Cheesy Mexican beef and bean bake

A bubbly casserole of sorts, this Mexican beef and legume is similar a baked mentation of chilli con carne with tons of melty food – but faster to make. Think of it similar your eventual all-purpose Mexican beef – worldly successful tacos, DIY burrito wraps, dunk with maize chips – similar nachos!

Cheesy Mexican beef and legume bake

I can’t retrieve however this Mexican beef and legume crockery archetypal came to be. All I cognize is that erstwhile it came retired of the oven successful each its bubbly, melty cheesy glory, I wanted to get stuck into instantly but paralysed with indecision for how. So galore options!

Like chili, with a lukewarm tortillas connected the broadside for dunking??

OR with maize chips, deconstructed nachos style?

Making stuffed tortilla pillows?? Which, I realised, is conscionable a burrito actually. 😂 *Light-bulb-moment* DIY burritos! Add a heap of lukewarm tortillas, sour pick + guacamole oregon speedy avocado sauce for dunking. Everybody marque your own!

All-inclusive-taco filling? So juicy and cheesy already, it’s similar a bully ole’ classical beef mince taco filling + taco condiment + cheese, each rolled into one. Efficiency, for the win!

Then different light-bulb moment. This is similar the eventual all-purpose Mexican beef filling!! It’s astir a small concerning however excited I was erstwhile I came to this conclusion. Good nutrient has a wont of doing that to me. 🤭

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What you request for Mexican beef and beans

Here’s what you request to marque this Mexican beef and legume bake:

This is simply a casual, rustic crockery – which means, tons of flexibility. I’m not truthful relaxed with substitutions for immoderate recipes, truthful instrumentality it erstwhile you can! 😂

• Ground beef / beef mince – Or chicken, turkey oregon pork. Any of these would work. (Even lamb actually).

• Red onion – Or mean brownish / yellowish onions.

• Green capsicum (bell pepper) – Or different colour capsicum, oregon different sauté-able vegetables similar diced zucchini/courgette, carrot, greenish beans (chopped), corn. Even a cupful of diced mixed frozen vegetables would enactment here!

• Red kidney beans – Or achromatic beans (on taxable with Mexican food), oregon immoderate different beans of choice. Or, much vegetables.

• Tomato passata – This is pureed, strained herb that is smooth, alternatively than lump similar canned tomato. Substituted with crushed canned tomato, oregon what’s called tomato sauce oregon tomato puree successful the US (eg Hunts).

• Pickled jalapeno – Adds a sprinkle of spiciness positive tang due to the fact that it’s pickled which is bully successful this beefy dish. Canned chopped greenish chillies would beryllium an fantabulous sub present (but this is simply a US thing, hoping it becomes a staple present successful Australia 1 of these days!).

• Garlic – Can’t beryllium flexible here!

• Cheese – Definitely not flexible here! Well, not flexible astir the inclusion of immoderate signifier of melting cheese. I’ve opted for Colby – adds flavour, melts well, gets a bully spot of aureate colour connected the surface, not excessively greasy. Feel escaped to usage immoderate of choice. If you usage mozzarella, I’d suggest adding a sprinkling of parmesan connected apical (because mozzarella, portion it melts beautifully, doesn’t person a overmuch flavour).

The Mexican spice mix

And here’s what you request for the homemade Mexican spice mix. Some Mexican recipes I stock person a longer database of spices. For me, this is astir the minimum you tin spell without the flavour missing something. All staple spices! (You tin substitute smoked paprika with plain).

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How to marque Cheesy Mexican beef and beans

It’s similar chili cone carne – but faster to marque due to the fact that by finishing it disconnected successful the oven with a generous sprinkling of cheese, we tin skip the stove simmer.

1. Sauté the onion, ail and capsicum first. Use an ovenproof skillet. Pictured is my much-loved 26cm / 10.5″Lodge formed robust skillet (my indispensable kitchenware database is here!).

2. Cook the beef, breaking it up arsenic you go.

3. Toast the spices with the beef. Good mode to bring retired flavour successful spices positive get amended flavour into beef mince / crushed beef – FAST.

4. Add beans and herb passata, springiness it a bully premix past bring to a simmer.

5. Top with cheese past cook for 15 minutes conscionable to melt the cheese.

6. Remove from oven and commencement the agonising process of deciding however to service it! Tacos? Corn spot dunking? Burrito stuffing? ENCHILADAS? Nachos?? #FirstWorldProblems

Sides / toppings

Pictured successful station for serving successful each the supra listed forms are:

• Guacamole, and sometimes avocado sauce (essentially a smooth, faster mentation of guac)

• Pico de gallo (fresh herb salsa). Also this pureed herb salsa would beryllium great.

• Sour pick (sub yogurt)

• Fresh coriander/cilantro

• Tortillas – tiny ones and larger enchilada size ones (for making tiny burritos).

• Corn chips – for dunking

Other fantabulous options includes:

• Mexican reddish rice, plain achromatic rice (or brown, oregon cauliflower rice if you’re doing the low-carb thing). Rice successful bowls past smother with the Mexican beef and beans.

• And….. eeer… I’m stuck. Help?

– Nagi x

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Watch however to marque it

Life of Dozer

Dozer’s thought of obeying my bid to enactment extracurricular the shop.

The station Cheesy Mexican beef and legume bake appeared archetypal connected RecipeTin Eats.