Mexican Tortilla Casserole is an easy-to-prepare, vegetarian meal that’s perfect for weeknights or a gathering of friends. You can easily add meat for a heartier dish! This tortilla casserole recipe is a great make-ahead meal; not only does it freeze and reheat well, but it’s especially great for guests. You can prepare the entire thing in advance and then bake 20 minutes before dinner.
For a meaty version of this dish, try my chorizo tortilla casserole!
A few months ago, at a work event I attended, we were served an amazing Mexican tortilla casserole.
It was perfect, family-style comfort food for a gathering.
Lucky for me, the organizers were willing to share their recipe with me, and I prepared my own version of it this weekend.
It was every bit good as I remembered it.
Kind of like a taco casserole with corn tortillas.
I don’t know what took me so long; each bite felt like medicine for the soul.
Recipe Ingredients
- Olive oil
- Yellow onion
- Garlic
- Ground cumin
- Chili powder
- Canned fire-roasted tomatoes
- Tomato paste
- Black or pinto beans
- Frozen corn
- Spinach
- Corn tortillas
- Monterey jack, cheddar, or Mexican blend cheese
- Optional: cilantro, jalapeños, sour cream, salsa
How to make Mexican Tortilla Casserole
I made a few minor changes to the recipe.
I used corn tortillas instead of flour tortillas.
I also swapped out regular canned tomatoes for the fire-roasted variety (but either will work).
The original Mexican casserole with tortillas recipe suggests using either shredded cheddar or Monterey jack cheese and I was lucky enough to find a 50/50 combo bag.
It adds some nice color.
You can also use a Mexican blend.
This has now become one of the most popular recipes on my blog, and I’m not surprised.
I make it all the time.
I love it, Jeff loves it, guests love it.
It’s a guaranteed hit, even with picky eaters. Give it a try.
Recipe Notes
You can easily layer some cooked meat to this casserole for a heartier dish (though I’m never left hungry!). Doesn’t Mexican chicken casserole sound good?
Ground beef and pulled pork are also good options. There’s also my version with chorizo sausage!
When I serve this for dinner parties, I prep and layer the entire thing in advance but hold off on baking it.
I stick it in the oven soon after my guests arrive.
Serve corn tortillas with salsa and guacamole early on, then serve the salsa and guacamole as toppings during dinner.
The tortilla casserole will keep in the refrigerator for several days, making it a great weeknight dinner option you can quickly reheat in the microwave.
You can also wrap it into individual servings and freeze it.
How to Reheat
To reheat in the microwave: cover individual-sized portions using plastic wrap or a microwave lid cover, then heat in 60-90 second increments until hot in the center.
How to Freeze
Wrap in individual portions using plastic wrap, or store individually in freezer containers.
Serving suggestions
This casserole is one of my favorite options to serve at a small dinner party!
I start by serving tortilla chips with homemade guacamole and salsa (you can obviously serve store-bought guacamole and salsa if you want, Drinks can include margaritas and a beer like Negra Modelo.
Once it’s time for dinner, you can repurpose the leftover guacamole and salsa to serve as condiments alongside the casserole.
How to Chop an Onion
This recipe calls for chopped onions. Check out my fast and easy technique for how to chop an onion with step-by-step photos!
If you’re looking for an easy dish to serve at your next party, I highly recommend this casserole.
Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.
Looking for more casserole recipes?
Be sure to check out my eggplant lasagna, zucchini lasagna, and baked macaroni and cheese!
Mexican Tortilla Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 1 medium garlic clove, minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1½ teaspoons chili powder
- 1 (14-ounce) can fire roasted diced tomatoes, drained, 1/4 cup juice reserved
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 2 (15 ounce) cans black or pinto beans (or a mix), drained
- 1½ cups frozen corn
- 3 cups coarsely chopped fresh spinach (baby or regular will work)
- salt and ground black pepper
- 8 corn tortillas
- 2 cups monterey jack or cheddar cheese (I used both)
- Optional toppings: chopped fresh cilantro, chopped fresh jalapeño, sour cream, salsa
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray an 8×11 or 9×9 inch baking dish (or a similar sized pan) with cooking spray.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium low heat and add the onion, garlic, cumin and chili powder. Stir for a few minutes until the onions are soft and the spices are fragrant, about 3-5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, reserved tomato juice, tomato paste, beans, corn and spinach. Stir and cook for another minute or two until the spinach has wilted and the corn has thawed. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Place two corn tortillas in the bottom of the prepared pan and top with 1/4 of the bean mixture, spreading the mixture evenly. Sprinkle evenly with 1/2 cup of the cheese. Repeat until all of the ingredients have been used up, finishing with the cheese.
- Bake until the tortilla casserole has cooked through, approximately 20 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before cutting.
- Serve with garnishes, if desired (I highly recommend them!).
Video
Notes
Please read my full post for additional recipe notes, tips, and serving suggestions!
Nutrition
Recipe Troubleshooting
For immediate help troubleshooting a recipe, please email me using the form on my contact page. I’ll try to respond to urgent questions as quickly as possible! For all general questions, please leave a comment here :)
This looks so good – I could eat it every day. Wishing you a wonderful and happy 2015 friend!
This looks so simple and delicious!
This is definitely the time for reflecting on the good and the bad of the past year…and I have to say that BHP was definitely a high for me as well! I haven’t been able to get this casserole out of my head either…love your version of it!
we just adore anything Mexican in our house. Usually it is enchiladas or tacos but I am thinking this casserole is about to become a new favorite!
If 2015 is a good as your pictures, you don’t need to worry:)
I am THRILLED that you put this recipe up…I love your version! Fire roasted tomatoes are so tasty! If you bring your sweet self back up here, I’ll make you a giant dish of this! Miss you dear friend!
This looks amazing. My kids would live off casseroles like this if I allowed them too.
This looks irresistable!!
Thanks Megan!
Jennifer this sounds so tasty! I am going through a major Mexican food phase at the moment, so will definitely be giving this a try :-)
Mexican food is always the right answer! :)
This screams “comfort food” to me! You manage to make the simplest recipes look so elegant time and time again! Happy New Year, Jen! A new start is always worth celebrating. :-)
Happy New Year, Julia! Thanks for stopping by :)
Looks great and simple to make, I’ll definitely be adding this to my weekly menu.
Does anyone think it would be a good idea to add hamburger to the mix?
Another reader tried this and loved it! I haven’t personally added meat but I think it sounds like a great idea.
I made this tonight and it was so delicious (and super easy to make)! I added 1-lb of ground beef seasoned with Goya adobo and used only 1/2 tsp of chili powder because the kids won’t eat anything too spicy. Everyone loved it, so I’ll definitely be making this again. Thanks for the recipe!
have you had any luck freezing this or know if anyone has? stocking my freezer for a new baby and this looks DELICIOUS!
I think this would freeze very well; just cut it into individual servings first so you can defrost as needed :)
thanks!!
Do you cook it all before you freeze?
I do. I slice it into individual portions first and wrap them, then I store the portions in one large bag. It’s easier to defrost that way.
Hi! What kind of spinach did you use? Frozen vs fresh…and how do you measure it? Thank you!
Hi Jenny,
I used fresh baby spinach, but fresh regular spinach will also work perfectly well. Coarsely chop the spinach and then scoop it loosely into a measuring cup.