• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to footer navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

RecipeTin Eats

Fast Prep, Big Flavours

Small book

My cookbook "Dinner" now available!

  • My RecipeTin
  • My cookbook!
  • Recipes
  • Recipes By Category
    • Mains
      • Chicken
        • Chicken mince
      • Beef Recipes
        • Ground Beef (Mince)
      • Pork
      • Lamb
      • Turkey
      • Shrimp / Prawns
      • Salmon
      • Fish
      • Salad Meals
    • Quick and Easy
    • Soups
    • One Pot
    • Stews
    • Slow Cooker
    • Sides
      • All
      • Vegetables
      • Show Off Salads
      • Rice (all)
      • Fried rice recipes
      • Rice (plain)
      • Potato
    • Pasta
      • All
      • Pasta bakes
      • Pasta salads
    • Sweet
      • Cakes
      • Cheesecakes
      • Cupcakes & Muffins
      • Cookies
      • Puddings & Cosy Desserts
      • Bite Size
      • Pies
      • Slices & Bars
      • Frosting & Icing
      • Ice cream
    • Cuisine
      • Asian
        • All
        • Stir fries
        • Noodles
        • Soups
        • Chinese
        • Japanese
        • Korean
        • Thai
        • Vietnamese
      • French
      • Greek
      • Indian
      • Italian
      • Mediterranean
      • Mexican
      • Middle Eastern
      • South American
    • Dietary
      • Gluten Free
      • Low Calorie
      • Vegetarian
    • Other Categories
      • BBQ
      • Breakfast
      • Burgers
      • Cocktails
      • Party Foods
      • Rice Recipes
      • Roasts
      • Sandwiches & Sliders
  • Collections
  • About
    • Me
    • RecipeTin Meals
    • Free Recipe Books
    • Contact
    • Food Bloggers Central
    • Nitty Gritty
      • Policy: Use of Recipes & Images
      • Privacy & Disclosure
Home Mexican Recipes

Cheesy Mexican beef and bean bake

By:Nagi
Published:5 Mar '23Updated:6 Mar '23
56 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

A bubbly casserole of sorts, this Mexican beef and bean is like a baked version of chilli con carne with lots of melty cheese – but faster to make. Think of it like your ultimate 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

Cheesy Mexican beef and bean bake

I can’t remember how this Mexican beef and bean dish first came to be. All I know is that when it came out of the oven in all its bubbly, melty cheesy glory, I wanted to get stuck into immediately but paralysed with indecision for how. So many options!

Like chili, with a warm tortillas on the side for dunking??

Overhead photo of Cheesy Mexican beef and bean casserole with tortillas

OR with corn chips, deconstructed nachos style?

Scooping up Cheesy Mexican beef and bean casserole with corn chips

Making stuffed tortilla pillows?? Which, I realised, is just a burrito actually. 😂 *Light-bulb-moment* DIY burritos! Add a pile of warm tortillas, sour cream + guacamole or quick avocado sauce for dunking. Everybody make your own!

Cheesy Mexican beef and bean casserole burrito style

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

Then another light-bulb moment. This is like the ultimate all-purpose Mexican beef filling!! It’s almost a little concerning how excited I was when I came to this conclusion. Good food has a habit of doing that to me. 🤭


What you need for Mexican beef and beans

Here’s what you need to make this Mexican beef and bean bake:

Ingredients in Cheesy Mexican beef and bean casserole

This is a casual, rustic dish – which means, lots of flexibility. I’m not so relaxed with substitutions for some recipes, so take it when you can! 😂

  • Ground beef / beef mince – Or chicken, turkey or pork. Any of these would work. (Even lamb actually).

  • Red onion – Or ordinary brown / yellow onions.

  • Green capsicum (bell pepper) – Or other colour capsicum, or other sauté-able vegetables like diced zucchini/courgette, carrot, green beans (chopped), corn. Even a cup of diced mixed frozen vegetables would work here!

  • Red kidney beans – Or black beans (on theme with Mexican food), or any other beans of choice. Or, more vegetables.

  • Tomato passata – This is pureed, strained tomato that is smooth, rather than lump like canned tomato. Substituted with crushed canned tomato, or what’s called tomato sauce or tomato puree in the US (eg Hunts).

  • Pickled jalapeno – Adds a sprinkle of spiciness plus tang because it’s pickled which is nice in this beefy dish. Canned chopped green chillies would be an excellent sub here (but this is a US thing, hoping it becomes a staple here in Australia one of these days!).

  • Garlic – Can’t be flexible here! 🙂

  • Cheese – Definitely not flexible here! Well, not flexible about the inclusion of some form of melting cheese. I’ve opted for Colby – adds flavour, melts well, gets a nice bit of golden colour on the surface, not too greasy. Feel free to use any of choice. If you use mozzarella, I’d suggest adding a sprinkling of parmesan on top (because mozzarella, while it melts beautifully, doesn’t have a much flavour).

The Mexican spice mix

And here’s what you need for the homemade Mexican spice mix. Some Mexican recipes I share have a longer list of spices. For me, this is about the minimum you can go without the flavour missing something. All staple spices! (You can substitute smoked paprika with plain).

Spices for Cheesy Mexican beef and bean casserole

How to make Cheesy Mexican beef and beans

It’s like chili cone carne – but faster to make because by finishing it off in the oven with a generous sprinkling of cheese, we can skip the stove simmer.

How to make Cheesy Mexican beef and bean casserole
  1. Sauté the onion, garlic and capsicum first. Use an ovenproof skillet. Pictured is my much-loved 26cm / 10.5″Lodge cast iron skillet (my essential kitchenware list is here!).

  2. Cook the beef, breaking it up as you go.

  3. Toast the spices with the beef. Good way to bring out flavour in spices plus get better flavour into beef mince / ground beef – FAST. 🙂

  4. Add beans and tomato passata, give it a good mix then bring to a simmer.

  5. Top with cheese then bake for 15 minutes just to melt the cheese.

  6. Remove from oven and start the agonising process of deciding how to 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 post for serving in all the above listed forms are:

  • Guacamole, and sometimes avocado sauce (essentially a smooth, faster version of guac)

  • Pico de gallo (fresh tomato salsa). Also this pureed tomato salsa would be great.

  • Sour cream (sub yogurt)

  • Fresh coriander/cilantro

  • Tortillas – small ones and larger enchilada size ones (for making small burritos).

  • Corn chips – for dunking

Other excellent options includes:

  • Mexican red rice, plain white rice (or brown, or cauliflower rice if you’re doing the low-carb thing). Rice in bowls then smother with the Mexican beef and beans.

  • And….. eeer… I’m stuck. Help?

– Nagi x


Watch how to make it

Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.

Overhead photo of Cheesy Mexican beef and bean casserole

Cheesy baked Mexican beef and beans

Author: Nagi
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 30 mins
Main
Mexican
5 from 12 votes
Servings5 – 6
Tap or hover to scale
Print
Recipe video above. A bubbly casserole of sorts, this Mexican beef and bean is like a baked version of chilli con carne with lots of melty cheese – but faster to make. Think of it like your ultimate all-purpose Mexican beef – stuff in tacos, DIY burrito wraps, dunk with corn chips – like nachos! 

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 red onion , finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves , finely minced
  • 1 green capsicum / bell pepper , cut into 1cm / 1/2″ cubes (or other colour)
  • 500g/ 1 lb beef mince (ground beef) (Note 1)
  • 400g/ 14oz can red kidney beans or black beans , drained (or other beans)
  • 1 cup tomato passata (Note 2)
  • 1/3 cup pickled sliced jalapeño (Note 3)
  • 1 1/2 cups Colby cheese , shredded (or other cheese, Note 4)

Mexican spice mix:

  • 1 1/2 tsp cumin powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika (sub normal paprika)
  • 1 tsp garlic powder (sub onion powder)
  • 1 tsp onion powder (sub garlic powder)
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (sub black pepper)
  • 1 tsp cooking/kosher salt

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 200°C / 400°F (180°C fan).
  • Sauté – Heat the olive oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium high heat (or other oven-proof pan). Cook onion, garlic and capsicum for 3 minutes.
  • Cook beef & spices – Add beef and cook, breaking it up as you go, until you no longer see raw meat. Add spices, then cook for 1 minute.
  • Beans & tomato – Add kidney beans and passata. Stir, then bring to a simmer.
  • Cheese it! Scatter the jalapeño across the surface, top with cheese.
  • Bake 15 minutes (no lid) then remove from the oven.
  • Serve! Scoop into bowls and serve with corn chips or tortillas with your favourite Mexican fixings (guacamole or avocado sauce pico de gallo or restaurant style salsa, fresh coriander/coriander, sour cream). Dunk like nachos, make DIY burritos or tacos!

Recipe Notes:

Servings – This will serve 5 to 6 people depending on how you serve it. As a burrito or taco stuffing, it will easily serve 6 if not 7 people, once you factor in the toppings. If served with corn chips for dunking, it will probably serve 5 (because corn chips is less bulk than tortillas).
1. Meat – Recipe will work great with chicken, turkey or pork. Actually,even lamb!
2. Passata – this is a thick smooth tomato puree, see here for more information. Substitute with crushed tomato or what’s called “tomato sauce” or “tomato puree” in the US (eg. Hunts).
3. Pickled jalapeno is terrific here for something a little tangy and a bit of spiciness. Feel free to omit.
4. Cheese – any good melting cheese can be used here, except if using mozzarella I’d add a handful of parmesan on top because mozzarella, while an excellent melting cheese, doesn’t actually have that much flavour (this recipe relies on cheese for extra flavour boost for a quick recipe).
Leftovers will keep for 3 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer.
Nutrition per serving, assuming 6 servings, beef and bean only (ie not toppings).

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 440cal (22%)Carbohydrates: 19g (6%)Protein: 28g (56%)Fat: 28g (43%)Saturated Fat: 12g (75%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 88mg (29%)Sodium: 994mg (43%)Potassium: 702mg (20%)Fiber: 6g (25%)Sugar: 5g (6%)Vitamin A: 1492IU (30%)Vitamin C: 32mg (39%)Calcium: 294mg (29%)Iron: 4mg (22%)
Keywords: Mexican beef and bean, mexican casserole, Slow Cooker Mexican Beef
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @RecipeTinEats.

Life of Dozer

Dozer’s idea of obeying my command to stay outside the shop.

Previous Post
Pesto pasta salad
Next Post
AWESOME vegetarian lettuce wraps

Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative!

Read More

Free Recipe eBooks

Join my free email list to receive THREE free cookbooks!

Related Posts

Freshly made One Pot Mexican Chicken and Rice

One Pot Mexican Chicken and Rice

Mushroom quesadillas from RecipeTin Eats "Dinner" cookbook by Nagi Maehashi

Mushroom Quesadillas

Overhead photo of Mexican Corn Salad

Mexican Corn Salad

More Mexican Recipes

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Cooked this? Rate this recipe!




56 Comments

  1. Sophie says

    March 20, 2023 at 6:26 am

    5 stars
    This is so, SO good. We’ve made it three times since the recipe was released (less than 3 weeks ago) and making it again tonight. Easy, frigging delicious, and versatile – have had it with rice, nacho, and burritos (leftovers going into a large burrito for lunch). Winner winner beany dinner!

    Reply
  2. Sarah says

    March 18, 2023 at 1:54 pm

    Pasta! I put in a cup of uncooked spelt spirals just before the oven. It’s a one pot meal that’s fab. Only use half the mince and sub with turkey, sometimes adding half veg in place, frozen peas and corn etc. Super tasty and healthy dish 👍

    Reply
  3. Rebecca B says

    March 15, 2023 at 9:14 am

    5 stars
    A simple dish to make however packed full of flavour. Another winner Nagi 😊 Your making it extremely hard for me to buy takeaway for the family when you keep creating simple delicious meals

    Reply
  4. Tasneem Ghoor says

    March 10, 2023 at 4:35 pm

    Hi Nagi! Huge fan an eagerly awaiting your recipe book release in South Africa!

    Just wondering if you can use 90/10 beef mince for this? Or do you need to use lean beef mince?

    Reply
  5. Anita says

    March 9, 2023 at 8:13 pm

    5 stars
    Another brilliant recipe using ingredients I already had at home.
    Thank you

    Reply
  6. Sharon says

    March 8, 2023 at 4:50 pm

    This was amazing. I will add this to my list of kid friendly dinners!

    Reply
  7. Michael Meinersmann says

    March 7, 2023 at 11:40 pm

    5 stars
    Easy, quick, and delicious, a keeper. Thank you Nagi!

    Reply
  8. Alison says

    March 7, 2023 at 7:17 pm

    5 stars
    What a winner! Quick, easy and so tasty. Too good!

    Reply
  9. Elaine says

    March 7, 2023 at 2:13 pm

    5 stars
    Hi Nagi, I made this tonight and it was a real hit. Even my picky grandson scoffed it down and asked if I could make it again. You are amazing!

    Reply
  10. Jan says

    March 7, 2023 at 8:21 am

    Hi Nagi, Love love love all your recipes. A mention by in one of the comments of using Mexican oregano, cannot find it here locally in Victoria. When googled, says marjoram is a good sub as well as a pinch of coriander to get the citrus flavour. Do you agree, and what quantities. Thank you!

    Reply
  11. Juanita says

    March 6, 2023 at 4:24 pm

    Hi Nagi, I have your book and am really enjoying it. One thing I really miss though is that on line I could put in 7 people and the ingredient amounts would automatically update for me.
    Not complaining, love your recipes.
    Thanks Juanita

    Reply
Older Comments

Primary Sidebar

Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative! Read More

Free Recipe eBooks

Join my free email list to receive THREE free cookbooks!

Meet Dozer

Official taste tester of RecipeTin Eats! Meet Dozer
As Featured On

What's for Dinner?

Close up of beef enchiladas in a baking dish, fresh out of the oven

Beef Enchiladas

Butter Chicken served over basmati rice in a bowl, ready to be served

Butter Chicken

Overhead photo of 2 black bowls with Chinese Chicken Salad with Asian Dressing, ready to be eaten

Chinese Chicken Salad

Salisbury Steak recipe in skillet.

Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy

Vietnamese Coconut Caramel Chicken - 7 ingredient magic. The coconut fragrance is heavenly! recipetineats.com

Vietnamese Coconut Caramel Chicken

Fast prep. Big flavours!

Never miss a recipe

Back to Top
  • Related
  • RecipeTin Japan
  • Food Bloggers Center
  • Help
  • Contact Us
  • Image Use
  • Privacy Policy & Terms
Site Credits Maintained by Zao Designed by Melissa Rose Design Developed by Once Coupled © RecipeTin Eats 2023 · All Rights Reserved Back to Top