and rice is not soft 🙁
I think rice should be cooked before. Very disappointed.
So sorry to hear this, Veronica! What kind of rice did you use? I hope everything turned out okay!
Wish I had read the comments. Second HBH recipe I’ve followed where the rice has been rock hard after cooking forever. Highly recommend not following any of these recipes that suggest using dry goods that aren’t pre-cooked.
Hi Dave,
Very sorry to hear this! What kind of rice are you using? Let me know how I can help!
Me, too it’s almost 7:30 and rice is not ready. Family is waiting for dinner .
Could you use cooked rice and just not add the water?
Hey Ashley,
Totally, that will work nicely for you. I hope you love this dish!
I usually never leave reviews but I have seen the other comments and wanted to add what helped me with this dish. My rice was also uncooked after following the cooking instructions. It could have happened since I don’t have a lid to my Pyrex dish and the seal on my foil wasn’t very tight. With that being said I did end up cooking to for an hour and the results were really great! I’ll make it again. It was a hit. It’s easy to put together but in my case it needed double the time covered. Then uncovered as described in the recipe.
Hey Bonnie,
Wonderful! I am so glad to hear this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a lot for making it! Thanks for sharing your notes, too!🎃👻
Great recioe. Love a sheet pan recipe when everything comes together so beautifully.
Hey Vicki,
Happy Monday! I appreciate you trying this recipe and your feedback, love to hear it turned out well!
would this work ok for freezing ? thinking of putting together then freezing before baking it.
Hey Lisa,
Totally, that would work well for you! Please let me know if you have any other questions!
I was hesitant to make this after reading some of the reviews below, but decided to throw caution to the wind. I cooked the casserole in a preheated oven and used basmati rice, and I had no issues at all. It came out great. I think issues below may have been user error. Add extra time for the dish to cool down a bit before serving.
Hey Ali,
Amazing!! I so appreciate you giving this dish a try and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it turned out well for you!
I was really excited about this recipe, I did read through the comments regarding the rice being hard so going into it knew that could potentially happen. Unfortunately I was a victim of the hard rice even after adding 1.5 cups water/broth, and then I also ended up adding water later and kept cooking hoping it would fully cook the rice. I am hoping my leftovers are still good, it was still edible just not the level of soft rice I would normally desire. I would definitely modify this recipe next time and cook the rice before as well as cooking the poblanos with the beef/onions. Next time I’ll do that and I think it will be perfect. Otherwise a great recipe with yummy flavors!
Thanks so much, Hannah! I am so glad to hear you will try making this again, so sorry about the rice! Have a nice week!