Inspired by a dish that John Wayne himself submitted to a cookbook years ago, this casserole is the epitome of comfort food! It’s packed stuffed with deliciously comforting layers of flavor. Quick and straightforward to place together, and ideal for meal prep or busy weeknights.
🐎 What Makes This Recipe So Good
- I do know, I do know. It’s an enormous claim saying that John Wayne himself loved this recipe. But it’s true! In 1979, John Wayne added this recipe to a cookbook, Cooking with love from Cara and her friends. It modified over time, turning into this irresistibly comforting casserole. When you’re cooking this delicious casserole, you’re sure to make John Wayne himself proud!
- John Wayne casserole is filled with layers of irresistible flavor. Cheesy biscuit mix, taco seasoned ground beef, diced tomatoes, red peppers and onions, green chiles, an irresistibly creamy sour cream mixture, then topped with tasty shredded cheese. All of the flavour melts together within the oven, creating the last word casserole that the entire family will love.
- This casserole is super easy to make! Just sauté your veggies and ground beef, mix the sour cream mixture, then assemble your layers. Make this to serve a big crowd, or make it as meal prep for the week ahead.
👩🏼🍳 Chef’s Tips
- When you’re assembling the layers, be certain to not press the layers together. Once baked, the flavors will mix together. However, you don’t want all of them mashed up into one! Each separate layer is what adds delicious and irresistible depth to this comforting John Wayne casserole.
- You can totally add your individual twist to this casserole! Top it with a mix of cheeses if desired. Add some red pepper flakes for an additional level of flavor. Not a fan of ground beef? Ground turkey would work great as well.
🍴More Delicious Casseroles We Love
John Wayne Casserole
Easy comfort food, inspired by The Duke himself!
Instructions
For the Taco Meat
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Heat large skillet on stovetop over medium-high heat. When pan is warm, add 2 kilos lean ground beef. Cook, stirring and breaking up ground beef into small pieces, until meat is not any longer pink, roughly 8 to 10 minutes.
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When ground beef is browned, drain grease from skillet then return pan to heat. Add 1 1-ounce packet taco seasoning, ¾ cup waterand extra salt provided that needed.
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Stir to include ingredients, ensuring ground beef is well coated with seasoning, then let mixture simmer 3 to 4 minutes or until water has reduced. Once reduced, move skillet to chill burner and put aside.
For the Sautéed Veggies
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Place medium skillet on stovetop over medium-high heat. When pan is warm, add 1 tablespoon neutral-flavored oil and swirl or tilt pan as needed to distribute oil across pan surface. Continue heating pan until oil is hot and shimmery.
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When oil is hot, add 1 cup thinly sliced white onion and 1 cup red bell pepper slices to skillet. Stir to coat onions and peppers in oil, then sauté peppers and onions roughly 10 minutes or until soft and browned. Stir peppers and onions every 2 minutes or so to forestall sticking.
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Once onions and peppers are ready, remove skillet from heat and put aside.
For the Sour Cream Layer
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Add ½ cup sour cream , ½ cup mayonnaise, 4 ounces shredded cheddar cheeseand 1 cup thinly sliced white onion to medium mixing bowl. Stir all ingredients together until well incorporated. Set bowl aside.
For the Biscuit Layer
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Add 2 cups Bisquick buttermilk biscuit mix, 1 pinch salt, 2 ounces shredded cheddar cheeseand 1 cup water to large mixing bowl. Mix together ingredients until fully combined into soft dough.
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Transfer dough to prepared baking dish. Gently press dough out to cover entire bottom of dish in a single even layer, pressing dough up either side of baking dish by ½ inch.
To Assemble and Bake the Casserole
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Transfer taco meat to baking dish, spreading taco meat out into one even layer covering biscuit layer completely.
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Arrange 2 medium tomatoes (diced) evenly across top of taco meat layer, then cover tomato layer with sautéed peppers and onions. Sprinkle 1 4-ounce can diced green chilies across peppers and onions layer.
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Top dish with sour cream mixture and spread mixture out evenly across top of casserole, then sprinkle remaining 2 ounces shredded cheddar cheese across top of sour cream mixture.
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Place baking dish in preheated oven. Bake casserole half-hour, or until barely browned around edges.
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When casserole is browned around edges, rigorously remove baking dish from oven. Let stand 3 to five minutes, then divide casserole into preferred portion sizes and serve warm.
Notes
- Ground Beef: Leaner ground beef will likely be less greasy, but will be dryer than higher-fat ratios. Be careful to not overcook the bottom beef on the stovetop, otherwise you risk it being very dry after the casserole bakes.
- Make it Dairy Free: Use a dairy-free sour cream and a dairy-free cheddar cheese alternative.
Nutrition Information
Serving Size: 1serving, Calories: 591cal, Protein: 33g, Fat: 39g, Saturated Fat: 16g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 116mg, Sodium: 942mg, Potassium: 611mg, Total Carbs: 27g, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 6g, Net Carbs: 23g, Vitamin A: 1736IU, Vitamin C: 39mg, Calcium: 284mg, Iron: 4mg