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.
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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.
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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.
I am eager to try this but only have leftover quinoa. Do you think it would work well in place of the rice?
It will probably work out okay. It might not soak up the extra liquid from the salsa the same way the rice does, but I bet it will still be good.
I made this last night, and it was super-tasty! I think the cream cheese gives is that extra comfort/tasty factor. As Beth said, this recipe is soooo easily customizable. I substituted light brown rice, and ground turkey (with a little extra oil since turkey is so low fat). I also added more spices, like cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and more chili powder. I also added a few really thinly sliced uncooked onions, which mostly cooked in the oven, and added a slight crunch.
I added extra salt, but I should have listened to Beth on this one, since the salsa already brought plenty of salt to the dish.
This was delicious, not very hard, and comforting. We’ll make it again!
Hi Beth! I’ve made this a few times as is and loved it. I’m wondering how it would go with day-to-day brown rice?
Because the rice is already cooked when you add it to the casserole, you can sub brown rice without an issue. :)
I’ve did it with light brown rice last night, and it was great!
This is my first recipe made with Budget Bytes and I can’t wait to make more. This recipe came out delicious and felt very comforting to eat. I did add a bit more chili powder than the recipe called for, and I also added a pinch of cumin. Next time I think I will put in a diced bell pepper or two to add some veggies to the dish.
Delicious!
Made this tonight and it was awesome!
I LOVE this recipe!! My boyfriend does as well. He doesn’t eat any leftovers, but he did of this and said he would again it likes it so much!!
Pretty good. It’s not exactly bursting with flavor(even using pepperjack instead of cheddar), but the cream cheese chunks elevated it to ‘good’ in my books. The cream cheese provided a sour cream effect without needing actual sour cream. Yum!
I think I’ll up the spices and maybe add some bell pepper & diced onion next time. Might also try a spicier salsa.
I was wondering if I can use refried beans instead of black beans? Thanks, Beth!!! :-)
It might be difficult to stir them into the mix, but other than that it should be just fine. :)
Another home run! Made this for the first time tonight and everyone loved it. I used 1 lb ground beef as we have two teenage boys in the house. Very satisfying and even though the ingredient list is simple, the result is more than the sum of its parts. I served with chopped cilantro and avocado.
Hello, can leftovers of this be frozen after baking?
Subbed ground turkey for beef and added jalepeno on top 😅
Yum!
This one should freeze quite well. :)
Made this with cauliflower rice tonight, oh wow is this good! Thank you for your amazing recipes.
Another hit in our house! So easy and super yummy! I did use 1 full pound of ground beef and added a little bit of water. My family gobbled it up! Thanks Beth!
This looks delicious, thanks for sharing, I will give this a try next week for a family visit. I am big on grass fed beef, so I will try it with my favorite ground beef.
Oh my these just sound yummy. Love this type of food. Simon.
I think the cream cheese was the best part and there wasn’t nearly enough for me. I think I will add in the whole block next time I make this. :)