Southwest chicken casserole with black beans is made with ground chicken, peppers, black beans in a spicy fresh tomato sauce. It’s a satisfying wholesome dinner for a chilly night.
Southwest Chicken Casserole with Black Beans – Perfect for Busy Weeknights
Southwest Chicken Casserole is the perfect choice for a busy weeknight dinner. It comes together quickly and can even be made ahead of time. It is made with all fresh ingredients, so it’s a healthy dinner that’s gluten free,
As soon as the weather starts to turn cold, this is one of our favorite casserole dishes to serve. We like it because it’s a little bit like chili, but the addition of tortillas and cheese makes it much more satisfying.
Serve it with some homemade guacamole or sliced avocados and a salad for a filling and healthy dinner.
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Here Is What You Will Need
- Lean Ground Chicken Breast (see recipe variations below for other meat and no-meat choices)
- Bell Peppers
- Onions
- Fresh Chopped Garlic
- Tomatoes chopped fresh tomatoes are the best, if you don’t have them, use canned diced low sodium tomatoes like these diced tomatoes from Muir Glen
- Chili Powder
- Ground Cumin
- Fresh Cilantro
- Corn Tortillas
- Black Beans
- Cheese
- Skillet
- Casserole Dish
Here is how to make Southwest chicken and black bean casserole
It takes only a few simple steps to make this recipe. Below is a summary, the full recipe details are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- First, brown the chicken and vegetables in a frying pan, then add the spices, black beans and tomatoes.
- Layer the tortillas and chicken mixture in a casserole dish. Top the dish with cheese and bake. While the casserole is baking, make a quick salad and dinner is on the table in less than one hour.
Make it ahead of time
- Prepare all of the ingredients, and layer them into the casserole dish except for the top layer of cheese
- Cover the casserole and store in the refrigerator for up to two days
- Remove from refrigerator at least a half hour before baking
- Top with cheese and bake
Recipe Variations
- Use leftover chicken in place of ground chicken – add cooked (leftover) chicken after cooking the peppers and onions. Continue with seasoning and tomatoes.
- Ground pork, beef, or turkey and be used in place of ground chicken
- Make Southwest Chicken and Black bean casserole vegetarian by leaving out the chicken and adding (after vegetables) 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa or 1 block crumbled tofu. Continue with seasoning and tomatoes.
- Store the leftovers in the refrigerator for up to three days
- Serving ideas – top your casserole with guacamole, sliced avocados, lime juice, Greek yogurt or sour cream.
Try These Southwest Chicken and Turkey Recipes
- Slow Cooker Southwest Chicken and Black Beans
- Slow Cooked Chipotle Chicken Stew
- Easy Healthy Turkey Chili
Mexican Chicken and Black Bean Casserole
Southwest chicken and black bean casserole has all of the flavors of the Southwest. It’s made with ground chicken, peppers, black beans in a spicy fresh tomato sauce. It’s a satisfying wholesome dinner for a chilly night.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 45 mins
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil plus about a teaspoon to coat casserole dish
- 1 pound ground chicken breast
- 2 cups chopped red bell pepper
- 3/4 cup chopped onion
- 3 cloves chopped garlic
- 1 to 2 jalapeno peppers
- 4 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 2 1//2 cups chopped tomatoes – about two large tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cups canned and rinsed or cooked
- black beans
- 6 taco sized organic corn tortillas
- 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 6 ounces of cheddar cheese shredded
Instructions
- pre-heat oven to 350
- place the olive oil in a skillet and heat over medium. Add the chicken breast and cook until it’s 3/4 of the way cooked through
- add the onions, garlic, and red peppers – cook for about 5 minutes until they begin to soften
- stir in the chili powder, cumin, and jalapenos and mix well
- add the tomatoes and beans simmer on low for 5 minutes
- stir in the cilantro
- coat a casserole dish with oil and place 4 tortillas in a single layer in the dish
- place half of the chicken mixture on top of the tortillas and then half of the cheese
- place 4 tortillas on top of chicken mixture and then the meat and the cheese
- bake at 350 covered for 20 minutes
- remove cover and bake for 5 minutes more
Notes
- pre-cooked chicken (leftover) can be used to make this recipe by adding cooking the vegetables first and adding the chicken with the seasonings
- this recipe can be made vegetarian by omitting the chicken and adding 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa or 1 cup crumbled tofu
- canned tomatoes can be used in place of fresh
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to three days
- Make this casserole ahead of time. Store in refrigerator for up to two days before baking
- Serving ideas: guacamole, sliced avocados, lime juice, Greek yogurt or sour cream
Keywords: dinner, dinner casserole, black bean and chicken, easy dinner
Nutrition information is provided by Nutrifox, an online calculator and is meant to be used for informational purposes only. Even though I try to provide accurate information, these figures should still be considered as estimates.
What a wonderful casserole, my family would enjoy this, great idea to use corn tortillas
Thank you Cheri! I like corn tortillas better the ones made with flour.
WHat a great combination of flavors! The perfect dinner casserole.
Thank you! I make this ahead of time a lot – an easy dinner!
My late Dad didn’t need a holiday to enjoy Mexican food either. Yours looks like one he would’ve loved. Your casserole recipe is beautiful =)
Thank you!
YES! I’ll take mine with some guacamole!!
The guac is the best part!
I love a good casserole, especially a Mexican one. Looks delicious!
Thanks!
What a great looking casserole, and so easy too. This is a perfect healthy and easy weeknight dinner.
I’m not a big casserole person, but yours looks wonderful – crispy edges, hearty, and unlike the casseroles I know from my hubby’s family, not cream-based. You may have just convinced me to make my first casserole 🙂
I hope you do Liz, Enjoy!
You had me at black beans! Yum!
100% yes. Everyone in my family would (should!) eat this!
I’d love to dig into this casserole!
These are some of my favorite flavors and it looks like a perfect dinner to me!
Thanks Carlee !
Wow. This sounds amazing. I love the tortillas on the bottom and all of the flavors melding together with the cheese…. oh man!
Thank you Karen, it’s one of our favorites too!
This looks so hearty and wholesome. I love black beans and this casserole looks like a perfect one pot meal you can have on a weekend for us. Saving for later.
★★★★★
It’s one of our weekend favorites for sure!
I can’t believe it’s winter already and casserole season has begun! I will admit that I’m pretty excited about though, especially when I see a dish like this one!
Me too Colleen, my oven is on vacation in the summer!
This looks easy and delicious! Can’t wait to try it
I love that this can be made ahead, and I’ve been looking for recipes that use black beans! Looks delicious!
I adore black beans so much, and love them in a casserole! Can’t wait to try out this recipe! The flavors are right up my alley!
★★★★★
Delicious! This looks like a burrito turned casserole! Love the idea and the simplicity of this recipe! Looks like a future family favorite for weeknights!
★★★★★
I like that you have a vegetarian alternative for this casserole! I would love the quinoa and crumbled tofu, while my husband would love your version better 🙂 . Such a great meal, it is, both ways!
This recipe is so perfect for when you’re in a pinch for a quick dinner or to make ahead and bake later. Definitely a crowd pleaser too with all these southwest flavors.
I’m loving all the flavors in this casserole! This would make a delicious weeknight dinner. And I love how easy it is to transition this to a vegetarian dish.
★★★★★
Love the combination of flavors. Looks fantastic. Drooling over pics. I will try this soon.
★★★★★
I can’t resist a good casserole. I have almost all of these ingredients, so this is definitely happening soon in my kitchen!
★★★★★
Ooh this looks absolutely delish! Perfect weeknight family meal! 😀
With all the holiday cookie baking going on in our house, I look forward to normal meals every single day. I love that this is homemade from scratch and I can make it for a quick weeknight dinner.
★★★★★
This is definitely going on the menu for dinner! I love almost anything with black beans!
What a delicious meal! We love Mexican food in our house so this would be gone in one sitting!
Delicious comfort food and perfect for the cooler nights we are getting finally!