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This Beef Enchilada Casserole Recipe is loaded with tender egg noodles, seasoned beef, and a creamy, cheesy enchilada sauce coating it all! This easy enchilada casserole is perfect for a busy weeknight and a total hit with the family.
I was born and raised in the Midwest and, aside from the ‘ope’ that you hear every time I get too close to someone or something while walking, the main way that I let my Midwestern roots shine is in my casseroles.
I love casseroles, you guys. Like, L.O.V.E. them.
Between our tater tot casserole as a main dish and our hashbrown casserole as a favorite side dish, we do casseroles quite often.
It should come as no surprise that we’ve married our other favorite (Mexican flavors!) with our love of casseroles…and now we have this enchilada casserole recipe!
It has everything we love about enchiladas, seasoned beef, plenty of cheese, and a flavorful red enchilada sauce, but it’s all baked up with pasta instead of tortillas into some weird Midwestern conglomeration of goodness that the whole family adores.
We started with our cream cheese enchiladas and used beef instead of chicken and egg noodles instead of tortillas as the inspo for this recipe and I must say – total win! This one is on repeat in my house.
♥ What We Love About This Recipe:
- Flavor: This is pure comfort food and you’ll love all the flavors! The green chiles and hot sauce add just the right amount of heat. The beef is savory, and there is lots of melty cheese!
- Customize: You can serve this however you like with all of your favorite toppings! Sour cream, more cheese, homemade guacamole, pico de gallo… or switch it up with different ground meats. Spicier peppers work too if you like the extra heat. Make this recipe your own!
- Meal Prep: This beef enchilada casserole reheats very well, making this one great for meal prep! Store in the fridge for up to 5 days and reheat in the microwave.
Ingredient Notes:
Ground Beef – We start with lean beef here, but you can swap in ground turkey or chicken if you prefer.
Veggies – We’re stirring in onion, corn, and diced green chiles. The corn adds the perfect pop of sweetness!
Seasoning – I’m keeping the enchilada seasoning blend for this recipe nice and simple with just a mix of chili powder, cumin, and salt.
Dairy – We’re keeping things creamy by stirring in a combo of cream cheese and sour cream and then it all gets topped off with shredded cheese!
Enchilada Sauce – You can use any bottled or jarred variety of enchilada sauce from the store or feel free to make your own. This homemade enchilada sauce recipe was designed for low carb but you could easily just swap the sweetener for real sugar.
Hot Sauce – When it comes to any Mexican inspired recipes we prefer to use Cholula Hot Sauce! Feel free to use any variety that you like, mild or extra hot and spicy if you want to up the heat in this recipe.
Egg Noodles – We’re using dried egg noodles as the base for our casserole. While any type of pasta should work, we love egg noodles in this one.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Step by Step Instructions:
Brown the beef in a skillet and then stir in the seasonings and cream cheese.
While the beef is cooking, boil the egg noodles according to the package directions.
Add everything to a mixing bowl and give it a big stir to combine.
Dump this in a baking dish, top with cheese, and bake for about 15 minutes.
Serving Suggestions:
There are lots of great ways to enjoy this casserole!
Serve this with some tortilla chips and a side of our queso recipe, restaurant style salsa, or this creamy chipotle sauce.
This air fryer street corn is one of our favorite Mexican inspired recipes and is a great choice for sides.
A green salad topped with our cilantro lime dressing or avocado ranch dressing is also pretty perfect.
Storage:
You can keep this beef enchilada casserole stored in the refrigerator in a covered or airtight container for about 4-5 days. Add extra cheese or enchilada sauce when reheating if the pasta seems too dry.
Sure! Just cover the dish with a layer of plastic wrap and aluminum foil and freeze for up to a few months. Thaw before reheating.
More Easy Casserole Recipes!
- Sloppy Joe Casserole
- Crack Chicken Casserole
- Big Mac Casserole
- Amish Breakfast Casserole
- Family Favorite Casseroles
- Jiffy Corn Casserole
Or click to check out all of our casserole recipes!
Enchilada Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/2 medium sweet onion chopped
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt more to taste
- 5 ounces cream cheese
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 10 ounces enchilada sauce
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce such as Cholula
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese divided
- 1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese divided
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels thawed
- 4 ounces diced green chiles
- 16 ounces extra wide egg noodles
- cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the egg noodles. Cook according to package directions. Drain.
- While the noodles are cooking, brown the ground beef and onion together and drain the fat.
- Add the chili powder, cumin, salt, and cream cheese to the ground beef and stir. Cook over low heat until cheese has melted.
- In a large bowl, combine the sour cream, enchilada sauce, hot sauce half of each cheese, corn, and chiles. Pour the ground beef mixture into the sour cream mixture and stir to combine.
- Add the cooked egg noodles to the beef mixture and stir to combine. Taste and season with additional salt or hot sauce, as needed.
- Pour into a 9×13 dish and top with the remaining cheese.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
- Sprinkle the top with chopped cilantro.
Tips & Notes:
Nutrition Information:
This recipe was originally published in April 2012. It was updated in April 2024 with new photos. Original photo below:
Wowguy says
This look delicious. I want to try it
Julia says
Just made this was amazing I skipped the chilli out so it was kid friendly and she was starving so just added the pasta and added cheese on top yum
Karly says
@Julia,
So glad to hear you enjoyed it!
Pamela @ Brooklyn Farm Girl says
I love you told this story with this recipe, you always make me smile, thank you. Pinning for dinner this week, thanks!
Working wife says
This was great going to make again 🙂
Karly says
Glad you enjoyed it!
Amanda says
Red or green enchilada sauce? Sounds delicious and and your story cracked me up. I remember the ridiculous outfits we wore to the skating rink lol
Karly says
Good question! I’ve always used red, but I think the green might be a fun way to change it up!
Trisha B says
I made this today and it was delicious! I used a diced tomato/green chile mix instead of just the green chiles and it was really good. I also used ground turkey and double what the recipe called for. I substituted quinoa pasta for regular pasta just to make a little bit more healthy. My only complaint is that with cream cheese, sour cream and shredded cheese it’s probably the least healthy meal I’ve eaten all week. It’s yummy though! Thanks for sharing!
Kacie says
Found this recipe today and made it today! It is delicious however I recommend adding a jar of salsa to it!
Beth says
I made this dish for my family of 8 a couple of nights ago. Everybody raved about it and said I had to add it to our weekly menu. Thanks for a great recipe.
Javelin Warrior says
Love the story and love the casserole – what a delicious twist on pasta! I’m featuring this post in today’s Food Fetish Friday (with a link-back and attribution). I hope you have no objections and thanks for sharing such amazing creations…
Cook LA says
Great post and recipe! Must try this soon.
http://cookinglacookingschool.blogspot.com
Ashley @ Wishes and Dishes says
YUM! Looks soo good
sally @ sallys baking addiction says
Oh my goodness Karly – these pictures are beautiful! Honestly, this dish photographs so beautifully OR it’s just all your talent. I’m jealous! I’m trying to learn. 🙂
I LOVE LOVE LOVE this dish because 1) enchiladas are umm… amaze. 2) it’s mexican 3) it’s a casserole (hello… eaaaaaaaasy) and 4) all that CHEESE! 5) and CREAM CHEESE!
Ok I’m done. 🙂
Karly says
@sally @ sallys baking addiction,
Aw, thank you! What a sweet comment! If you ever have photog related questions, feel free to ask. I love chatting about photography. 🙂
Karly says
@sally @ sallys baking addiction,
Hit reply too soon…
Not that you NEED help in the photog department. You’re photos are always great!
Also, yes, cheese. Lots of it. Always and forever.
Elizabeth@ Food Ramblings says
I’m thinking about playing the dice and four corner game at the roller skating rink now…and great recipe!
Molly @ Perfume and Playlists says
While I’d probably devour anything made with cream cheese, this looks especially delicious! Can’t wait to try it.
megan @ whatmegansmaking says
Your story brought back memories of countless skating parties – not all of them good ones. Some of the worst involve the dreaded word “couple skate”. I think I’ll forget about that and just think about this pasta – that makes me happier 🙂