This light and easy Mexican casserole is made with chicken, green peppers, cheese, black beans and tortillas, all in a tasty salsa cream sauce. A flavorful dinner to feed a crowd! This kid-friendly dish can also be made ahead of time and it’s super quick to put together. Perfect for busy weeknights!

Mexican casserole in a white baking dish and topped with fresh cilantro

This is one of those easy weeknight recipes that the entire family gets excited about when they see it come out of the oven, all steamy and cheesy and gooey.

I mean, my family love love loves anything Mexican.

Thank goodness for that, because we seriously eat some form of Mexican food every couple of days. My favorite healthy tacos are always a hit.

This Mexican casserole dish is one of my go-to recipes when life gets busy. I love that it can be assembled ahead of time. But even if you don’t make this ahead of time, it’s super quick and easy! It can be made up to one day before you plan to serve it. When you’re ready to eat, just bake and enjoy!

How Do You Make Mexican Casserole?

This recipe starts with chunks of chicken, cumin and a chopped green bell pepper. Cook and stir chicken and cumin in a nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium heat for about 2 minutes. Add green bell pepper and cook for about 2 minutes.

cook chicken and green bell pepper in a large skillet

Stir in salsa and cook for 2 minutes. Add cream cheese and cook until it is melted and all ingredients are combined.

chicken cooking in a creamy red sauce in a large skillet

Now, add and stir in beans and tomatoes.

add tomatoes and black beans to a large skillet

Next, you’ll be layering the casserole. Transfer about 1/3 of the chicken mixture into your baking dish; top with 1 tortilla and 1/2 each of remaining chicken mixture and shredded cheese. Top with remaining tortilla and chicken mixture and cover with foil.

Bake for about 20 minutes or until heated through. Remove from oven and sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake, uncovered for about 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Enjoy with your favorite Mexican sides and toppings!

layer filling on top of corn tortillas in a square baking dish

Tips For Mexican Casserole:

  • I use corn tortillas in this casserole because they are lighter and my family prefers them. However, feel free to use flour tortillas instead. And another fun option is to use crushed tortilla chips rather than tortillas.
  • Instead of using fresh chicken, you can use leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken. If using already cooked chicken, add this in with the beans and tomatoes.
  • To make this casserole ahead of time, assemble all the layers, then cover the casserole dish with cling wrap or foil and refrigerate for up to one day. When it’s dinner time, follow the baking instructions as written in the recipe, but add 15 additional minutes to the bake time since you’ll be starting with a cold casserole.
  • You can serve your casserole as-is, or add some yummy toppings such as diced tomatoes, cilantro, sour cream, avocado, guacamole or sliced olives or jalapeños.

Variations For Your Casserole:

This casserole is very versatile and works well with many different ingredients, depending on what I have on hand and what you’re craving. You can easily customize this recipe to your family’s preferences.

  • Ground meat: Use 3/4 to 1 pound ground beef or turkey instead of chicken.
  • Add-ins: You can leave the black beans out and even add other favorite Mexican ingredients like corn, mushrooms, red bell pepper, green chilies and/or onion.
  • Spicy: You control the heat in this dish depending on what salsa you choose. Be sure to use a mild salsa if your family is sensitive to spice.
  • Feeding a crowd: This recipe is perfect for feeding a crowd. It can easily be doubled to feed a big group. Bake it in a 9×13-inch dish instead of the 8-inch square dish if you do double the recipe.

Try These Other Family Friendly Mexican Dishes:

Easy Chicken Enchiladas

Super Simple Shrimp Tacos with Pineapple Salsa

Skinny Enchilada Casserole

3-Ingredient Grilled Poblano Peppers from Ambitious Kitchen

Loaded Street Corn Sweet Potatoes from Chelsea’s Messy Apron

If you try this meal, let me know! Leave a comment and if your family loves it as much as mine does, be sure to give it a five star ⭐️ rating! Also, tag @kimscravings on Instagram with a picture of your creation. It’s so fun to see what you’re cooking! Be sure to subscribe to our mailing list to receive more healthy delicious recipes straight to your inbox.

serving of Mexican casserole on a white plate topped with avocado slices

Mexican casserole in a white baking dish and topped with fresh cilantro
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Mexican Casserole

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Healthy Mexican casserole that's made with chicken, cheese, black beans and tortillas, all in a tasty salsa cream sauce. A flavorful dish to feed a crowd!
Author: Kim

Ingredients

  • 3/4 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 green pepper, chopped
  • 1 1/2 cups salsa
  • 2 ounces (1/4 of 8-ounce package) low fat cream cheese
  • 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 tomato, chopped
  • 2 (6-inch) tortillas
  • 1/2 cup light Mexican style shredded cheese blend (or any favorite shredded cheese), divided
  • Optional for serving: fresh cilantro, guacamole, avocado slices, sour cream and/or additional salsa and tortilla chips

Instructions 

  • Heat oven to 375ºF. Cook and stir chicken and cumin in nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium heat for about 2 min. Add peppers; cook 2 min., stirring occasionally. Stir in salsa; cook 2 min. Add cream cheese; cook 2 min. or until melted. Stir in beans and tomatoes.
  • Transfer about 1/3 of chicken mixture into 8-inch square baking dish that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray; top with 1 tortilla and 1/2 each of remaining chicken mixture and shredded cheese. Top with remaining tortilla and chicken mixture; cover with foil.
  • Bake 20 min. or until heated through. Sprinkle with remaining cheese; bake, uncovered, 5 min. or until melted. Enjoy with your favorite Mexican sides and toppings!

Notes

  • I use corn tortillas in this casserole because they are lighter and my family prefers them. However, feel free to use flour tortillas instead. And another fun option is to use crushed tortilla chips rather than tortillas.
  • Instead of using fresh chicken, you can use leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken. If using already cooked chicken, add this in with the beans and tomatoes.
  • To make this casserole ahead of time, assemble all the layers, then cover the casserole dish with cling wrap or foil and refrigerate for up to one day. When it’s dinner time, follow the baking instructions as written in the recipe, but add 15 additional minutes to the bake time since you’ll be starting with a cold casserole.
  • You can serve your casserole as-is, or add some yummy toppings such as diced tomatoes, cilantro, sour cream, avocado, guacamole or sliced olives or jalapeños.
Author: Kim
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 350kcal, Carbohydrates: 35g, Protein: 32g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 4.5g, Cholesterol: 65mg, Sodium: 970mg, Fiber: 9g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 15IU, Vitamin C: 25mg, Calcium: 30mg, Iron: 20mg

Did you make this recipe?

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