Description
Cattle Drive Casserole is a hearty, flavorful layered dish featuring seasoned ground beef, a biscuit crust, and a creamy sour cream topping blended with cheddar cheese and green chiles. This oven-baked casserole combines Tex-Mex spices with comforting biscuit dough, perfect for a satisfying family dinner.
Ingredients
Scale
Beef 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 Crust
- 2 ½ cups Biscuit Mix (such as Bisquick)
- 1 cup Water
- Cooking Spray (e.g. Pam)
Creamy Layer
- ½ cup Sour Cream
- ½ cup Mayonnaise
- 4 ounces Diced Green Chiles, drained
- 1 ½ cups Cheddar Cheese, Fiesta Blend, shredded, divided (¾ cup and ¾ cup)
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
Topping
- ½ cup mild Salsa
Instructions
- Preheat the Oven: Preheat your oven to 350℉ to prepare for baking the casserole.
- Cook the Ground Beef: Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the lean ground beef and break it apart with a spoon as it cooks. Stir occasionally until the beef is no longer pink, then drain off any excess fat.
- Prepare the Biscuit Dough: In a mixing bowl, combine the biscuit mix and water. Stir until well blended, preferably kneading by hand for an even dough. Spray a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish with cooking spray, press the dough evenly to cover the bottom and edges. Bake in the preheated oven for 5-8 minutes until the dough is set and lightly golden. Remove and set aside, keeping the oven on.
- Cook the Vegetables: To the cooked ground beef in the skillet, add chopped onions and red bell pepper. Stir and cook for about 4 minutes until the vegetables soften. Add taco seasoning and mix thoroughly. Remove from heat.
- Assemble the Layers: Spread the cooked 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 together sour cream, mayonnaise, drained diced green chiles, ¾ cup of the shredded cheddar cheese, and garlic powder until smooth. Carefully spread this mixture evenly over the ground beef layer.
- Add Salsa and Cheese: Spoon small dollops of mild salsa evenly over the sour cream layer; do not spread out. Then sprinkle the remaining ¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese over the top.
- Bake: Return the assembled casserole to the oven uncovered and bake for about 30 minutes, or until the casserole is hot, bubbly, and the cheese is melted and slightly golden.
Notes
- For a spicier casserole, use medium or hot salsa and taco seasoning with added heat.
- Make sure to drain the ground beef well to avoid a soggy biscuit crust.
- You can substitute the biscuit mix with your favorite homemade biscuit dough recipe.
- Let the casserole rest for 5 minutes after baking to set before serving.
- Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 3 days and reheated in the oven or microwave.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (1/8 of casserole)
- Calories: 420
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 720mg
- Fat: 25g
- Saturated Fat: 10g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12g
- Trans Fat: 0.5g
- Carbohydrates: 26g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 25g
- Cholesterol: 75mg
