If you are searching for an easy casserole recipe, you are going to love this John Wayne Casserole. It’s packed full of savory beef and veggies, with a golden brown biscuit crust. It will sure be a new family favorite.
I love casseroles! They are a quick way to make a delicious meal that everyone enjoys. This one has taco-seasoned meat which is always a hit in my house and it's always a go-to for busy weeknights.
John Wayne casserole has several ingredients that are reminiscent of tacos turned into a one-pan dinner that’s baked to perfection. It’s creamy, cheesy, and flavorful without requiring a lot of hands-on cooking time.
Do your kids love tacos but you want to try something new? Try Easy Taco Eggrolls or our Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme Ring for a fun twist on taco night!
Why You Will Love This John Wayne Casserole Recipe
- One Pan Dinner: Besides browning the meat and veggies, this easy recipe is cooked all together in one baking dish, making cleanup a breeze.
- Budget Friendly: This recipe is made with simple, inexpensive ingredients that work on any budget!
- Kid Approved: If you have picky eaters, even kids love this delicious casserole.
Ingredients
I love recipes that have simple ingredients and this John Wayne casserole absolutely delivers! The store-bought biscuits save time, but you still get great flavors from the fresh onions and bell peppers.
- Jumbo Biscuits: Any brand of refrigerated biscuits will work perfectly for this recipe. I recommend buttermilk biscuits but you can also try the buttery kind as well.
- Ground Beef: Lean ground beef is my top choice but you can also use ground turkey or chicken if you prefer a leaner option.
- Taco Seasoning: A packet of taco seasoning is key to easily adding southwest flavors to this biscuit casserole.
- Onions and Peppers: Fresh onion and green peppers add a bit of freshness to this casserole recipe. They are softened in a skillet before combining with the other filling ingredients. You can also use red bell pepper or other colored peppers.
- Tomatoes with Chiles: Diced tomatoes with green chiles are a great ingredient to elevate any dish. They also come in several varieties, too. I use the original for this recipe but you can also use mild or fire-roasted if you prefer. You can also use a can of diced tomatoes and a can of green chilies instead.
- Cheddar Cheese: Buy prepackaged shredded cheese to save time or you can do it yourself. Any Mexican blend cheese or Pepper Jack cheese can be used instead of cheddar.
See the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and the exact quantities of each one.
Variations
- Make it Spicy: Add fresh diced jalapeno peppers or some hot sauce to give this recipe a little heat. You might even try adding some of our jalapeno powder, smoked jalapeno powder, or chipotle powder to the beef mixture
- Go Meatless: Use black beans, pinto beans, or a combination instead of ground beef to make it vegetarian.
- Use Cornbread: Make a cornbread crust instead of a biscuit crust! You can use a store-bought mix or make homemade cornbread.
- Individual Portions: You can use ramekins that will fit one biscuit in the bottom to make individual casseroles. This is great for smaller households who will want to store leftovers for another meal.
How to Make John Wayne Casserole
This crowd-pleaser is ready in 45 minutes, with only 20 minutes of prep time. Here are easy-to-follow directions so you get to enjoy the tastiest casserole ever.
- Place your biscuits into the bottom of the baking dish. Make sure you've spread it well before adding the biscuits. Press them down and partially up the sides.
- Bake the biscuits for about 10 minutes or until they are golden brown on top.
- Heat a large skillet to medium-high heat and cook the ground beef until it's no longer pink. Drain the fat and put the cooked beef back into the pan.
- Add the seasoning, water, onions, peppers, and tomatoes to the pan with the browned ground beef. Bring it to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes or until the veggies are soft and the mixture is thick.
- Pour the ground beef mixture evenly over the top of the biscuits.
- Combine the sour cream, mayo, and 1 cup of cheddar in a small bowl.
- Spread the sour cream mixture over the beef.
- Top with the remaining shredded cheese.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.
If you love recipes like this, you may also enjoy this French onion beef, Old-Fashioned Chicken and Rice Casserole casserole, Lazy Lasagna, Bacon Cheeseburger Tater Tot Casserole or our Cheesy Spaghetti Pie recipe!
Storage
- Refrigeration: Portion leftover casserole into an airtight container and refrigerate for 3-4 days. You can also cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator.
- Freezing: Store in freezer-safe airtight containers for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to eat, thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
- Reheating: Leftovers of this casserole recipe reheat well in the microwave or the oven. Place on a microwave-safe plate and cover with a paper towel before heating. To heat in the oven, return it to a baking dish and cover with foil. Cook for 10-15 minutes at 350° F.
Serving Suggestions
Here are some ideas on how to serve John Wayne Casserole.
- If you want toppings, keep it simple! I like diced fresh tomatoes, hot sauce, fresh chopped cilantro, shredded lettuce, and pico de gallo. Even this recipe for Easy Fresh Tomato Salsa works great.
- Red Red Rice goes great with the flavors of this casserole recipe! You can also keep it simple and make white rice, too.
- You can never go wrong with a refreshing side salad. Mixed Green Salad or Hot Girl Summer Bell Pepper Salad cut through the richness of this recipe!
- Corn is one of my top veggie picks to serve with this meal. Air Fryer Corn on the Cob and Easy Cheesy Mexican Corn Casserole are some of my favorites.
Tips
- Make it Ahead: This recipe is perfect to make ahead of time. Cook the beef and prepare the casserole. Cover with foil and store in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours before baking. Add a few minutes to the cooking time to ensure it is heated all the way through.
- Don’t Skip the Sides: The biscuits puffs a little too much when they are all on the bottom so make sure that when you add them to the baking dish, push the biscuit dough up the sides as well.
- Cool Completely: Before storing this casserole, allow it to completely cool to room temperature.
- Drain the Excess Grease From Your Meat: Especially if using beef with more fat in it. This keeps your casserole from being greasy.
FAQ
If you have never heard of it before, you are likely wondering how it got this curious name. It’s a southwest casserole filled with savory taco-seasoned ground beef, sauteed fresh onions and peppers, cheese, sour cream, and mayo on top of a biscuit crust. It’s called a John Wayne casserole because it is named after the actor himself! The recipe started as an egg and cheese casserole that he contributed to the cookbook “Cooking with Cara and Her Friends.” Over the years it has evolved into a hamburger casserole with biscuits.
These two easy ground beef casserole recipes are completely different! Instead of a biscuit crust, Grandma’s beef casserole has egg noodles and tomato sauce or condensed soup.
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More Easy Casserole Recipes
Do you like easy dinner recipes? Here are some recipes you may also like to try:
Ready to get cooking? Remember that you can print this recipe if you would like.
John Wayne Beef Casserole
Equipment
- Skillet and Spatula
- Serving Plates
Ingredients
- 16 ounce can jumbo biscuits
- 2 lbs lean ground beef
- 1 ounce package taco seasoning
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup diced sweet onion
- 1 cup diced green pepper
- 1 cup diced red pepper
- 1-10 ounce can tomatoes with chiles
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 8 ounce package cheddar cheese, divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare a 9x13 baking dish with a light coating of cooking spray.
- Press the biscuits into the prepared baking dish to cover the bottom and partially up the sides.
- Bake the biscuits in the oven for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside.
- In a large skillet, cook the ground beef over medium high heat until cooked through. Drain and return to the pan.
- Add the taco seasoning, water, onions, peppers and tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the peppers and onions are tender and the sauce is nice and thick.
- Distribute the meat mixture over the biscuits.
- In a small bowl, stir together the sour cream, mayonnaise and 1 cup of the shredded cheddar cheese.
- Spread the sour cream mixture over the ground beef and top with remaining shredded cheese.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is hot and bubbly.
- Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.
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Notes
- Make it Ahead: This recipe is perfect to make ahead of time. Cook the beef and prepare the casserole. Cover with foil and store in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours before baking. Add a few minutes to the cooking time to ensure it is heated all the way through.
- Don’t Skip the Sides: The biscuits puffs a little too much when they are all on the bottom so make sure that when you add them to the baking dish, push the biscuit dough up the sides as well.
- Cool Completely: Before storing this casserole, allow it to completely cool to room temperature.
- Drain Your Meat: Especially if using beef with more fat in it. This keeps your casserole from being greasy.
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