This Weight Watcher's Mexican Casserole is going to be your favorite new casserole recipe. It's packed with ground beef, tomatoes, corn, tortillas, and black beans. It's pretty much a taco that is stacked inside a casserole dish.
Love easy casserole recipes like this one try Baked Spaghetti and Meatball Casserole, Bubble Up Meatball Sub casserole, or Bubble Up Breakfast Casserole.
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
I managed to cut back the sodium content down on this casserole to about 200 mg by using no salt-added canned food. I've been on this low-sodium kick lately and I found no salt added corn, black beans, and tomatoes at the grocery store. I even found low sodium taco seasoning. The only ingredients that had sodium in it were the cheese and corn tortillas.
This casserole is made in only 1 or 2 dishes for easy clean up.
It's loaded with a ton of all your favorite Mexican vegetables like beans, corn, and tomatoes.
Ingredients Needed
- Extra lean ground beef (drained or rinsed!) - Is considered better than higher fat options for several reasons. First, it has less saturated fat, which can contribute to heart disease and other health issues. Additionally, it tends to have fewer calories per serving, making it a good option for those watching their weight. The 96% lean ground beef from Aldi is my favorite.
- Onion (chopped) - use minced onion or onion powder if you don't like onions
- Canned jalapeno slices, chopped
- Fresh tomatoes, chopped or 1 (15 oz) can diced canned tomatoes
- Can kernel corn (drained) - refers to corn that has been harvested, cooked, and preserved in a can. It is a popular food item due to its convenience and long shelf life. However, some people prefer fresh or frozen corn for its taste and texture.
- Black beans (rinsed and drained) - are a convenient and versatile ingredient that can be used in a variety of dishes. They are a great source of protein and fiber, and can be added to salads, soups, stews, and even dips.
- Taco seasoning mix - Is a blend of spices used to flavor ground beef or other meats for use in tacos. It typically includes a combination of chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and sometimes salt and pepper. It can be purchased pre-mixed, or made at home using individual spices. I usually buy the Lower Sodium Taco Seasoning packets such as Mrs Dash.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How to Make Mexican Casserole
Step 1: Brown ground beef and chopped onions in large skillet; brown 10 to 12 minutes or until thoroughly cooked, stirring constantly. Drain all fat from skillet and return beef/onions to skillet.
Step 2: Add corn, black beans, tomatoes, chilies/jalapenos, and taco seasoning mix; mix well. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes.
Step 3: Meanwhile spray a 12x8-inch (2-quart) baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Cut each tortilla in half; place 8 halves in the bottom of the sprayed baking dish, overlapping slightly.
Step 4: Spoon half of the beef mixture evenly over the tortillas. Spoon sour cream over beef mixture; spread evenly. Top with the remaining 8 tortilla halves and remaining beef mixture. (Cover tightly with foil & Freeze for later OR cook as directed below…).
Step 5: (Thaw overnight if frozen) Heat oven to 350ºF. Bake at 350ºF for 25 minutes. Remove from oven; sprinkle with cheese. Cover; let stand 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and serve with fresh chopped lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, black olives, etc…
Serving Size: Slice the casserole into 6 equal portions. Serving size is 1 slice.
I hope you like this casserole dish just as much as I did! Serve with your favorite taco condiments such as sour cream, avocado, etc....
Recipe FAQs
In a standard casserole recipe, there is protein, vegetables, starch, sauce, and cheese. Sometimes there will be dairy added to the casserole. This recipe can be made into so many new recipes just by changing the 5 components of a casserole! Instead of tortillas add cooked pasta!
Casseroles are usually layered dishes and they get slowly cooked in the oven covered in foil.
Casserole is the name of the dish used to cook with, whereas hot dish is the meal itself
More Great Weight Watcher Recipes to Try
If you tried this Mexican Casserole Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you! Follow along on Tiktok @jennarecipediaries
PrintMexican Casserole
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 25 min
- Total Time: 35 min
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Easy
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Mexican
Description
Weight Watcher's Mexican Casserole is going to be your favorite new casserole recipe. It's packed with ground beef, tomatoes, corn, and black beans.
Ingredients
- 1 lb extra lean ground beef (drained or rinsed!)
- ½ cup onion (chopped)
- ¼ cup canned jalapeno slices, chopped
- 2 cups fresh tomatoes, chopped or 1 (15 oz) can diced canned tomatoes
- 1 (15 oz) can kernel corn (drained)
- 1 (15 oz) can black beans (rinsed and drained)
- 1 (1 ¼ oz) package taco seasoning mix
- 8 corn tortillas
- ¾ cup nonfat sour cream
- â…“ cup reduced-fat Mexican cheese blend, shredded
- â…“ bunch fresh cilantro, chopped, to taste (or less (or more)
Instructions
- Brown ground beef and chopped onions in large skillet; brown 10 to 12 minutes or until thoroughly cooked, stirring constantly. Drain all fat from skillet and return beef/onions to skillet.
- Add corn, black beans, tomatoes, chilies/jalapenos and taco seasoning mix; mix well. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile spray 12x8-inch (2-quart) baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Cut each tortilla in half; place 8 halves in bottom of sprayed baking dish, overlapping slightly.
- Spoon half of beef mixture evenly over tortillas. Spoon sour cream over beef mixture; spread evenly. Top with remaining 8 tortilla halves and remaining beef mixture. (Cover tightly with foil & Freeze for later OR cook as directed below…).
- (Thaw overnight if frozen) Heat oven to 350ºF. Bake at 350ºF for 25 minutes. Remove from oven; sprinkle with cheese. Cover; let stand 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and serve with fresh chopped lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, black olives, etc…
- Slice the casserole into 6 equal portions. Serving size is 1 slice.Â
Notes
My WW Personal Points: 7 Click here to see in recipe builder (will have to log in)Â
Instead of tortillas add some cooked pasta.Â
Nutrition
- Serving Size: â…™th of the pan
- Calories: 355
- Sugar: 8.2
- Fat: 5.9
- Saturated Fat: 2.2
- Carbohydrates: 52.3
- Fiber: 10.4
- Protein: 26.7
Jennifer says
Are the SmartPoints updated on this as of this year?
Mandee says
Made this tonight and it was a huge hit! I didn't tell anyone it was a WW meal or low sodium until after but that only made them love it more.
I substituted my own spices for the taco packet. I used cumin, paprika, smoked paprika, chili powder, Cayenne, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
Jenna says
There are some people that don't live near a Trader Joe's Alana....
Alana Bermudez says
The recipe states that this is 10 SmartPoints for 6 servings but I say phooey! This can be lightened.
I subbed thus: Mission Extra Thin Tortillas, Trader Joe's 96/4 ground beef, Trader Joe's lite Mexican Blend Cheese, Trader Joe's Simply Sour Cream, Trader Joe's drained Black Beans and their No Sugar Added Whole Kernel Corn.
As run through the Weight Watchers Recipe Builder, with my tweaks, I get FOUR servings for 8 SmartPoints or the original, wimpy 6 servings for 6 SmartPoints.
jen says
One of my favorite recipes! Just stumbled upon your site. Excited to explore other WW recipes.
Angela Sanders says
My 6 year-old son and I made this, leaving out the jalapeños and tomatoes. (I added mine later). He absolutely loved it! I used red onions and cooked them with lean ground beef until they were clear, convincing my finicky little man the onions are transparent and to trust me.
The flavor burst in this recipe is amazing! Calantro sets it off! I'm so thankful! It's guaranteed to be a new family fave...and my little guy's so excited he was able to help along the way. 🙂 Thanks for sharing.
PSG Tröja says
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Jenna says
Sorry, but I have never tried freezing this casserole before.
lisacouture says
I froze this and the tortillas were soggy when I reheated. Any suggestions?
Mary Callahan says
I've been on a low salt diet for 15 years. A good resource is HealthyHeartMarket.com