Easy John Wayne Casserole Recipe

Name: Easy John Wayne Casserole Recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 55 min
Ingredients: 2¼ cups Bisquick; ⅔ cup water; 1 lb ground beef; ½ medium yellow onion (diced, about 1 cup); 1 red bell pepper (sliced); 10 oz Rotel tomatoes (undrained); ¼ cup taco seasoning (or 1 package); ½ cup sour cream (plus more for serving); ½ cup mayonnaise; 2½ cups medium cheddar cheese (shredded and divided); chopped fresh cilantro; sour cream; diced tomatoes; sliced black olives

This amazing Tex-Mex casserole combines layers of ground beef, biscuits and cheese to a delicious family meal everyone will love. It has been around for decades because it's just that good!

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In case you have never tried John Wayne casserole, then it is about time to give this amazingly flavorful and delicious family dinner a whirl. Everyone who loves southwestern cuisine will enjoy eating this quick and easy weeknight dinner. It combines a biscuit base with layers of ground beef, creamy sour cream mixture and lots of melty cheese.

slice of john wayne casserole on a serving spatula

Ground beef and cheese casserole only takes 15 minutes to prepare and is ready to serve in under an hour. It tastes best combined with a potato side, crunchy salad and Mexican condiments such as salsa or guacamole, for example. This is undoubtedly the best version of the original John Wayne casserole recipe. And it’s the perfect dish to bring some new life into Taco Tuesdays.

Table of Contents

What is John Wayne Casserole?

This yummy casserole full of southwestern flavors got its name from the fact that in the 1970s the famous actor John Wayne contributed a version of this easy recipe to a cookbook called “Cooking with Love from Cara and her Friends”. Cara Connery created this charity cookbook for the American Cancer Society. Since then, the recipe has been adapted multiple times but still kept John Wayne’s name. This oven baked casserole is a scrumptious combination of a biscuit base, ground beef taco meat, Rotel tomatoes, bell peppers and lots of cheese.

Notable: everything you love about Tex-Mex food in one scrumptious and easy casserole recipe that will impress the taste buds of your whole family
Main Ingredients: Bisquick, water, ground beef, yellow onion, red bell pepper, Rotel tomatoes, taco seasoning, sour cream, mayonnaise, cheddar cheese
Cooking Method: oven baked
Cooking Time: 15 minutes prep time and 40 minutes bake time
Pairs well with: potatoes, salad, pico de gallo, guacamole
Special Equipment Needed: large skillet, kitchen spatula, 9×13-inch baking dish, large bowl, small mixing bowl

john wayne casserole in a glass baking dish, with some taken out to expose the layers

Ingredients

You may have all of these ingredients for this cheesy casserole in your refrigerator or pantry and not need to make a trip to the grocery store! If this is your first time making this easy ground beef casserole recipe you might want to read the possible variations before deciding on your ingredients.

Biscuit and Taco Casserole Ingredients

2 ¼ cups Bisquick
⅔ cup water
1 lb ground beef
½ medium yellow onion (about 1 cup, diced)
1 red bell pepper (sliced)
1 10 oz. can Rotel tomatoes (undrained)
¼ cup taco seasoning
½ cup sour cream (plus more for serving)
½ cup mayonnaise
2 ½ cups shredded medium cheddar cheese (divided)

Optional Garnish

Fresh parsley or fresh cilantro, chopped fresh tomatoes, sliced black olives, sliced green onions

Variations and Substitutions

Biscuit crust: We love using Bisquick mix for convenience, however, you can try using canned biscuits or homemade biscuit dough as well.

Ground Beef: In case you prefer, substitute ground turkey or ground chicken for the beef.

Taco Seasoning: Use your favorite store-bought brand or make your own taco spice. Both mild and spicy taco seasoning work great with this casserole dish. A ¼ cup taco seasoning is equal to one packet.

Cheese: Substitute medium cheddar with sharp cheddar cheese, pepper jack cheese, or Monterey jack cheese, for example. Additionally you can try using a Mexican cheese blend as well.

Bell Pepper: We used a red bell pepper for this hearty casserole, but you can substitute yellow or green bell peppers in a pinch. In case you like it spicy you can additionally add some green peppers, green chiles or jalapeño peppers, for example.

How To Make Gluten Free

Make this ground beef casserole recipe gluten free by using gluten free biscuit mix. Moreover, make sure your taco seasoning is also gluten free.

Ingredients for john wayne casserole in bowls including: ground beef, shredded cheese, chopped onions, rotel, taco seasoning, sour cream, mayonnaise, bell peppers and bisquick

WHAT TO MAKE NEXT: If you love this easy ground beef casserole recipe, try our Mexican Lasagna Recipe. You’ll love it because this taco casserole combines all your favorite Mexican flavors, such as taco meat, refried beans, salsa, melty cheese and sour cream.

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Casserole Dish — We love using this glass baking dish as it cooks food evenly, you can easily see the food while it cooks and it also looks good as a serving dish.

Instructions

This section shows how to cook John Wayne casserole in the oven, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique. For detailed instructions and nutritional information see the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Prep: Firstly grease a 9×13 casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. Then, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

raw ground beef and chopped onions in a skillet

Step 1: Brown ground beef and chopped onion in a large skillet over medium-high heat until no pink remains and onions have softened. Onions will be translucent.

adding the taco seasoning to browned meat and onions

Step 2: Afterwards add the taco seasoning and mix well.

Step 3: Then add Rotel tomatoes with all the juices and stir to combine. Set meat mixture aside.

Step 4: Afterward mix together biscuit mix and water in a large bowl until a shaggy dough forms.

biscuit dough and cheese in a mixing bowl

Step 5: Then add the cheese and form a cohesive dough. The cheese pieces will break up as you mix.

biscuit mixture pressed into casserole dish (bottom layer of john wayne casserole)

Step 6: Afterward press the biscuit layer evenly into a glass baking dish. It doesn’t need to be totally even or flat.

Step 7: Then add the ground beef mixture on top of the bisquick layer. Make sure to spread it out evenly.

sour cream mixture spread over taco meat layer

Step 8: In a separate bowl, stir together sour cream, mayonnaise, and 1 cup of grated cheese. Then spread the sour cream mixture over the lean ground beef layer.

sliced red bell pepper and cheese spread on top of john wayne casserole

Step 9: Afterwards top the casserole with the sliced bell peppers and the remaining cheese.

Step 10: Finally bake in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, until casserole is bubbly and the cheese is melted.

WHAT TO MAKE NEXT: If you love Mexican inspired one pan meals then you’ll love our Frito Pie with Ground Beef. This yummy, quick and easy comfort food combines perfectly seasoned beef and beans with melty cheese and crispy Frito chips.

Make Ahead

John Wayne casserole tastes best fresh out of the oven, so we do not recommend making it ahead of time. However, you can prepare the ground beef layer ahead of time and then keep it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days before assembling and baking the casserole.

Stef says….

Yummy dinner casseroles are a family favorite in our house. Jalapeño Popper Chicken Casserole and T urkey Enchilada Casserole are two of our other favorite Mexican inspired weeknight dinners.

Recipe Tips

Follow these tips to make the best ground beef casserole recipe.

Tip: Make sure to properly brown the beef and onions. This adds immense flavor to the beef mixture and keeps the meat from drying out.
Tip: In case the biscuit dough is too sticky, place a sheet of parchment paper or plastic wrap over it while pushing it onto the baking dish.
Tip: There are so many variations of this recipe. So feel free to personalize this casserole recipe with all your favorite add-ins.

Serving Suggestions

We love to eat this cheesy beef casserole all by itself. But sometimes you need to serve it as a complete meal. Try one of these delicious recipes:

Salad: Pair John Wayne casserole with a fresh salad. A green salad like our Italian Salad, Stef’s Taco Salad Shells or Andrea’s Greek Salad.

Sides: Traditionally, beef and biscuit casserole is served with a baked potato. You can in fact make this scrumptious side dish in the oven, convection oven, air fryer, Instant Pot, slow cooker, toaster oven, microwave or on the grill. It would taste great with Air Fryer Hasselback Potatoes or Cheesy Hasselback Potatoes.

Sauces: Traditionally, John Wayne casserole is served with Mexican condiments such as guacamole, restaurant style salsa or pico de gallo, for example. It would taste great with mango habanero salsa as well.

More Tex-Mex Inspired Recipes

In case you also love Mexican cuisine as much as we do then you have to try some spicy Sausage Rotel Dip and chips or these crowd pleasing recipes:

How To Store

Refrigerate: Transfer to an airtight container, ziploc bag or wrap tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Then store meat and cheese casserole leftovers in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Freeze: Firstly, let leftover John Wayne casserole cool completely. Then transfer to a freezer-safe container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months.

Defrosting: Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

How To Reheat

You can reheat leftover casserole in the microwave.

slice of john wayne casserole on a plate

Common Questions

Is it possible to add more vegetables to this original recipe?

Yes! As a matter of fact you can add some corn or your favorite kind of bean to the meat filling. We like black beans, pinto beans or kidney beans, for example. Moreover, you can add an additional chopped bell pepper to the ground beef mixture.

I love spicy food. How can I make this dish spicy without compromising the delicious flavor?

There are in fact several ways to add a spicy kick to this yummy dinner. Firstly you can use spicy taco seasoning for the meat, then you can add some chopped green chilies or jalapeno peppers to the sour cream layer and finally you can replace all or half of the cheese in this great recipe with Pepper Jack cheese.

What is a great side dish to serve with this best casserole recipe?

Even though this scrumptious casserole is already a full meal by itself, it goes extremely well with potato sides. We recommend serving baked potatoes, Hasselback potatoes or even tater tots with John Wayne casserole. All these delicious potato dishes cook up to perfection in the air fryer.

Can I make my own taco seasoning mix?

Of course! Our delicious and easy Taco Seasoning recipe only uses simple ingredients. It is a quick blend of chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, oregano, salt and pepper. Additionally, homemade taco spice is so much better than store bought.

Easy John Wayne Casserole Recipe

What is John Wayne Casserole?

Ingredients

Recommended Tools

Instructions

Make Ahead

Recipe Tips

Serving Suggestions

Mild Pico de Gallo Salsa (Chipotle Copycat Recipe)

Convection Oven Baked Potatoes

Easy Guacamole Recipe (No Onion)

Cheesy Hasselback Potatoes

More Tex-Mex Inspired Recipes

Ground Beef Taco Filling

Chili Cheese Dip

Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas

Loaded Beef Nachos

How To Store

How To Reheat

Common Questions