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Black Bean and Beef Enchilada Casserole (with pinto beans, black beans, green chili peppers, cheese, and green onions) - quick and easy-to-make dinner, great for leftovers! This enchilada casserole is gluten free as it is made with corn tortillas and gluten free enchilada sauce.
I have a weak spot for casseroles and make them quite often: they are so easy to prepare and assemble, as long as you have all of the ingredients. This black been and beef enchilada casserole dish is full of Mexican, Tex-Mex, Southwestern flavors - it's a great family recipe with lots of flavor, without being overly spicy!
I love making casserole dishes with corn tortillas and this one is no exception! Using corn tortillas makes this a gluten free recipe!
While you can assemble this dish and cook it right away, it can also be refrigerated and cooked the next day - which is perfect if you need to prepare a dinner in advance and don't want to rush the next day!
I made this enchilada casserole in 2.8 L (3 quart) baking dish, which produced a generous number of servings, at least 8! You can feed a lot of people with this casserole, or save it for leftovers.
Below, I have step-by-step photos on how to assemble this black bean and beef enchilada casserole dish - it's very easy and didn't really require any step-by-step pictures, but I did them anyway. The step-by-step photos are for the first layer, remember to repeat it 3 times as you have 3 layers in your casserole dish. Also, for the final layer, I reversed the order of beef mixture and sour cream, by adding sour cream and enchilada sauce first, then the remaining beef mixture with cheese on top. That made for a very nice presentation and one good looking meal!
And, here are step-by-step photos:
First, we have to prepare a bean-meat mixture. In a large skillet, on medium-high heat, cook the ground beef, chopped onion until meat is no longer pink, drain all the fat/liquid from the pan. Add chili powder, cumin, and ¼ teaspoon of salt into the meat mixture and cook, stirring, for about a minute, to let the spices mix in and until onion is soft:
Add drained and rinsed black beans and pinto beans, and undrained chili peppers into meat mixture off heat. Taste the meat-bean mixture, and add more salt if needed. Add more chili powder or cumin, than indicated in the recipe, if needed:
Assembling the casserole. Remember to repeat these steps 3 times, for 3 layers.
1. Place 4 corn tortillas on the bottom, overlapping to cover the bottom of the casserole dish ( Use 2.8 L (3 quarts) rectangular baking dish - 11 inches long x 8.5 inches wide x 3 inches deep):
2. Spread ⅓ of the meat-bean mixture over the corn tortillas:
3. Top with ⅓ of sour cream, dropping it in small dollops all over:
4. Then carefully spread the sour cream over the meat-bean mixture:
5. Top the sour cream with ⅓ of enchilada sauce:
Repeat these layers 2 more times (3 total layers)
NOTE: For the final layer, reverse the order of beef mixture and sour cream, by adding sour cream and enchilada sauce first (over the tortillas), then top the sour cream and enchilada sauce with the the remaining beef mixture with cheese on top.
Bake at 375 F for 25 minutes covered, then remove foil, top with shredded cheddar cheese, and bake for 10 more minutes uncovered.
Black Bean and Beef Enchilada Casserole
Ingredients
- ½ pound ground beef
- 1 small onion chopped
- 1 ½ teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 15 oz pinto beans , drained and rinsed
- 15 oz black beans , drained and rinsed
- 4 oz green chili peppers (from the can, diced)
- 16 oz sour cream
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 12 corn tortillas (6 inches in diameter each)
- 10 oz enchilada sauce (use gluten free)
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
Instructions
How to make the bean-meat mixture:
- In a large skillet, on medium-high heat, cook the ground beef, chopped onion until meat is no longer pink, drain all the fat/liquid from the pan. Add chili powder, cumin, and ¼ teaspoon of salt into the meat mixture and cook, stirring for about a minute, to let the spices mix in and until onion is soft. Add drained and rinsed black beans and pinto beans, and undrained chili peppers into meat mixture off heat. Taste the meat-bean mixture, and add more salt if needed. Add more chili powder or cumin, than indicated in the recipe, if needed. Set aside.
Assemble the casserole:
- Use 2.8 L (3 quarts) rectangular baking dish - 11 inches long x 8.5 inches wide x 3 inches deep. Place 4 tortillas on the bottom, overlapping to cover the bottom of the casserole dish. Spread ⅓ of the meat-bean mixture over the tortillas. Top with ⅓ of sour cream, dropping it in small dollops all over, then carefully spreading it over the meat-bean mixture. Top the sour cream with ⅓ of enchilada sauce. Repeat layers 2 more times (3 total layers)
- NOTE: For the final layer, reverse the order of beef mixture and sour cream, by adding sour cream and enchilada sauce first (over the tortillas), then top the sour cream and enchilada sauce with the the remaining beef mixture with cheese on top.
- Bake at 375 F for 25 minutes covered, then remove foil, top with shredded cheddar cheese, and bake for 10 more minutes uncovered.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
I made this tonight; it was absolutely delicious! Although, I feel the need to add that many enchilada sauces are NOT gluten free. I chose this recipe because it was labeled as GF because my boyfriend's mother (who has a severe gluten intolerance) was coming over for dinner. As I was cleaning up when the casserole was in the oven, I had a "lightbulb" moment and double checked the enchilada sauce can. It contained wheat flour. It wasn't something I thought to check but I'm glad I did before she ate it. So just a note to those cooking for a person with Celiacs or a gluten intolerance--- double check your ingredients! Thanks for sharing, it was delicious! 🙂
This was delish. For two of us, I cut the bean amount in half and did only two layers. I also used taco sauce instead of enchilada sauce. Served with chopped onion, shredded lettuce, and grape tomatoes. Thank you for the inspiration.
This looks delicious! How critical is the sour cream in this recipe? I am not usually a big fan of it so was wondering if it could be removed or substituted for something else?
I think cream cheese would be good for a substitute in this. I might try it with half sour cream and half cream cheese next time.
Julia, the women's activity group at my church did a "freezer meal" demo last night and this recipe was one of the ones they chose 🙂 It's super delicious! I like the layers of sour cream! 🙂
Most enchilada sauces have wheat flour as a thickener so be careful if you need this to be gluten free. I make my own enchilada sauce and it really tastes so much better than canned.
I realized this tonight too, thankfully I thought to check before I served to my gluten free guest! Whew!
Love the ideas of meat-bean mixture. The colors are beautiful. I could feel its taste even with my eyes.
I love everything about this enchilada casserole---packed with protein and pure deliciousness!
Black Bean, Beef and Enchilada Casserole-- Next time I will delete the Pinto Beans and add cheese to each layer. Very Good!
Looks like what I want for dinner tonight!
Looks like what I want for dinner tonight!
Was wondering if this could be made ahead, frozen and then eaten at a later date?
Thanks
I have such a soft spot for mexican-style casseroles like this! Looks fantastic!
Mmmm 🙂
This is my kind of healthy comfort meal!