Pioneer Woman Mexican Beef Casserole Recipes

NACHO CHEESE CASSEROLE

Steps:

• For the sauce: In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the vegetable oil and flour. Cook, whisking, until it begins to bubble; let it bubble for 1 minute. Pour in the enchilada sauce, chicken broth, cumin and some salt and pepper. Raise the heat and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer while you prepare the meat.
• For the meat: Brown the ground beef with the garlic and onions in a large skillet over medium-high heat, 5 to 8 minutes. Drain the fat and stir in the cumin and salt to combine. Stir the meat into the simmering sauce and shut off the heat.
• For the casserole: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease one 9-by-13-inch aluminum foil baking dish and one 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray.
• Break up the chips by crushing the bag slightly with your hands. Make sure not to over crush the chips; you're looking for pieces, not crumbs. Mix together the cheeses in a medium bowl.
• Divide a third of the broken chips between the prepared baking dishes. Top each with a quarter of the beef mixture and 2/3 cup of the cheese. Repeat, adding another layer of chips, beef mix and cheese to each. Finish by dividing the remaining chips between the baking dishes. Top each with 2/3 cup cheese.
• Cover the glass baking dish with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake until bubbly, another 15 to 20 minutes.
• For the toppings: Top the cooked casserole with the shredded romaine, diced Roma tomatoes, sour cream and sliced black olives and green onions before serving.
• Allow the aluminum foil baking dish to cool completely while the other is baking. Once cool, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and foil. Transfer to the freezer.
• To bake from frozen, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Unwrap the baking dish and re-cover with foil. Bake, covered, for 35 to 40 minutes. Uncover and bake until bubbly, 15 to 20 minutes. Top with another batch of the toppings.

TEX MEX MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Combine the ground beef, bread crumbles, milk, cilantro, parsley, chili powder, cumin, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Mix together well with your hands. Scoop out 1-tablespoon portions, then place 1 piece of cubed pepper jack into each portion and roll them into balls with your hands. Place the meatballs on the lined baking sheets and freeze for the meatballs to firm up, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Heat the olive oil in a heavy pot or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs in 5 batches of 25, making sure not to overcrowd the pot. Cook, turning the meatballs to make sure they brown all over, 5 to 7 minutes per batch. Drain on paper towels. Serve over rice, in tacos or as appetizers, recipes follow.
• To freeze: Put the cooked meatballs in a single layer on lined baking sheets and put in the freezer. Once frozen, divide them into freezer bags, about 25 per bag, and return them to the freezer.
• To reheat: Place the frozen meatballs on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes.
• For meatballs over rice (8 servings): Divide 2 cups cooked rice among 8 serving plates. Top with 3 meatballs each, then spoon on 2 tablespoons salsa and 2 tablespoons sour cream on each. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and add a wedge of lime to each plate.
• For meatball tacos (8 servings): Warm 8 large soft corn tortillas in a microwave, about 30 seconds. Put one on each serving plate, then top each with 2 tablespoons shredded iceberg lettuce, 3 meatballs, 2 tablespoons grated Cheddar and 2 tablespoons pico de gallo. Fold up and serve.
• For meatball appetizers (25 meatballs): Pour 1 1/2 cups guacamole into a bowl. Put the bowl on a platter and surround the bowl with 25 meatballs. Stick toothpicks into some of the meatballs. Put some spare toothpicks in a container and put on the platter. Garnish with cilantro leaves.

MEXICAN RICE CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Heat the oil in a large dutch oven and add the garlic and onions. Cook, 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and add the rice. Stir constantly, making sure the rice doesn't burn. Cook over low heat, about 3 minutes.
• Next, add the whole tomatoes, diced tomatoes, cumin, salt, pepper, cayenne and turmeric. Stir to combine and let cook, about 2 minutes. Finally, add the chicken broth and stir the mixture together. Bring the mixture to a boil, and then reduce heat to low. Cover, and simmer until the rice is not quite done, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Top with the cheese, and then bake with the lid off until the cheese is melted and the rice fully cooked, about 15 minutes. Serve with chopped cilantro.

MEXICAN TORTILLA CASSEROLE

Steps:

• In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the tomatoes, onion and garlic, stir and cook for a minute or two to soften the onion. Add 2 teaspoons of the chili powder, 1 teaspoon of the paprika and 1 teaspoon of the cumin. Stir and cook the mixture for another minute or two to release the flavors of the spices. Remove the mixture to a bowl and set aside.
• In the same skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the chicken along with the remaining 2 teaspoons chili powder, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon cumin and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Saute the chicken until it's deep golden brown and done in the middle, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add 1 cup water and stir to make a sauce. Bring the sauce to a boil and cook until it's reduced by half, about 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the beans and set aside.
• To assemble the casserole, pour half a jar (about 1 cup) of salsa verde into the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch casserole dish or disposable foil baking pan. Add a layer of half the tortillas on top of the salsa verde, overlapping the edges. Spoon the rice over the tortillas, spread the tomato mixture over the rice, then sprinkle the corn over the tomatoes. Next, add the chicken and bean mixture, then sprinkle on half the cheese and pour over half the enchilada sauce. Next, add the rest of the tortillas, then pour on the rest of the salsa verde and the rest of the enchilada sauce and sprinkle on the rest of the cheese.
• If you're baking the casserole right away, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and bake, covered with foil, for 20 minutes. Then remove the foil and continue baking for 15 to 20 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Serve with sour cream and cilantro.
• Find this recipe and more in Ree's new book, The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Dinnertime ($30, William Morrow Cookbooks).

BIRRIA TACOS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
• For the beef: Combine the ancho, New Mexico and de arbol chiles, tomatoes, onion, garlic and beef broth in a large pot. Place over medium heat and bring to a gentle simmer. Continue to simmer for 12 to 14 minutes while you sear the beef.
• Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season the chuck roast with salt and pepper. In two batches, sear the beef, browning on all sides, about 6 minutes per batch. Transfer the beef to a plate.
• Using an immersion blender, blend the chile and tomato mixture until smooth.
• Add the blended sauce to the Dutch oven, scraping the pan to release any bits stuck to the bottom. Add the meat back to the pot with any juices from the plate. Add the apple cider vinegar, coriander, cumin, dried oregano, cinnamon sticks and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer, cover and transfer to the oven. Cook until the beef is very tender, about 3 hours.
• Remove the beef to a bowl and shred with 2 forks. Set aside.
• For the tacos: To build the tacos, grab a tortilla and dip it in the warm braising liquid. Lay the tortilla on a griddle over medium heat, top with a couple of tablespoons of the mozzarella and 2 to 3 heaping tablespoons of the beef. Add a little onion and cilantro, then fold in half to close. Repeat with 3 more tortillas.
• Cook the tacos on the griddle until crisp, 30 to 45 seconds per side. Remove to a platter and squeeze over the lime juice. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and serve with the braising liquid on the side for dipping.

MEXICAN BEEF AND RICE CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Spray a 9x13-inch casserole dish with cooking spray.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and start to brown, then add onion, garlic, and taco seasoning. Cook until beef is no longer pink, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain and discard any excess oil. Add beans, tomatoes, spinach, chicken broth, 1 cup Mexican blend cheese, rice, and salsa. Pour into the prepared casserole dish.
• Bake in the preheated oven until rice is cooked, 45 to 50 minutes. Take out of the oven, sprinkle with remaining cheese, and bake until cheese is melted, about 10 minutes more.

EASY MEXICAN CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook ground beef until no longer pink. Stir in salsa, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed. Stir in beans, and heat through.
• Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Spread crushed tortilla chips in dish, and then spoon beef mixture over chips. Spread sour cream over beef, and sprinkle olives, green onion, and tomato over the sour cream. Top with Cheddar cheese.
• Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.