Cheesy Hamburger Casserole is packed with Tex-Mex flavors, crunchy chips, and a mouthwatering sauce! This quick and easy dinner is a family favorite, and perfect for any busy weeknight!
Hamburger Casserole:
This family-friendly dinner recipe takes an easy classic casserole and adds a Southwest Tex-Mex twist for extra flavor. I think of this as a combination between a casserole and a walking taco, as the noodles commonly found in this dish are replaced with chips and there’s a “build your own” element at the end. This Cheesy Hamburger Casserole is an easy layered casserole that comes together in minutes. The burger should be pre-cooked and seasoned and the sauce requires a few minutes of prep, but otherwise, there’s little work in this recipe. It’s a great way to use make ahead Crockpot Taco Meat, too!
The layers are – crushed chips, hamburger meat, ranch style beans, sauce, rotel, and cheese. Pop it in the oven and enjoy warm! From there, you can get creative with your toppings. Avocados or homemade Guacamole, and of course Pico De Gallo, sour cream, salsa, green onions, MORE cheese, olives….get creative! Anything that you would put on a hamburger or taco is game as a topping to this cheesy casserole. Part of the reason my family loves it so much is that the kids enjoy creating their own special dinner with all of the toppings.
Recipe Tips and Tricks:
- Since there is a sauce in this Cheesy Hamburger Casserole, I recommend using an 80/20 ground beef or leaner. Be sure to drain the grease before incorporating the beef into the recipe.
- You can substitute chicken bouillon cubes for the chicken broth or stock. If you do this, prepare broth according to the package directions to make two cup’s worth.
- 4 Cups of coarsely crushed chips layer the pan perfectly, but normally I just dump out enough chips to cover the bottom of the pan and crush them with my hands. It saves a step and less mess to clean up!
- If you want to drizzle part of your sauce mixture on top a dressed-up casserole look- I recommend using a piping bag with the small round tip (size 3 works great!) Or you can cut a tiny hole in the corner of a zip-lock bag if you do not have cake piping tools.
- This recipe works great if you have stale chips that you didn’t get to finish. Especially if it is the bottom of the bag where the chips are no longer whole!
- Slightly draining your Ranch Style Beans and Rotel will assist with your chips staying as crisp as possible.
- This casserole can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. I store the casserole and any potential toppings separately, as you’ll want to reheat the casserole but not any of the toppings you may have used.
Enjoy!
~Nichole
Cheesy Hamburger Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Chicken Broth
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Pepper
- ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 3 Tablespoons All Purpose Flour
- ½ Cup Sour Cream
- 4 Cups Coarsely Crushed Tortilla Chips
- 2 Pounds Ground Beef cooked, crumbled, and drained
- 1 15 Ounce Can Ranch Style Beans
- 1 10 Ounce Can Rotel
- 1 8 Ounce Package Mexican style four cheese finely shredded
Additional Toppings (Optional)
Instructions
- In a small bowl or measuring cup combine the chicken broth, salt, pepper and garlic. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan or skillet, heat olive oil on medium heat. Whisk in flour continuously stirring until oil and flour have a smooth thick consistency (about 2-3 minutes).
- Reduce heat to medium-low and pour in the sauce mixture from step 1, stirring until thicken (about 3-5 minutes).
- Remove from heat and fold in sour cream. Set aside. (Optional remove ¼ cup of sauce to use to drizzle across the top)
- Grease the bottom of a 9x13 in baking dish and layer the following ingredients in the pan: Chips, browned hamburger meat, ranch style beans, sauce, rotel, and cheese.
- Bake at 350° F for 12-15 minutes until cheese is fully melted. Serve immediately. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
