If you need a warm, budget-friendly casserole dish that doubles as a party appetizer to serve with tortilla chips, this Pinto Bean Casserole is for you! This dish can stay in the oven on low for several hours. Or, pack it up and bring it as a warm dip to a party. You're going to want to save this 7 ingredient warm bean casserole recipe, because it's ready in just 30 minutes!
When it comes to feeding kids beans, I've found that sweet Boston baked beans are an easy gateway. The sweetness from the brown sugar and softness of the beans that comes from baking them for a long time makes them so kid-friendly. Plus, the bacon on top helps too, I'm sure.
I wanted to create another casserole-like dish with beans in it, and this pinto bean casserole came to mind. Pinto beans are super soft beans, which is why we mash them into refried beans of course, and with just a few other pantry stapes, this kid-friendly casserole is ready!
The bottom layer of this pinto bean casserole is crushed tortilla chips, which is a great way to use the last half of a bag of tortilla chips! Then, we stir together pinto beans, corn, a can of crushed tomatoes, salsa, and an envelope of taco seasoning mix. Sprinkle the cheese on top, and bake until bubbly and heated through.
Make this for an easy vegetarian weeknight dinner that you can keep in the oven on low until you're ready to serve. I also make this and bring it to parties as an appetizer or a side dish.
The Ingredients
- Tortilla Chips. This pinto bean casserole is a great way to use up the last of the bag of tortilla chips, especially the crushed and broken chips! We need 8 ounces of crushed tortilla chips for the bottom layer.
- Pinto Beans. Two 15-ounce cans of pinto beans, drained and rinsed.
- Corn. We need 2 cups of frozen corn kernels, no need to thaw.
- Canned Tomatoes. One 15-ounce can of crushed tomatoes is my first choice for this pinto bean casserole, but you can also use canned diced tomatoes instead of crushed.
- Salsa. One cup of your favorite salsa for this pinto bean casserole. I usually use a red tomato-based salsa here, but a green tomatillo salsa is good, too. If you use your favorite salsa, you will definitely love this dish!
- Taco Seasoning. One envelope of taco seasoning is about 2 tablespoons of a spice blend that contains chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, cayenne pepper and salt.
- Cheese. Two cups of shredded cheddar cheese for topping the casserole.
The Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350-degrees F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch glass baking dish. Pile the tortilla chips in the bottom of the dish, and crush them lightly to fit.
In a large bowl, combine the drained and rinsed pinto beans, corn (no need to defrost), tomatoes, salsa, and spices. Mix together very well.
Evenly spread the bean mixture over the tortilla chips in the dish.
Sprinkle the cheddar evenly over the surface, and bake the pinto bean casserole in the oven for about 20 minutes, until bubbly. You can cover this with foil and keep in a low oven until you're ready to serve it.
Pinto Bean Casserole FAQs:
Let any leftovers cool, move the mixture to air-tight food storage containers, and store in the fridge for up to 3 days. This is a great quick lunch when served with extra tortilla chips for dipping.
You can assemble this dish and keep it covered and ready to bake a day in advance. You'll need to make sure you don't burn the cheese if you bake this too long. If you plan on putting this into the oven straight from the refrigerator, cover it in foil for the first 15 minutes of baking. Remove the foil for the last 5 minutes or so.
Pinto Bean Casserole
Warm pinto bean casserole with crushed tortilla chips and taco seasoning.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces of tortilla chips
- 2 15-oz cans of pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups of frozen corn
- 1 15-ounce can of crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup of red salsa
- 1 envelope of taco seasoning mix (about 2 tablespoons)
- 1 ½ cups grated cheddar cheese on top
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º F, and lightly grease a 13 x 9 baking dish with cooking spray.
- Slightly crush tortilla chips and spread in the bottom of the baking dish.
- In a large bowl, combine the pinto beans, corn, tomatoes, salsa, and taco seasoning mix in a large bowl. Pour over the chips.
- Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the surface of the casserole.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and the casserole is heated through.
Notes
Tortilla Chips: This is a great use for the bottom of the bag of tortilla chips that are already crushed and broken.
Canned Tomatoes: One 15-ounce can of crushed tomatoes is my first choice for this pinto bean casserole, but you can also use canned diced tomatoes instead of crushed.
Salsa: One cup of your favorite salsa. I usually use a red tomato-based salsa here, but a green tomatillo salsa is good, too.
Taco Seasoning: One envelope of taco seasoning is about 2 tablespoons of a spice blend that contains chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, cayenne pepper and salt.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 413Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 840mgCarbohydrates: 58gFiber: 4gSugar: 6gProtein: 17g
Kelly
This looks so easy, and I’m sure my kiddos will love it 😁😁