Say goodbye to the morning hangry, this Mexican Breakfast Casserole is so easy to make and prepare ahead of time and pop it in the oven when you’re ready to eat! This classic breakfast casserole gets a little bit of a Mexican cuisine flair with layers of fluffy eggs, spicy salsa, ground taco meat, black beans, corn, cheese, and corn tortillas. Even the little ones will gobble this easy brunch recipe up!
Mexican Breakfast Casserole Recipe
Feeding a small crowd for breakfast before everyone goes HANGRY CRAZY can be, well, how do I put it…
Downright stressful.
And I don’t know about you – but I’m already a BEAR in the morning…
So the last thing I want to do on Christmas morning or a relaxing family weekend is slave away over a hot stove at the crack of dawn.
After years of this struggle, I’ve finally found the solution…
And it’s in the form of this Mexican Breakfast Casserole.
Really it’s just like a taco + lasagna + frittata had a delicious food baby.
Once you prep it ahead of time all you have to do is pop it in the oven when you wake up!
Ingredients
The ingredients for this casserole are super easy to find if you have ever made any type of ground turkey tacos, chicken fajitas, or a Mexican Taco Lasagna.
A few notes and substitution suggestions for some of the ingredients:
- Ground Meat – A combination of ground beef and ground breakfast sausage is recommended. Feel free to substitute one for the other or swap out the beef for ground turkey or chicken.
- Taco Seasoning – This is where the majority of the flavor comes from in the dish. It’s best if you can make your own Homemade Taco Seasoning so you can control the amount of spice and salt added. However, store bought mixes may also be used.
- Salsa – Use mild or medium heat salsa depending on how moderate or spicy you’d prefer it to be.
- Tortillas – Corn tortillas work best in this recipe. It is not advised to substitute with flour tortillas since they will become gummy after baking with the other ingredients.
- Cheese – Any type of shredded cheese may be used. Cheddar, Monterrey Jack, or a Mexican Cheese blend are the best and what was used when testing.
How to Make
If you’ve ever made a regular or Mexican Lasagna, then the process is pretty similar.
We’ll start by making a ground taco meat mixture and then layer it up along with the other ingredients and bake it in a casserole dish.
Taco Filling
- Add oil, onions, and peppers to a large skillet and sauté for 2-3 minutes over medium heat. (step 1 above)
- Add ground sausage and beef. Cook for 6-8 minutes or until cooked through.
- Use a potato masher to crumble the meat. (step 2 above)
- Add taco seasoning, ½ t. salt and ¼ t. pepper. Stir to combine. (step 3 above)
Prepare Other Layers
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In a medium bowl combine salsa, corn, and black beans. Stir to combine.
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In a large bowl combine eggs, ¼ c. milk, ½ t. salt and ¼ t. pepper. Whisk to combine.
- Cut 8 corn tortillas into quarters.
Layer it Up
- Half of the meat mixture. (step 1 above)
- 16 tortilla quarters (step 2 above)
- Half of the salsa/corn mixture (step 3 above)
- 1 cup of cheese. (step 4 above)
- Repeat all layers except for the last cheese layer.
- Pour egg mixture over the layers and top with remaining cheese.
Bake in Oven
- Cover baking dish with aluminum foil.
- Bake breakfast casserole in oven for 30 minutes.
- Remove the foil and continue cooking for an additional 15-25 minutes.
- You’ll know the casserole is done baking when the middle no longer jiggles.
Serving
While this casserole tastes delicious when served on its own, you can also try out a few different toppings:
- Finely chopped cilantro or green onions
- Sour cream (or dairy-free sour cream such as Tofutti brand.)
- Diced avocados or homemade guacamole
- Fresh tomatoes
- Homemade salsa
Make-Ahead Instructions
If you’re prepping this ahead of time you can stop before baking and refrigerate the casserole dish for up to 2 days.
On the morning of serving, pull out the dish at least 30 minutes ahead of time so it can come to room temperature.
Proceed with the baking directions as instructed.
FAQs
Can I make it spicy?
If you’d like to make this recipe spicier, try sautéing up some jalapeños with the veggies, use medium instead of mild salsa, or even add more cayenne pepper
How can I make it dairy-free?
Use dairy-free cheese in place of the cheddar cheese.
Is this recipe gluten-free?
Yes. If certified gluten-free corn tortillas and homemade taco seasoning mix are used, then this recipe is naturally gluten-free.
How do you know when a breakfast casserole is done baking?
You’ll know the casserole is cooked through when the middle no longer jiggles.
Healthy Mexican Breakfast Casserole
This Mexican Breakfast Casserole is a healthy brunch recipe that is easy to meal prep ahead of time and bake in the oven when you're ready to eat. It's full of ground sausage, salsa, eggs, cheese, corn tortillas, and tons of spicy taco flavor!
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. oil or butter
- 1 small green bell pepper
- 1 small sweet onion finely
- 1 tsp. salt divided
- ½ tsp. black pepper
- ½ lb. ground sausage regular
- ½ lb. ground beef or turkey 93/7
- 2 Tbsp. taco seasoning
- 1 cup salsa mild or medium
- 1 cup canned sweet corn drained
- 1 cup canned black beans rinsed and drained
- 12 large eggs
- ¼ cup milk cashew, almond, or soy milk
- 8 corn tortillas cut into quarters
- 2 cups shredded cheese cheddar or Monterrey Jack
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 375 °F.
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Add oil, onions, and peppers to a large skillet and sauté for 2-3 minutes over medium heat.
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Add ground sausage and beef. Cook for 6-8 minutes or until cooked through. Use a potato masher to crumble the meat.
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Add taco seasoning, ½ t. salt and ¼ t. pepper. Stir to combine.
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In a medium bowl combine salsa, corn, and black beans. Stir to combine.
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In a large bowl combine eggs, ¼ c. milk, ½ t. salt and ¼ t. pepper. Whisk to combine.
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Spray a 9 x 13 inch pan with non-stick cooking spray.
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Layer half of the meat mixture, 16 tortilla quarters, half of the salsa/corn mixture, and 1 cup of cheese. Repeat all layers except for the last cheese layer.
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Pour egg mixture over the layers and top with remaining cheese.
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Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until middle no longer jiggles.
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Serve with cilantro, green onions, avocados and extra salsa.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
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Prep-ahead Instructions:
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Stop before baking and refrigerate the casserole dish for up to 2 days.
-
On the morning of serving, pull out the dish at least 30 minutes ahead of time so it can come to room temperature.
-
Proceed with the baking directions as instructed.
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Taryn says
This is delicious! We all loved it!
London Brazil says
Yay! So happy you enjoyed it, Taryn 🙂 Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment and rating!
Mariah says
My husband and I just made this dish but with found beef taco meat only just put a pound in and this is so yummy! We are beginning cooks so stuff like this is amazing to follow!
London says
Yay, Mariah!! It’s one of our family’s favorite recipes, too! So happy you enjoyed it and the recipe was easy to follow. Thanks for the comment and rating 🙂
John Stephens says
Do the layers go exactly as stated in the recipe? Seems like the tortilla should the the first layer. We are making this for a Gluten Free wife and mother for Mother’s Day.
London says
Hi John! Yes, the layers go just as stated. You can switch them up if you want to, it shouldn’t affect the casserole too much! The eggs help to keep it all together. Hope your ladies enjoy the casserole 🙂
Amy says
Hi London! I just found your site and I am printing recipes to try this week and this I’d definitely one of them. I’m so visual…..do you do any videos? The thing I’m hung up on is the layering….do you put the tortillas on the bottom of the pan? Or on top of the meat & salsa corn mixture? Thank you so much!!!😃😃😃
London says
Hi Amy!! I am SO excited you found Evolving Table!! I do a lot of videos (normally 1/week!) but have not made one yet for this breakfast casserole recipe. You can see the videos I have done on Facebook and YouTube! As for the layering… In step 7 you will see the exact order I layer in (meat-salsa/corn-tortillas-cheese-repeat) Let me know if you have any other questions! Happy cooking 🙂
Clarissa says
Fabulous recipe! Made this for dinner with a salad. Family loooved it! Thanks!!
London says
Hi Clarissa!! So so happy you and your family enjoyed it! Thanks so much for the comment and rating 🙂
Coleen Sterns says
We love this recipe and have made it when we have a group for breakfast. We used spicy Italian sausage to give it a bit more kick. The leftovers hold up well and are very tasty!
London says
Hi Coleen! I love your idea to add spicy Italian sausage. That sounds delicious! Thanks so much for your comment and rating 🙂
Jenny says
Can I prepare this the night before and then bake it in the morning? If so, would you pour the egg mixture in or add that in the morning?
London says
You totally can, Jenny! I would go ahead and pour the egg mixture in the night before and just cover it with aluminum foil. Thanks for the question!
Erica says
Hi what would be the appropriate portions for a smaller version of this? Just like a personal version I could eat for 2-3 days. Love this site!!
London says
Hi Erica!! The easiest way to make this in a smaller size would be to cut the ingredients in half and make it in a smaller pan (i.e. 8×8 inch square baking pan.) If you have any leftovers, feel free to freeze them in a freezer-friendly container and thaw it when you need a quick breakfast! Would love to hear what you think when you make it!
Donna says
It says it’s vegetarian but calls for sausage and beef or turkey… Would you just leave those out and keep all other ingredients the same? Or substitute something for them?
London says
Hi Donna! If you would like to make it vegetarian, you can always use a vegetarian “sausage” substitute for the sausage and beef. Thanks for the question!
Ben Myhre says
I would probably make this breakfast dish for supper! It looks good and I love Mexican food flavors. Yum.
London says
We do!! It’s super filling and great for breakfast or dinner :)… Thanks!