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.
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On the morning of serving, pull out the dish at least 30 minutes ahead of time so it can come to room temperature.
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Proceed with the baking directions as instructed.
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Kristina says
Concerned the tortillas might get soggy if I store overnight before baking. Thoughts?
London Brazil says
They might get a little soggy but that’s ok!
Treva says
I plan on making this for a ladies brunch at church. Can this be made with flour tortillas instead of corn tortillas?
London Brazil says
You can use flour tortillas instead of corn, but know the flour tortillas soak up the ingredients differently and may affect the texture of the casserole.
Cecilia says
I made this to take to work for my office of about 10. I substituted plant based meat and kept everything else the same. It was a total HIT WITH *EVERYONE*! It was gone before my shift was over, and a week later, they are STILL talking about how good it was! I can’t wait for my next opportunity to make this!!!
London Brazil says
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Cecilia! So glad that you got to be the talk of the office! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment and rating!