This Mexican casserole is made with chicken, vegetables, tortillas and cheese, all in a zesty creamy sauce. An easy dinner to feed a crowd, and it takes just minutes to put together!
When life gets really busy, I look for meal options that can be assembled ahead of time to make dinner time a little easier. This Mexican casserole can be made up to one day before you plan to serve it. When you’re ready to eat, just bake and enjoy!
This post is sponsored by the National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Dinner at the Zoo possible!
This year, one of my New Year’s Resolutions is to do more meal prep. I often find myself scurrying to come up with a dinner plan an hour before it’s time to eat, and that can be stressful to say the least! I’m taking the time to assemble as many meals as possible in advance, like this cheesy, hearty Mexican casserole.
How do you make Mexican casserole?
This recipe starts with cooked chicken and a bag of frozen vegetables. You can use leftover chicken, roasted chicken, rotisserie chicken, whatever you have on hand! The chicken and vegetables are mixed together along with a can of enchilada sauce and some sour cream to form the base of the casserole. The chicken mixture is alternated with layers of flour tortillas and cheese for the ultimate casserole.
I use The Ultimate Southwest Blend of frozen veggies, which is a combination of corn, black beans, peppers and onions. It eliminates the need to chop a bunch of ingredients which is perfect for when you’re in a hurry. Not only that, but frozen vegetables are picked at the peak of freshness, which means they make for delicious meals. I often rely on frozen vegetables for cooking because they’re convenient, nutritious and there are so many different varieties. There are literally thousands of different frozen products, from frozen fruits and veggies to desserts. I also feel like I’m getting a great value with frozen foods, as I can just use what I need and put the rest back in the freezer for later use; no more worrying about using produce before it spoils!
I incorporated a few products from the dairy aisle into this recipe because they’re a wholesome choice for my family. Dairy products contain real ingredients and are high in protein and calcium, perfect for my growing children. With such a wide variety of choices, there are so many different ways to add a little dairy into every day cooking!
Tips for Mexican Casserole
- I use flour tortillas in this casserole because my family prefers them. That being said, you can substitute corn tortillas, or even do a layer of crushed tortilla chips.
- To make this casserole in advance, assemble all the layers, then cover the casserole dish with foil and refrigerate for up to one day. When it’s time to eat, follow the baking instructions in the recipe, but add 15 minutes more to the bake time to compensate for starting with a cold casserole.
- You can serve your casserole as-is, or add some toppings such as diced tomatoes, cilantro, lettuce, sour cream, avocado or sliced olives.
Mexican casserole variations
Sometimes I make this casserole with different ingredients, depending on what I have on hand. You can easily customize this recipe to your family’s tastes!
- Beef: Use 1 1/2 pounds cooked ground beef instead of chicken.
- Taco Casserole: Use 1 1/2 cups taco sauce instead of enchilada sauce.
- Spicy: Use hot enchilada sauce and try Kraft Pepper Jack shredded cheese instead of Mexican Style.
This recipe is perfect for feeding a crowd. The recipe can easily be doubled to feed a bigger group, or if you have a smaller family, you can halve the recipe and bake it in an 8-inch square pan.
Looking for more quick and easy dinner options? Be sure to check out the Easy Home Meals website by NFRA for more great recipe ideas.
More casserole recipes you’ll love
- Hashbrown Casserole
- Chicken and Rice Casserole
- Chile Relleno Casserole
- Mexican Casserole
- Beef Noodle Casserole
Mexican Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 14 ounce bag Birdseye C&W Ultimate Southwest Blend
- 4 cups cooked, diced chicken
- 10 ounce can mild enchilada sauce
- 1 cup sour cream plus more for garnish
- 8 ounce bag Mexican Style Shredded Cheese
- 8 flour tortillas soft taco size, cut into squares
- 3/4 cup tomatoes seeded and diced
- 2 tablespoons cilantro leaves chopped
- cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 2 or 3 quart casserole dish with cooking spray.
- Melt the butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add the bag of vegetables and cook for 3-4 minutes or until thawed.
- Add the chicken to the pan and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes or until warmed through.
- Place the chicken and vegetables in a large bowl. Add the enchilada sauce, sour cream, and half of the bag of cheese. Stir to combine.
- Spread 1/3 of the tortilla pieces in the bottom of the dish. Add half of the chicken mixture, then top with another 1/3 of the tortillas.
- Add the remaining chicken, then top with the rest of the tortillas. Sprinkle the remaining shredded cheese over the top.
- Cover the dish with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until casserole is bubbly and cheese is melted.
- Top with tomatoes and cilantro, then serve.
Rodd says
love the concept of this recipe.Used leftover chalupa in place of the chicken and beans,turned out yummy.
Deb says
This is one of my favorite casseroles! So yummy and cheesy! I’ve frozen it and it was still good!
Nikki Krakauer aka “JustTabandMe” says
I suspect your family enjoys Mexican food just as much as I and my grown children do! I have tried your Chicken Enchilada casserole VERY much, and found this recipe to be almost the same. However, I admit, I prefer the chicken Enchiladas best! Not exactly sure why though! But best thing is, I have *lots* of frozen Mexican meals in my freezer! AND, one of them, 1/2 serving size, got paired with my already frozen 1/2 portion of the other! It’s next in line for next weeks meal rotation!! I may need to amend my review of this one! Thanks for posting this! Blessings!!!
StylishGeek says
This Mexican casserole is a fantastic recipe! It has all the ingredients that I want! I have to make it! Thanks for sharing your post!
Autumn Murray says
This Mexican Casserole recipe looks like a delicious change up in my weekly menu plan. Thank you!
Becca Wilson says
Casseroles are so very easy and I love how delicious the combos can be. I have never made a mexican casserole before but my family would love this!
Bryan says
This looks delicious! I feel like there’s a lot of flavor in this casserole. I think I’ll add jalapenos to this recipe too, thank you. Great recipe!
Kiwi says
I love Mexican food and I would love to recreate this. I would have to make this vegetarian style no chicken.
Marcie W. says
Wow, this casserole looks super delicious. Love all of the veggies involved too!
Sharon Wu says
ahhh i think i know what i’m making for dinner tonight. this looks absolutely scrumptious and i know my bf would love it too. thank you for sharing! xx
Amy says
Wow, this looks so scrumptious!! I totally need some of this in my life. Cheese is everything!
Brianne Tursi Manz says
I’m all about that cheese! This is an awesome dish, that I know my family would absolutely love!
Stacie says
That looks fantastic! I love that cheesy goodness on the top. My family would love this.