What could be more mid-Western and cowboy themed than a casserole named after John Wayne? This meal doesn’t have to only be eaten out on the range, though; packed with dairy and beef, this is a filling and satisfying casserole for any occasion!
Why not make your own Taco Seasoning for this recipe? Or why not make your own Homemade Bisquick Mix as well?
John Wayne Casserole
The John Wayne casserole dates back to John Wayne’s participation in a few country chefs and their cook books; lending a few of his personal preferences, this dish was born.
True to the grand character that John Wayne was, this casserole is a beautiful monstrosity of beef, cheese, and tomatoes, with a spicy and juicy kick that leaves your mouth a little bit uncertain exactly what this casserole really is.
Be warned – this is not a dieter’s meal. This is the kind of dinner where you are going to take only a few bites and come away feeling really full, so make sure to share it with friends to family so that nothing goes to waste!
John Wayne Casserole Ingredients
Make sure you look at the recipe card at the very bottom for the exact amounts so that you know exactly what to buy for this recipe.
• Ground beef
- • Taco seasoning
- • Water
- • Sour cream
- • Mayonnaise
- • Cheddar cheese
- • Onion
- • Homemade Bisquick Mix
- • Green pepper
- • Tomatoes
- • Diced green chilies
How To Make John Wayne Casserole
- • Grease a 9×13 casserole dish and set aside
- • Brown ground beef until no longer pink, and then drain the fat
- • Add in some homemade taco seasoning, or pre-mixed, and stir it into some warm hotter and simmer it in a pot for 3 minutes to thicken it
- • In a medium sized bowl, mix in the sour cream, mayonnaise, one half of the cheese, and half of the finely chopped onion, and then set aside
- • In a new bowl, mix together my homemade biscuit mix and water until it forms a dough
- • Press this newly formed dough into the greased 9 x 13 inch pan, making sure it goes at least halfway up the sides of the dish
- • Cook together the remaining onions and green peppers until tender
- • Layer all of the remaining ingredients into the 9×13 dish on top of the dough in the following order: ground beef, diced tomatoes, green peppers and onions, green chilies, sour cream mixture, and remaining cheddar cheese.
- • Bake at 325 Fahrenheit for 30-35 minutes, or until edges are slightly browned.
Do You Have To Use Bisquick For This Recipe?
In this recipe, I call for some homemade Bisquick mix, which is a handy little premade seasoning mix that allows you to skip all of the arduousness of making a pie crust from scratch.
You could buy your own Bisquick if you preferred, or just my homemade version instead to save a little time.
The joy of the Bisquick mixture is that it is perfectly balanced to result in well formed pie crust every time.
You could spend the time making a homemade crust if you prefer, perhaps even getting fancy and turning it into some puff pastry or something sophisticated with laminated butter or other ingredients.
However, the Bisquick is so easy and gets you closer to eating your casserole soon, so it wins in my book.
How To Store & Reheat This Casserole
Casseroles pretty much demand to be frozen and kept for later, as they always make so much that no one person or family could ever finish them.
This casserole, however, requires a bit of care to be able to properly freeze and reheat it.
Due to just how much dairy and fatty ingredients there are in this casserole, if you froze it and then defrosted it and attempted to eat it, all you would get is a pile of lumpy, separated fat and some dry beef.
To properly store your John Wayne casserole, freeze it in its casserole dish as soon as it is cool enough to the touch that it won’t defrost everything else in your freezer. Make sure you cover it with plastic wrap to protect it from getting freezer burn.
When you want to reheat it, take the whole thing out of the fridge and put it in the oven on low, about 200 Fahrenheit, for at least an hour, turning it occasionally. This should calmly and gently defrost it while warming it up to serving temperature.
Feel free to stick it under the broiler for the last 5 minutes of cooking to help re-crisp up the top for an even better texture.
Looking for more delicious Casserole recipes? Try these out:
- Classic Chicken Divan
- Broccoli Rice Casserole
- Quick Chicken and Noodles
- Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole
Love,
Karlynn
John Wayne Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
- ¾ cup water
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese divided
- 1 onion finely chopped and divided
- 2 cups Homemade Bisquick Mix
- 1 cup water
- 1 green pepper diced
- 2 tomatoes diced
- 4 ounces diced green chilies
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Take out a 9×13 casserole dish and set aside. Grease it lightly with cooking spray.
- Brown ground beef until no longer pink and drain.
- Add in my homemade taco seasoning, mixed with some warm water and let simmer for 3-4 minutes (to thicken)
- In a medium sized bowl mix in the sour cream, mayonnaise, one half of the cheese, and half of the finely chopped onion. Set aside.
- In a new bowl, mix together my homemade biscuit mix and water until it forms a dough.
- Press this newly formed dough into the greased 9 x 13 inch pan, making sure it goes at least half way up the sides of the dish.
- Cook together the remaining onions and green peppers until tender.
- Layer the remaining ingredients into the 9×13 on top of the dough in the following order: ground beef, diced tomatoes, green peppers and onions, green chilies, sour cream mixture, and remaining cheddar cheese.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until edges are slightly browned.
Fran Laroche says
Very good…..Tip, don’t use the full cup of water to the Bisquick because it is too wet so start with 1/2 cup then add a bit at a time. I had to add more Bisquick.
Marianne says
What is your homemade biscuit recipe
Michelle Gibson says
Looks very good and easy to make. I also saved your tomato and beef recipe.
Mr. Kitchen Magpie says
This is one of my favorites.
DorothyDaves says
This is a good meal, add a salad
C.B. says
Also under “How to Store and Reheat this Casserole,” you say: “When you want to reheat it, take the whole thing out of the oven and put it in the fridge on low, about 200 Fahrenheit, for at least an hour, turning it occasionally.” I think you meant to say take the whole thing out of the fridge and put it in the oven on low” yes?
CB. says
Under “How to Make” instead of “stir into warm hotter” did you mean warm water?