Go Back
–+ servings

Easy & Healthy Mexican Ground Beef Casserole

This easy & healthy Mexican ground beef casserole is bound to become one of your family's favorite recipes! This casserole packs so much flavor and nutrition in every bite. Perfect for feeding a crowd and makes delicious leftovers!
5 from 3 votes
Print Pin
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 8 -10 servings
Author: TheAmericanPatriette

Ingredients

  • 1.5 c dry uncooked quinoa
  • 3 c chicken broth
  • 1 lb lean ground beef
  • 1 sweet or yellow onion diced
  • 1-1.5 c diced assorted peppers any combo of red, green, yellow, or orange bell peppers/sweet peppers
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • Dash of salt to taste
  • 1 15 oz can black beans drained and rinsed
  • 1 15 oz can pinto beans drained and rinsed
  • ¾ c cottage cheese
  • ¾ c sour cream
  • 1.5 c shredded Mexican blend or cheddar cheese
  • Toppings: sliced black olives shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, sliced avocados, chopped cilantro, little bit of lime juice***

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350.
  • Cook quinoa according to package directions in the chicken broth (instead of water)*
  • In the meantime, begin to brown the beef over medium heat in a large skillet.
  • Add in diced onion to the beef and continue cooking until beef is cooked and onion is soft –about 8 minutes.
  • Add in diced peppers and cook those until soft, about 5-8 minutes.
  • Stir in seasonings & beans.
  • Stir in cooked quinoa with the beef/bean mixture.
  • Stir in half of the shredded cheese.
  • Lightly spray a 9x13 casserole pan. Pour in half of the quinoa/beef/bean mixture.
  • In a separate bowl, stir together the cottage cheese & sour cream, and pour that mixture on top of the quinoa layer. Spread evenly around.
  • Add the second half of the quinoa mixture. Top with remaining shredded cheese.
  • Bake uncovered for 20 minutes.
  • Remove from oven, and sprinkle toppings on top.**

Notes

  1. This makes DELICIOUS leftovers! :)
  2. You can easily transform this from a casserole into a taco filling. Just spoon some of this down the middle of flour or corn tortillas, and boom - instant tacos!
*When I cook quinoa, I always add quinoa + chicken broth in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. When the liquid starts to bubble, I turn the heat down to medium low, cover with a lid, and set the timer for 10 minutes. Quinoa is always fully cooked after that!
**When I make this, we almost always have enough for leftovers, so I usually just add toppings to the portion I think we're going to eat that evening. Since you want the toppings to be fresh (and not reheated in the microwave), I'd suggest only adding toppings to the section you're going to eat, that way it's easier to reheat the leftover casserole later. Then, add more toppings to the portion you reheat.
***If you want to include some lime, you can either lightly drizzle lime juice over the top of the toppings once they're on the casserole, or you can mix the toppings together in a separate bowl, add some lime juice, stir, and then sprinkle on top of the casserole.