Tacky Mexican beef and bean bake

By:Nagi

Revealed:5 Mar ’23Up to date:4 Mar ’23

A bubbly casserole of types, this Mexican beef and bean is sort of a baked model of chilli con carne with a lot of melty cheese – however quicker to make. Consider it like your final all-purpose Mexican beef – stuff in tacos, DIY burrito wraps, dunk with corn chips – like nachos!

Overhead photo of Cheesy Mexican beef and bean casserole

Tacky Mexican beef and bean bake

I can’t bear in mind how this Mexican beef and bean dish first got here to be. All I do know is that when it got here out of the oven in all its bubbly, melty tacky glory, I needed to get caught into instantly however paralysed with indecision for a way. So many choices!

Like chili, with a heat tortillas on the facet for dunking??

Overhead photo of Cheesy Mexican beef and bean casserole with tortillas

OR with corn chips, deconstructed nachos model?

Scooping up Cheesy Mexican beef and bean casserole with corn chips

Making stuffed tortilla pillows?? Which, I realised, is only a burrito really. ???? *Mild-bulb-moment* DIY burritos! Add a pile of heat tortillas, bitter cream + guacamole or fast avocado sauce for dunking. Everyone make your individual!

Cheesy Mexican beef and bean casserole burrito style

All-inclusive-taco filling? So juicy and tacky already, it’s like a very good ole’ traditional beef mince taco filling + taco sauce + cheese, all rolled into one. Effectivity, for the win!

Then one other light-bulb second. That is like the final word all-purpose Mexican beef filling!! It’s virtually a bit regarding how excited I used to be after I got here to this conclusion. Good meals has a behavior of doing that to me. ????

What you want for Mexican beef and beans

Right here’s what it is advisable to make this Mexican beef and bean bake:

Ingredients in Cheesy Mexican beef and bean casserole

This can be a informal, rustic dish – which suggests, a lot of flexibility. I’m not so relaxed with substitutions with some recipes, so take it when you may! ????

Floor beef / beef mince – Or rooster, turkey or pork. Any of those would work. (Even lamb really).
Crimson onion – Or bizarre brown / yellow onions.
Inexperienced capsicum (bell pepper) – Or different color capsicum, or different sauté-able greens like diced zucchini/courgette, carrot, inexperienced beans (chopped), corn. Even a cup of diced combined frozen greens would work right here!
Crimson kidney beans – Or black beans (on theme with Mexican meals), or some other beans of selection. Or, extra greens.
Tomato passata – That is pureed, strained tomato that’s easy, moderately than lump like canned tomato. Substituted with crushed canned tomato, or what’s known as “tomato sauce” (tomato puree) within the US.
Pickled jalapeno – Provides a sprinkle of spiciness plus tang as a result of it’s pickled which is sweet on this beefy dish. Canned chopped inexperienced chillies can be a superb sub right here (however this can be a US factor, hoping it turns into a staple right here in Australia considered one of lately!).
Garlic – Can’t be versatile right here! ????
Cheese – Positively not versatile right here! Nicely, not versatile concerning the inclusion of some type of melting cheese. I’ve opted for Colby – provides flavour, melts nicely, will get a pleasant little bit of golden color on the floor, not too greasy. Be at liberty to make use of any of selection. For those who use mozzarella, I’d recommend including a sprinkling of parmesan on prime (as a result of mozzarella, whereas it melts fantastically, doesn’t have a a lot flavour).

The Mexican spice combine

And right here’s what you want for the selfmade Mexican spice combine. Some Mexican recipes I share have an extended listing of spices. For me, that is concerning the minimal you may go with out the flavour lacking one thing. All staple spices! (You’ll be able to substitute smoked paprika with plain).

Spices for Cheesy Mexican beef and bean casserole

Find out how to make Tacky Mexican beef and beans

It’s like chili cone carne – however quicker to make as a result of by ending it off within the oven with a beneficiant sprinkling of cheese, we are able to skip the range simmer.

How to make Cheesy Mexican beef and bean casserole

Sauté the onion, garlic and capsicum first. Use an ovenproof skillet. Pictured is my much-loved 26cm / 10.5″Lodge forged iron skillet (my important kitchenware listing is right here!).
Cook dinner the meat, breaking it up as you go.
Toast the spices with the meat. Good strategy to convey out flavour in spices plus get higher flavour into beef mince / floor beef – FAST. ????
Add beans and tomato passata, give it a very good combine then convey to a simmer.
Prime with cheese then bake for quarter-hour simply to soften the cheese.
Take away from oven and begin the agonising technique of deciding how one can serve it! Tacos? Corn chip dunking? Burrito stuffing? ENCHILADAS? Nachos?? #FirstWorldProblems

Cheesy Mexican beef and bean casserole fresh out of the oven

Cheesy Mexican beef and bean casserole dinner

Sides / toppings

Pictured in submit for serving in all of the above listed varieties are:

Guacamole, and typically avocado sauce (basically a easy, quicker model of guac)
Pico de gallo (recent tomato salsa). Additionally this pureed tomato salsa can be nice.
Bitter cream (sub yogurt)
Contemporary coriander/cilantro
Tortillas – small ones and bigger enchilada dimension ones (for making small burritos).
Corn chips – for dunking