My sister taught me this little secret years ago, back when our kids were small and the days felt too short to fuss with chopping and simmering. She called it her “no-work Sunday supper” – just four humble ingredients layered in a pan and baked until it comes out bubbling, hearty, and smelling like you spent all afternoon in the kitchen.
Homestyle beef enchilada casserole cooling on a country kitchen counter
Homestyle beef enchilada casserole cooling on a country kitchen counter
This oven baked 4-ingredient beef enchilada casserole isn’t authentic to any region of Mexico, but it’s very true to Midwestern farm kitchens: practical, filling, and meant to feed a hungry crowd with almost no prep work at all. You open a few packages, brown some meat, and let the oven do the rest.
I like to scoop this casserole into shallow bowls so all those layers of tortillas, saucy beef, and melted cheddar stay nestled together. It’s plenty filling on its own, but it plays nicely with simple sides: a crisp green salad with ranch dressing, a bowl of corn or green beans, or even some buttered canned corn if that’s what you have.
Served casserole portion in a shallow bowl with simple supper sides
Served casserole portion in a shallow bowl with simple supper sides
Put out sour cream, jarred salsa, and a few sliced green onions if you want to dress it up a bit, and serve with tall glasses of iced tea or cold milk, just like we did on the farm after evening chores.
Oven Baked 4-Ingredients Beef Enchilada Casserole
Servings: 6
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 teaspoon salt (optional, to season the beef)
10 ounces red enchilada sauce (1 small can, mild or medium)
10–12 small corn tortillas (about 6-inch size)
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Four simple casserole ingredients arranged on a kitchen table
Four simple casserole ingredients arranged on a kitchen table
Directions
Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish; a white dish looks especially pretty with the red sauce and golden cheese.
Place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and break it up with a spoon as it cooks. Cook until the beef is no longer pink and any liquid has mostly cooked off, about 7–10 minutes.
Ground beef browning in a skillet on the stove
Ground beef browning in a skillet on the stove
Season the cooked beef with the salt if using, then pour in the enchilada sauce. Stir well so all the meat is coated and the mixture is evenly saucy. Turn off the heat and let it sit while you get the tortillas and cheese ready.
Lay 5–6 corn tortillas in the bottom of the prepared baking dish, tearing a few if needed so you have a fairly even layer covering most of the surface.
Spoon half of the beef and sauce mixture over the tortillas, spreading it out to the edges. Sprinkle with about half of the shredded cheddar cheese, making a generous, even layer.
First layer of casserole assembled with tortillas beef and cheese
First layer of casserole assembled with tortillas beef and cheese
Add a second layer of corn tortillas over the cheese, again tearing as needed to mostly cover the surface. Top with the remaining beef and sauce mixture, spreading it evenly. Finish with the rest of the shredded cheddar cheese, covering the top well so it melts into a bubbly, golden blanket.
Cover the baking dish loosely with foil, tenting it slightly so it doesn’t stick to the cheese. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, then remove the foil and bake another 10–15 minutes, or until the casserole is hot all the way through and the cheese on top is melted and starting to brown around the edges.
Casserole fresh from the oven with browned cheese on top
Casserole fresh from the oven with browned cheese on top
Remove the casserole from the oven and let it rest for at least 10 minutes. This helps the layers set up so you can scoop out nice portions instead of everything sliding apart.
