Description
Cattle Drive Casserole is a hearty and flavorful layered dish perfect for family dinners. This recipe combines seasoned ground beef, sautéed vegetables, a biscuit base, and creamy sour cream topping with cheese and salsa, baked to bubbly perfection for a comforting Tex-Mex inspired casserole.
Ingredients
Scale
Meat and Vegetables
- 1.5 pounds Lean Ground Beef
- 1 Red Bell Pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1 Yellow Onion, chopped
- 1 ounce Taco Seasoning Mix
Biscuit Layer
- 2 ½ cups Biscuit Mix (such as Bisquick)
- 1 cup Water
- Cooking Spray (such as Pam)
Sour Cream Layer
- ½ cup Sour Cream
- ½ cup Mayonnaise
- 4 ounces Diced Green Chiles, drained
- 1 ½ cups Cheddar Cheese, Fiesta Blend, shredded, divided
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ½ cup Salsa, mild
Instructions
- Preheat the Oven: Set your oven to 350℉ to prepare for baking both the biscuit base and final casserole.
- Cook the Ground Beef: Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef, breaking it apart with a spoon. Cook until no pink remains, stirring occasionally. Drain excess fat. You can prepare biscuit dough in the meantime.
- Prepare the Biscuit Dough: In a medium bowl, combine the biscuit mix and water. Stir or knead with hands until well blended. Spray a 9×13-inch casserole dish with cooking spray and evenly press the dough into the dish. Bake for 5-8 minutes until set and lightly golden. Remove and keep oven on.
- Cook the Vegetables: Add chopped onion and red bell pepper to the cooked beef in the skillet. Stir and cook for about 4 minutes until softened. Stir in taco seasoning, then remove from heat.
- Assemble the Layers: Spread the ground beef and vegetable mixture evenly over the baked biscuit crust in the casserole dish.
- Prepare the Sour Cream Layer: In a medium bowl, mix sour cream, mayonnaise, drained green chiles, ¾ cup shredded cheese, and garlic powder until smooth. Carefully spread this mixture evenly over the beef layer.
- Add Salsa and Cheese: Place small spoonfuls of salsa on top of the sour cream layer without spreading. Sprinkle the remaining ¾ cup shredded cheese evenly over the salsa.
- Bake: Return the casserole to the oven, uncovered, and bake for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly with golden cheese topping.
Notes
- You can substitute biscuit mix with homemade biscuit dough if preferred.
- For a spicier version, use medium or hot salsa instead of mild.
- Make sure to drain excess fat from beef to keep casserole from being greasy.
- If you like, add jalapeños or black olives in the sour cream layer for extra flavor.
- Leftovers store well refrigerated for up to 3 days and reheat thoroughly before eating.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/8 of casserole
- Calories: 420
- Sugar: 4g
- Sodium: 650mg
- Fat: 28g
- Saturated Fat: 12g
- Unsaturated Fat: 13g
- Trans Fat: 0.5g
- Carbohydrates: 22g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 22g
- Cholesterol: 75mg
