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Bean Stuff is a Tortilla Casserole with chili, cheese, and tortillas. It’s a comfort food I grew up eating – you’re going to love it. I can’t stop once I start – and just looking at those photos has me dreaming about making it for dinner!
Bean Stuff Tortilla Casserole
In my house, my Nana’s tortilla casserole recipe has always been called “bean stuff”. Believe it or not, my family has been chowing down on bean stuff since before I was born. Maybe it’s in my blood, because this was just about the only food I would eat as a child. No, seriously – growing up, I refused to eat basically everything. I wouldn’t even eat red sauce and noodles!
Luckily for my poor mom, she could always count on me being eager to eat a big helping of tortilla casserole. To this day, I still love a plate (or two) of of bold chili, sharp cheddar cheese, and soft flour tortillas, all baked together to perfection. I’ve passed on my love for bean stuff not only to my daughter, but to my husband as well! While this recipe is intended to serve six, my family could easily make this dish disappear in one sitting.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Bean stuff is totally kid-friendly. Not only will they love eating it they’ll also love making it – It’s so simple to put together!
- This casserole is actually best if you make it ahead of time. Then once dinner rolls around, all you need to do is pop it in the oven or microwave!
Ingredients Needed
- Chili – with beans or without, although we love chili with beans.
- Tomato sauce – one small 8 ounce can.
- Flour tortillas – soft taco-sized so they’ll fit in a 9-inch square pan.
- Cheddar cheese – shredded and a whole lot of it!
How to Make Tortilla Casserole
- Combine ingredients: In a bowl or large measuring cup, mix the chili and tomato sauce together.
- Create layers: In the bottom of a 9×9” pan, place a portion of the chili mixture, then top with a tortilla. Then, scoop a few spoonfuls of the chili mixture onto the tortilla and sprinkle it with cheddar cheese. Repeat this process until you have used all of your ingredients, finishing with a sprinkling of cheese.
- Cover: Once you’ve assembled the casserole, cover the dish with plastic wrap and chill for three hours or more. In this case, the longer you chill it, the better. So feel free to assemble it the day before and let it sit overnight!
- Cook the casserole either in the oven or the microwave until the cheese is melted and the whole thing is hot throughout.
Expert Tips
- Make a vegetarian tortilla casserole by using vegetarian chili.
- Shred your own cheese – packaged shredded cheese doesn’t melt very well.
- You can use lower fat or lower carb tortillas if you prefer.
FAQs
Yes, you can use any chili you like in this recipe.
This recipe is perfect for making ahead. In fact, I recommend making it the night before and allowing it to chill in the fridge overnight before baking.
Store leftover tortilla casserole in an airtight container for up to four days.
Bean Stuff Casserole
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 1 15 ounces can chili with beans
- 1 8 ounce can tomato sauce
- 8-10 flour tortillas (soft taco size)
- 2-3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Note: you can bake or microwave this. Make sure that, if you’re using the microwave, you make it in a microwave safe pan.
- Stir together chili and tomato sauce in a large measuring cup or bowl.
- Scoop a bit of the chili mixture in the bottom of a 9×9” pan. Place a tortilla on top, then top with a few more spoons of chili mixture. Sprinkle with cheese. Top with another tortilla, more chili, and more cheese. Continue until you’re out of all the ingredients. (I like to sprinkle extra cheese on top.)
- Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours (you can even do it all day or overnight, the longer the better).
- When ready to cook, remove from refrigerator and let sit for about 10 minutes (or while oven is preheating, if you’re baking it). Place 3 toothpicks in the top so they stick out. Cover with foil (OVEN only) or parchment paper (the toothpicks are so the paper doesn’t stick to the cheese on top).
- Microwave instructions: heat in 5 minute increments, letting it sit 1-2 minutes between each, until melted and hot, about 15-20 minutes.
- Baking instructions: bake at 350°F 30-40 minutes or until cheese is melted and casserole is hot all the way through, removing the foil or parchment after 20 minutes.
Recipe Notes
- Make a vegetarian tortilla casserole by using vegetarian chili.
- Shred your own cheese – packaged shredded cheese doesn’t melt very well.
- You can use lower fat or lower carb tortillas if you prefer.
- You can use chili with or without beans.
I was excited to try this recipe, but it looked nothing like your pictures. There was barely enough chili mixture for the bottom and one layer of tortilla. Did you brush the mixture on or what? I even added some browned hamburger to help it go further. There was not even enough finished casserole for two, let alone six. Dang.
I usually just spoon a few spoonfuls of the mixture onto each layer. It shouldn’t be the entire can of chili per layer.
I wanted to like this, cuz it’s so fast & easy, & the flavor was good. However, the flour tortillas were soggy & made the casserole texture unappealing. I might try it again using corn tortillas.
The soaked tortillas are my favorite part 🙂
Any suggestions on a “good” canned chili for this? I have tried several different brands and use them for different recipes so I would to know which one(s) would work best for this dish? Thanks, my family will love this!!
Just made this last night. Sooooo goooood
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