Mexican-Style Beef Casserole

On a snowy evening, craving an easy dinner, I came up with a simple and delicious Mexican beef casserole. It's made with ground beef, refried beans, onions, sour cream, cheese, and guacamole!

• Preparation Time: 25 mins
• Cooking Time: 25 mins
• Total Time: 50 mins
• Calories: 467 Calories

Ingredients

• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup water
• 1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
• 1 pound ground beef
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 (16 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 tablespoons minced cilantro
• ½ cup shredded Mexican cheese blend
• 2 tomatoes, finely chopped
• 6 scallions, chopped
• 2 large ripe avocados, halved and pitted
• 1 package taco seasoning mix (such as Ortega®)

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Step 2

Chop avocado flesh and mash in a bowl. Add tomatoes, onion, lime juice, garlic, cilantro, and salt. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate guacamole until ready to serve.

Step 3

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir beef in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain and discard grease. Add water and taco seasoning; stir until combined. Simmer until thickened, 3 to 4 minutes.

Step 4

Spread refried beans into the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking pan. Top with black beans. Spread ground beef mixture on top of beans. Drizzle tomato sauce over the whole mixture.

Step 5

Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Sprinkle Mexican cheese blend on top. Continue baking until cheese is melted, about 1 minute more.

Step 6

Top each serving with guacamole, sour cream, and scallions.