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Our Burrito Casserole is shaped like a pie for a fun twist on taco night. Layered with seasoned beef, flour tortillas, and rice for a burrito that you can eat with a fork!
Burritos, but make it a casserole.
I’m a sucker for Mexican food. Both the authentic stuff and the stuff that I make at home that starts with a packet of taco seasoning. 😅
This burrito casserole? Not authentic Mexican cooking. Totally delicious.
If you’re a Taco Bell fan (hi, I see you and I get you), this is the type of at-home Mexican-ish goodness that you’re going to love. In fact, try it drizzled with my copycat Creamy Jalapeno Sauce!
We’re basically taking a burrito but layering it like a lasagna and eating it with a fork like a burrito bowl but with tortillas like a real burrito and…yeah. It’s a mish-mash of the good stuff.
I got the idea for this from my taco casserole. I figured, hey, a burrito casserole might be a good idea too. I was right. I was like the rightest I’ve ever been in my life.
3 Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s basically a giant, cheesy burrito you eat with a fork. All the flavors you love, none of the rolling.
- Dinner is on the table in 30 minutes. Weeknight-friendly from start to finish, especially if you’re starting with leftover taco meat or rotisserie chicken.
- Everything comes from a regular grocery run. Ground beef, shredded cheese, tortillas, salsa, sour cream, and rice. That’s it.
Ingredient Notes, Swaps, & Tips:
Taco Meat – We use ground beef in this recipe, but you could use any type of meat you like burritos. The chicken from our crockpot chicken tacos would be perfect. This keto taco seasoning is perfect to use on your meat. If you have a stash of my slow cooker ground beef, use it here.
Salsa – You can use the jarred stuff from the store or if you’ve got the time make my homemade restaurant style salsa!
Rice – We’re seasoning cooked white rice with cilantro and lime. You can use minute rice to keep it easy or make rice from scratch.
Tortillas – The texture of the tortillas does soften as this bakes and sits. That’s just the nature of a layered casserole. For slightly firmer tortillas, give them 30 seconds in a hot, dry skillet on each side before layering. It helps them hold up a bit better.
Add some extras. Drained black beans or pinto beans tucked into the layers add a little heartiness. Diced jalapeños or green chiles will kick up the heat if your crowd is into that.
Step by Step:
Use my leftover cilantro lime rice here or just mix white rice with chopped cilantro and lime juice. Minute rice will be just fine!
Brown the ground beef and then stir in the seasoning and water. You’re basically just following the taco packet instructions here.
Layer the pie plate with a tortilla, sour cream, rice, taco meat, salsa, and cheese. Repeat twice.
Add a final tortilla to the top and spread sour cream on top. Sprinkle with cheese and spoonfuls of salsa before baking.
After 20 minutes in a hot oven, this is ready to serve. Try it toppedw ith fresh diced tomatoes or a scoop of my homemade guacamole.
Storage
Refrigerator: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. The tortillas will continue to absorb moisture, so this one is best eaten fresh. Still perfectly tasty the next day, just a little softer.
Reheating: Microwave individual portions in 60-second intervals until heated through, or heat, covered, in a 325°F oven for about 15 minutes.
Freezer: This one isn’t an ideal freezer candidate. The tortilla layers don’t hold up well after freezing and thawing. If you want to get ahead, prep the taco meat and cilantro lime rice in advance and refrigerate separately for up to 3 days. Assembly only takes a few minutes when you’re ready to bake.
FAQs:
Flour tortillas hold up better in this layered casserole, but corn tortillas will work if that’s what you have or prefer. They’ll be a bit more delicate and may tear during layering, but the flavor is great. You’ll need to use multiple tortillas per layer to fully cover the pie plate for each layer.
They do soften as the casserole bakes and rests. That’s expected with a layered dish like this. If you want more structure, lightly toast the tortillas in a dry skillet before layering. Some readers like the softer, almost noodle-like texture. It’s really a personal preference.
Yes! Shredded chicken works really well. The chicken from our crockpot chicken tacos is a great option, or grab a rotisserie chicken to keep it quick. Just toss with the taco seasoning before using.
This is a very forgiving recipe. Black beans, pinto beans, canned green chiles, grilled peppers, or diced onion all fit right in.
Burrito Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked white rice
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning or 1 packet
- 4 10-inch flour tortillas
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup salsa
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Add the cooked rice, lime juice, cilantro, and salt to a medium mixing bowl and stir well to combine.
- Brown the beef in a large skillet over medium heat. When cooked through, drain the fat and stir in the taco seasoning and 2 tablespoons of water to coat. Set aside.
- Place one flour tortilla in the bottom of a deep dish pie plate.
- Spread tortilla with 2 tablespoons of sour cream.
- Top with 1/4 of the prepared rice and 1/3 of the taco meat.
- Spoon 2 tablespoons of salsa over the top.
- Sprinkle on 1/2 cup of cheese.
- Repeat layers 2 more times, pressing down the tortilla stack each time you add a new tortilla.
- Add a final layer of tortilla, sour cream, salsa, and cheese to the top.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until hot and melty.
- Serve with all of your favorite toppings, such as diced tomatoes, guacamole, hot sauce, etc.
Jan says
Just reread the recipe. I thought it said 1 1/2 lbs. of taco meat. Now I realize it said 1 1/2 cups. My mistake. (Read the recipe in a hurry before I went grocery shopping. No wonder I had so much left over.)
Jan says
I liked this very much! The taste reminds me of the 7-Layer Burrito at Taco Bell, though the ingredients are different. I didn’t have cilantro on hand, so I substituted dry parsley flakes that I soaked in the lime juice while the rice was cooling. Felt it was overall too salty, so will leave out the added salt the next time. Also, one pound of taco meat is sufficient.
Peggy says
Can you make this 1 day ahead?
Karly says
You can, but the longer it sets, the more liquid the tortillas set up. We like this best fresh.
Pam says
Could you use a square 8 inch by 8 inch glass baking dish?
Karly says
Should work fine, but you may have to trim your tortillas to fit.
Sandra Mason-Webb says
Hi Karly!
I am so glad I found your blog!! You have the most delicious recipes! I have been pinning so many of them, and I will be trying a few of them in the next couple of weeks (I try to do a fortnightly menu plan – it’s the only way I can stick to a budget) And I’ve made a few of your other recipes too – tonight we have your parmesan chickecn meatballs, that I had in the freezer. Your recipe makes 3 meals for my husband and myself – and they’re very generous serves too. My only complaint is that we’re in Australia, so some of your ingredients aren’t available – sometimes I can substitute something that is available, but sometimes I can’t. Fortunately my husband is American and his father sends us packages sometimes, so in the next one I’m going to be asking for sachets of dry ranch dressing mix. We can get ranch dressing, but not powdered mix. Keep up the good work Karly!!
Karly says
Hi Sandra! So glad to hear that you’re enjoying the recipes and they’re working for you and your husband! 🙂 As for the ranch seasoning, have you tried googling for a homemade ranch seasoning mix? This one looks good – https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/homemade-ranch-seasoning-mix/
dianne says
hello
Jackie says
In answer to your question, I’ve lived in Mexico for 10 years and have yet to find a Mexican who uses the “taco seasoning” packets. They put in their own seasonings (which isn’t hard or complicated, btw).
Cindi Schultz says
Jackie, What seasonings do they use in Mexico, do you know?
Bek says
This looks delicious! I am American but we have lived in Mexico for 11 years… and you are right, taco seasoning in an American thing. Ground beef is also not really a taco ingredient in Mexico that I have seen. At our house, we call ground beef with taco seasoning, lettuce, cheese, sour cream, etc ‘American tacos’ Â ( we bring taco seasoning packets back to Mexico when we visit the US) and we enjoy them thoroughly. Thanks for sharing the recipe!Â
Karly says
I think it’s pretty awesome that y’all enjoy American tacos! I am always so excited when I can find an authentic Mexican joint, though I think even the ones we consider authentic are likely still quite American-ized. 😉
Sandra Mason-Webb says
I so wish we had some authentic Mexican restaurants here in Australia! My husband is Texan and he misses his true Mexican food…..
Cindi Schultz says
Bek, If they don’t use hamburger, do they put any meat in the tacos? Pork maybe?
Janice says
What makes hamburger Taco Meat?
Maggie Martin says
Hamburger, taco seasoning, a little water, onion, cilantro and whatever else you like
Yvette N. says
Karly,
I made your Burrito Pie for dinner tonight.
My husband told me…make sure you don’t lose this recipe!
Karly says
Yay! Glad it was a hit!
Marvellina | What To Cook Today says
What a clever idea, Carly! I love that! The “Modern” twist to the traditional burrito!
Karly says
Thank you!
cakespy says
THIS IS THE BEST THING EVER. I bet it would be great for a brunch, too.
kathi @ Laughing Spatula says
Lived on Taco Pie with crescent rolls as the crust as a kid and still love it! Â Bring on the americanized Mexican!
Blair says
Hah! We live in Central Virginia and there’s definitely no “authentic” Mexican food to come by. We’re big fans of the Americanized version, too! 🙂
This pie would be a HUGE hit with my family!
nancy mccullough says
How about a PIN button. I couldn’t find it.