I’m not sure if it’s a good or bad thing when I make a recipe that is so good that I want to keep eating past the point of full. On one hand, if it’s that good I can eat the leftovers for days in a row without ever getting tired of it. On the other hand it’s SO hard not to go back for seconds or thirds when I know I don’t need them. What a problem to have, right? ;) Well, this Beef Burrito Casserole is definitely one of those recipes. So simple, yet startlingly good.
Rice, Beans, and Salsa Always Wins
This casserole is another version of my favorite combo: beans, rice, salsa, and cheese. What makes it a little extraordinary is the secret layer of cream cheese in the middle. I didn’t use a lot, but just a few dollops give every couple of bites an extra tangy and creamy flavor. Best idea EVER.
Customize Your Beef Burrito Casserole
As per my style, I made my Beef Burrito Casserole very basic, but there are tons of options for customization or upgrades.
Just think about the toppings bar at Chipotle or your favorite burrito place. Anything you like in your burrito or on your nachos can be incorporated into this casserole.
You can use any type of cooked meat you have on hand (rotisserie chicken, pulled pork) or even go meatless. You can add in corn kernels, jalapeños, a drizzle of taco sauce, black olives, or maybe some hatch chiles.
I happened to have some guacamole in my fridge today, so I added a dollop to my leftovers and almost died and went to heaven. Sour cream, crushed tortilla strips, or even some shredded ice berg wouldn’t even be a bad idea (okay fine, they’d be a GREAT idea).
It’s excellent as written below, but have a little fun with it! The leftovers reheat well, so you can eat well all week. And, if for some reason you don’t devour it all within a few days, you can freeze a couple portions for later. ;)
Beef Burrito Casserole
Servings 6 1.33 cups eachIngredients
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.04)
- 1/2 lb. ground beef ($1.99)
- 1 clove garlic, minced ($0.08)
- 1 pinch salt ($0.02)
- 4 cups cooked rice* ($0.75)
- 1 15oz. can black beans ( $0.89)
- 1 16oz. jar salsa ($1.00)
- 4 green onions, divided ($0.44)
- 1/2 Tbsp chili powder ( $0.15)
- 4 oz. cream cheese ($1.00)
- 1 cup shredded cheddar** ($0.75)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Add the cooking oil, beef, garlic, and a pinch of salt to a skillet. Cook the beef over medium heat until fully browned. Drain the excess fat, if necessary.
- Rinse and drain the canned beans in a colander. Slice the green onions. Add the beans, half of the green onions, cooked rice, browned beef, salsa, and chili powder to a large bowl. Stir to combine.
- Coat a 3 quart casserole dish with non-stick spray. Spread half of the rice and beef mixture into the bottom of the casserole dish. Add small dollops of the cream cheese evenly across the surface, then cover with the remaining rice and beef mixture.
- Cover the dish with foil to prevent the rice from drying out while baking, and bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven. After 25 minutes, remove the foil and top with the shredded cheddar cheese. Bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Top with the remaining sliced green onions just before serving.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Interested in more ways to combine salsa, rice, and beans? Check out Southwest Chicken Skillet, Easiest Burrito Bowl Meal Prep, Creamy Salsa Chicken Skillet, or Poor Man’s Burrito Bowls.
How to Make Beef Burrito Casserole – Step by Step Photos
Begin by preheating the oven to 350ºF. Add 1 Tbsp cooking oil, 1/2 lb. ground beef, 1 clove of garlic (minced), and a pinch of salt to a skillet. Cook over medium heat until the beef is fully browned. Drain the excess fat, if needed (this depends on the percent fat in your beef. Usually 90% lean or higher doesn’t need draining.)
Rinse and drain a 15oz. can of black beans. Slice four green onions. Add 4 cups cooked rice (it’s in the bottom of the bowl), the cooked beef, drained beens, a 16oz. jar of salsa, half of the green onions, and 1/2 Tbsp chili powder (mild) to a large bowl. This recipe works best with day-old, or cooked rice that has been chilled. Just like with fried rice, chilling it after cooking it helps the rice grains stay separate and non-sticky when you mix them in with the other ingredients.
Stir the ingredients until they’re evenly combined.
Coat the inside of a 3 quart casserole dish with non-stick spray. Add half of the rice and beef mixture to the bottom of the dish. Add the cream cheese, in small dollops, evenly over the surface of the rice mixture.
Then add the rest of the rice and beef mixture to the top. Cover the dish with foil to keep the rice moist while it bakes. Bake the covered casserole for 25 minutes in the preheated oven.
After 25 minutes of baking, add 1 cups shredded cheddar to the top and bake for 5-10 minutes more, or until the cheese is melted. Sprinkle the remaining sliced green onions over top just before serving.
Gah! I can’t wait until I’m hungry again! 😂
Love casseroles? Check out these other canned-soup-free casseroles: King Ranch Chicken Casserole, Creamiest Green Bean Casserole, Cheesy Chicken Vegetable and Rice Casserole, Wild Rice and Vegetable Casserole, and Cheesy Cottage Pie.
Loved this recipie, make loads and freeze it, hubby loves it too bonus
I made this last week, but I’m already making it again tonight. It turned out perfectly, even though I used a pound of ground beef, instead of the half pound called for. This time I’m adding some jalapeños too!
My husband complains that it has no flavor unless he bites into a green pepper (which I added from the about-to-go-bad). I love it. How could I make it more flavorful? The last time I added medium salsa and 3/4 tablespoon of chili powder instead this time. I love this recipe cause it’s been great for taking the leftovers for lunch for casserole burritos.
Maybe try drizzling enchilada sauce or taco sauce on each layer. :)
I made this tonight and my husband, who usually does not eat beans at all, went for seconds and thirds. Definitely a great recipe! Thank you Beth!!
I found this recipe on Pinterest. Before you even open the pin it listed ingredients. It read 2lbs of ground beef, but when I opened the pin it read 1/2 lb. Which is the intended amount. I can’t wait to try it.
Yeah, Pinterest auto-pulls the ingredient information and for some reason it always pulls my numbers wrong. I’ve reached out to them to try to fix it, but have gotten no help. :(
Wow, this is delicious. I want to eat it every day from now on! I split it into two casserole dishes and put one on the freezer for next week so we can enjoy it all over again.
I didn’t have any chili powder in the house so I mixed some up according to this recipe:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/237172/chili-powder/
and it is perfect.
Thanks for the great recipes.
I liked this recipe because it was incredibly easy to prepare, and tasted like comfort food. I got home from work at 6:00 and a hot dinner was on the table by 6:45. On the other hand, my boyfriend thought it was bland and definitely needed enchilada sauce, or additional toppings. It’s a solid recipe though, and I think it could be made great with a few simple additions!
I cooked this last night and it was the bomb … I will definitely be making it again … and again … and again!!!
My boyfriend and I both loved this recipe! We both ate it for lunch and dinner a couple of days last week.
This was great! I included half a diced red onion (instead of the green onions) and a diced bell pepper when browning the beef. I also used a Mexican cheese blend instead of straight cheddar.
I think this would work just as well with another ground meat, or with double the beans for a vegetarian version.
Hey Beth!
Might be an unusual question, but what brand of bakeware do you use? I’m looking to invest in some and was wondering if you’re happy with what you currently have.
Beth,
Your recommendation of day old rice is correct. I made this dish with just cooked rice and it was mushy, but tasty. I used shredded mild cheddar, and Pace restaurant style salsa.
This was really good. I didn’t have any cream cheese to make with it, but I did whip up a half-batch of your red enchilada sauce and mixed that in, and served it with some sour cream on top. Delicious and easy.
You know, I’ve seen some of the rice-based casseroles you’ve posted before, Beth, and I’ve always skipped them since they didn’t seem too appetizing to me. But after making this one tonight I’m eating crow. This is *so good*! I lightly sauteed an onion and a red pepper which I mixed into the rice/beans/meat/salsa mixture at the beginning since I love their flavors, but otherwise I stuck to the recipe 100%. This is so filling and yummy; I can’t believe how cheap it was, and how easy it was to whip together. I’m an adult who’s going back to school for a second career so I tend to be strapped for cash, and your delicious and cheap recipes are real life savers. I can’t thank you enough for the service you provide here. Thank you so much!
Amazing, as usual! I made 2 of these, with the intent to freeze the leftovers into lunch sized portions. My husband hates cream cheese (I know, right?!), so replaced that layer with refried beans on the one I made for him. It turned out amazing. I can see myself putting a bit of salsa on top of it when it’s re-heated after being frozen to give it some moisture, that’s if there are leftovers at the rate we’re eating it tonight….lol
Great idea!!