Home » Blog » Course » Main Dish » Easy John Wayne Casserole RecipeEasy John Wayne Casserole Recipe Pin RecipeRate RecipePublished: Feb 16, 2023 by Marlene Wallace · This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our full Disclosure Policy for details. 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! Jump to Recipe 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. Table of Contents What is John Wayne Casserole? Why You’ll Love This Ingredients Recommended ToolsInstructionsMake AheadStef says…. Recipe Tips Serving SuggestionsMore Tex-Mex Inspired RecipesHow To StoreHow To ReheatCommon QuestionsEasy John Wayne Casserole Recipe 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. 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. Why You’ll Love This 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 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. 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. Recommended Tools Links to our favorite tools are affiliate links. If you purchase something through the link we may get a tiny portion of the sale. 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. 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. 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. Step 5: Then add the cheese and form a cohesive dough. The cheese pieces will break up as you mix. 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. 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. 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 Turkey 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. 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 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: Ground Beef Taco Filling Chili Cheese Dip Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas Loaded Beef Nachos 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. 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. 5 from 4 votes Easy John Wayne Casserole Recipe Author Andrea + Stef Course Main Dish Cuisine American, Mexican Prep Time 15 minutes minutes Cook Time 40 minutes minutes Total Time 55 minutes minutes Print Pin Rate 8 servings 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! Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark Equipmentlarge skilletkitchen spatulamixing bowls9x13in baking dish Ingredients 1x2x3x▢ 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 dividedOptional Garnish:▢ chopped fresh cilantro▢ sour cream▢ diced tomatoes▢ sliced black olives InstructionsFirstly grease a 9×13 casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. Then, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.Brown ground beef and chopped onion in a large skillet over medium-high heat until no pink remains and onions have softened. Add the taco seasoning to the meat mixture and stir well. Then add Rotel tomatoes with all the juices and stir to combine. Set meat mixture aside. Afterward mix together biscuit mix and water in a large bowl until a shaggy dough forms. Then add the cheese and form a cohesive dough. Afterward press the biscuit layer evenly into a glass baking dish. Then add the ground beef mixture on top of the bisquick layer. Make sure to spread it out evenly. 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. Top the casserole with the sliced bell peppers and the remaining cheese. Bake in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, until casserole is bubbly and the cheese is melted. Notes You can top each slice of John Wayne casserole with a dollop of sour cream, some diced tomatoes, black olives and chopped cilantro. Salsa, pico de gallo and guacamole are also great sides with this casserole. NutritionCalories: 583kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 91mg | Sodium: 1395mg | Potassium: 364mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 1655IU | Vitamin C: 26mg | Calcium: 350mg | Iron: 3mg Did you create this? Share it on Instagram and follow us on Pinterest for more cleverly simply recipes. Email Recipe Pin Recipe Share Recipe PinShareTweet
Jan Brady says February 24, 2023February 24, 2023 at 10:54 pm Was a hit with my husband. He doesn’t eat onions peppers ect…put diced tomatoes and substituted pinto beans for the peppers. Huge win! Cut dough in half and made 2…I love me some spicy….lol Reply