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.
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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.
Do you think I could use riced cauliflower instead of the rice? I have made it several times exactly your recipe and its delicious, but I am trying to eat low carb.
The only issue you might run into is that cauli rice tends to give off moisture as it’s cooked, whereas rice absorbs moisture, so that might make this turn out soupy.
I substituted pinto beans. My family is not big on the black ones. I also used taco seasoning. The mixture was a little thick so I added a little water to it. Served with tomato’s and sour cream. Will definitely make again!
I erred on the side more seasoning and used a taco seasoning mix, which I think worked really well; next time I’m also going to add jalapenos!
i made this months ago and was craving it again. Not sure if i commented the first time around, but this was so yummy and pretty easy to make. a winner!
Just made this for dinner for me and my husband. It was delicious! You can never go wrong with cream cheese :-) I used a whole pound of ground beef because I’m trying to really up my protein intake, and used half of the cilantro lime rice I made last night (about 3 cups). I’m already excited about the other flavors i can add next time. Such an easy and adaptable recipe!
I’m pretty averse to spicy food, should I keep in the chili powder or does it just give it a little kick?
The chili powder I use (McCormick brand) is not spicy at all, but I have on occasion in the past had some other brands that are spicy. The basic Kroger brand chili powder (in the blue square tin container) is not spicy either.
My fiance and I made this for meal prep this week, loved it!! We don’t eat beef so we subbed in 1lb of lean ground turkey and tossed the meat with a can of chipotles in adobe before adding it to the mixture. The cream cheese didn’t really incorporate into the dish straight out of the oven, but we were meal prepping anyways so reheating and mixing it all up after it came out of the microwave works just fine!
This was sooo good! Even the picky eater 5 year old loves this. Definitely a win!
This recipe is excellent starting point. I found it needed a bit more seasoning. But would absolutely make again with a few seasoning adjustments.
Hi Beth, I’m wondering if I could sub out the rice for rigatoni? Looks delicious either way!
You probably could! :)
This is yummy, and leaves over beautifully.
Next time, since I’m no longer in college and am now super-wealthy, I’ll halve the rice and double the meat and beans. And someday, when my ship comes in, I’ll serve it with some *gasp* AVOCADO.
Hahahaha best!
Hi Beth- I am interested in making a few dishes like this to freeze and pull out for those busy nights once school begins! Any modifications I would need to make to freeze this?
I’m actually very inexperienced with freezing dishes before baking. I’ve always done it the other way around – bake then freeze in single portions. So unfortunately I’m not sure what you may need to do differently.
OK. So maybe I’ll cook and then freeze after to heat up….
it looks delicious!
This has kept me fed for the past few days. I made it vegan with cheese substitutes and meat replacer. Those cream cheese dollops are to die for!
Would it be ok to microwave this to melt the cheese and cream cheese at the end? My ac is out and the house is already really hot, so I’d rather not turn on the oven!
Yes, by the time you get to the baking step everything is already “cooked”, so you’re really just heating it through. If the microwave works better for you at that point, you can definitely use it. :)
Loved this one! Added guacamole, jalapeno, and beans only on half for picky eaters. I think in the future, I will use slightly less rice, since it felt a bit much for me. Maybe an addition of some bell peppers next time, who knows!