John Wayne Casserole is a famous dish with tasty layers of ground beef combined with cheese, green peppers, and other veggies for an amazingly easy weeknight meal.
You're going to want to add this cheesy casserole recipe to your meal plan!
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If you love casseroles as much as we do, then you won’t want to miss this bubbly, cheesy, and spicy biscuit casserole that creates all the best Tex-Mex flavors in one casserole.
Made with layers of flaky biscuit crust and layers of cheese, beef, and veggies, it’s a great recipe for any potluck or family dinner. Plus, this easy recipe is easy to freeze and great for leftovers, too.
Ingredients
Here are the simple ingredients you need to make this easy casserole:
- Ground Beef - This recipe can be made with ground turkey, ground chicken, ground pork, or plant-based protein instead of beef if you prefer.
- Taco Seasoning - You can use either homemade or store-bought taco seasoning.
- Refrigerator Biscuits - Look for the large biscuits in the refrigerated section of your grocery store.
- Sour Cream - Low-fat or regular sour cream will both work in this recipe.
- Mayonnaise - This adds creaminess to the sauce.
- Cheddar Cheese - I like sharp cheddar cheese. For a spicier kick, substitute some or all of the cheddar for pepper jack cheese.
- Onion - Use yellow onions or sweet onions.
- Bell Pepper - You can use any color bell pepper.
- Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies - I use the mild version of Rotel, but you can choose any variety you like.
This is meant to be a brief overview of this great recipe. For step-by-step instructions and a full printable recipe card with ingredients, please scroll down to the teal box below.
How to Make John Wayne Casserole
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Tips & Variations
- Be sure the biscuit layer is cooked just right before you add the ground beef mixture on top.
- If you don't have canned biscuits, you can use Bisquick mix to make the biscuit base.
- You can substitute the canned tomatoes and green chiles with 2 fresh tomatoes and jalapeño peppers slices if you like.
- For a shortcut, use leftover taco meat.
Out of something you need? Check out our free ingredient substitutions printable!
Storage
To Store: Leftover John Wayne casserole can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. (These are my favorite airtight containers.)
To Reheat: Microwave individual portions in 30-second intervals until heated throughout.
Serving Suggestions
This hearty casserole is a complete meal in itself. Sometimes I top it with chopped fresh herbs, black olives, or sliced avocado.
To offset the richness of this cheesy casserole, serve with a fresh salad.
Similar Recipes
Next time you're looking for a beefy casserole recipe, try one of these delicious recipes:
- hamburger and potato casserole
- Philly cheesesteak casserole
- big mac casserole
- Greek spaghetti casserole
- carnitas casserole
- walking taco casserole
- cowboy cornbread casserole
And if you love beef casserole recipes, check out this collection of easy ground beef casseroles.
Related: chili cheese casserole with tater tots
Not ready to make this beef casserole recipe yet?
When you do make your own John Wayne Casserole, please come back and comment and leave me a 5-star rating below! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
John Wayne Casserole
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Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef browned and drained
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning store bought or homemade
- 1 cup water
- 16 ounce large refridgerator biscuits
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 8 ounces cheddar cheese shredded and divided
- 1 medium onion halved and sliced
- 1 medium red or green bell pepper halved and sliced
- 15 oz diced tomatoes and green chilies a typical Rotel can
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 F and move the oven rack to the center.
- Prepare a 13x9 casserole dish by spraying it with non-stick cooking spray.
- Place the biscuits in a single layer in the prepared dish.16 ounce large refridgerator biscuits
- Press the biscuits into the pan, joining them together as a single unit. Make sure to press the dough halfway up the sides of the pan to create your crust.
- Place the pan on a baking sheet and bake the dough for 12-15 minutes. Check every few minutes after 12. Your dough should be light brown, and the edges are just starting to color.
- Remove from the oven and set aside, but leave the oven on.
- While your biscuits are baking, combine your browned ground beef with taco seasoning and water. Cook according to the packet instructions.2 pounds ground beef, 2 tablespoons taco seasoning, 1 cup water
- Transfer your cooked taco meat to a bowl and set aside.
- Wipe down the pan.
- Combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, half of the cheddar cheese, and half of the onions in another bowl. Stir well and set aside.½ cup sour cream, ½ cup mayonnaise, 8 ounces cheddar cheese, 1 medium onion
- Saute the remaining onions and green peppers along with the diced tomatoes and green chilies in the taco meat pan until slightly tender.1 medium onion, 1 medium red or green bell pepper, 15 oz diced tomatoes and green chilies
- On the baked biscuit crust, layer the ingredients in the following order: taco meat, tomato slices, bell pepper, and onion mixture, Jalapeno peppers, sour cream mixture, and sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese8 ounces cheddar cheese
- Bake uncovered for 30-40 minutes or until the edges of the dough are browned, and the cheese is melted.
Equipment
Nutrition
Meal Planning
Want to add this recipe to your meal plan? Download our free printable meal plan here.
Check out Meal Plan 34 which includes this delicious recipe along with:
... and more!
Malcolm McKay says
Absolutely useless recipe. No conventional list of ingredients. Complete waste of time.
Ang Paris says
I'm sorry didn't find our site useful. Next time, I suggest you use the Jump to Recipe link at the top of the page which will take you directly to the recipe card. There's also a note right under the list of ingredients in the post with the link.
Ang Paris says
Thank you for catching the typo! We have corrected it. You place the biscuits into the prepared 9x13 baking dish to make the biscuit crust.
Penny Alexander says
We liked the flavor of this recipe. This is a good casserole to make for big families.
Ang Paris says
Thanks for your feedback 🙂