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This Fiesta Casserole comes together in a snap, doesn’t take any special ingredients, and is sure to be a hit with the whole family. Case in point: my dad even liked it, and he’s not a casserole guy or a taco seasoning guy.
If you’ve been following my blog for long, you know that I love leftovers. Why not? You get twice the amount of food for the same amount of work! This recipe makes enough for two meals for our family of 6. Don’t want to eat it twice? I bet you could freeze any leftovers and reheat at a later date when you need supper in a jiffy! Another option would be to make a half batch and bake it in a 9″x13″ pan for a thinner result or a 7″x11″ for a thicker result.
This casserole isn’t that spicy at all, so feel free to add some spice in the form of jalapenos if you so desire. I’m not a big spice fan (it makes my nose run, which is rather inconvenient when I’m trying to enjoy my food).
Side Dish Suggestions:
I served this casserole with green beans and cauliflower sautéed in butter in the skillet I used to fry the meat. I seasoned the cauliflower with chili powder, cumin, dill weed, and garlic salt for something special!
You may also enjoy:
- Starting THM
- my recipe index
- my recipes grouped by fuel type, allergy info, and theme
- all my casserole recipes
- my main dishes picture index
Need more easy meal ideas? Check out my cookbook!
- 3 lb. ground beef
- 1 med. onion, chopped
- 2 tsp. each chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, paprika
- 1½ tsp. salt
- -
- 2 c. cottage cheese
- 1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
- ½ c. half and half
- 2 tsp. each cilantro, dill weed, nutritional yeast
- -
- 1 10-oz. can diced tomatoes with green chilies, drained
- 1 6-oz. can black olives, drained, sliced
- -
- Additional shredded cheddar cheese for topping
- Cook the ground beef in a large skillet. Drain it well and chop it fine, then return it to the skillet. Add the chopped onion and seasonings and stir to combine. Divide the meat into the bottom of a greased 9"x13" pan and a greased 8"x8" pan.
- Mix the cottage cheese, shredded cheddar, half and half, and seasonings together with a hand mixer. (This breaks down the cottage cheese without making it too runny.) Spread the mixture over the meat in both pans.
- Drain the tomatoes and olives very well, slice the olives, and divide these veggies over the cottage cheese mixture in both pans.
- Bake at 350* for 30-35 minutes or until the casseroles are hot and bubbly. During the last ten minutes of baking, sprinkle the top of both pans with shredded cheddar cheese to melt. (You'll probably need to remove the casseroles from the oven to do this, just sayin'.) I like to add enough cheese that I don't quite cover the tomatoes and olives, a) so as not to obscure the beautiful vegetables (well, olives are actually a fruit), and b) so as not to totally overdo the cheese. Once the casseroles are hot and the cheese is melted, let them cool on the counter for 10 minutes before serving to solidify. Eat 'em plain or top with sour cream and salsa.
the dill is throwing me off in this recipe but everyone RAVES about your recipes so maybe I should just trust you on this!!
Haha…feel free to leave it out, but yeah, you should trust me on this. 😛
My husband does not eat cottage cheese. May I substitute yogurt instead of cottage cheese?
Hi Jan! The cottage cheese is actually broken down by mixing, so I doubt he’ll know it’s there if you don’t tell him. 😉 It adds creaminess without being too wet. I’m afraid Greek yogurt may make this more watery and would add more tartness. You’re welcome to try plain Greek yogurt in place of the cottage cheese, though, if you don’t mind experimenting.
This recipe is exactly what I didn’t know I was looking for,! I can take smaller pan to a meeting tonight and leave the big one home with hubby and my 7 kids, AND I can use up some half & half that’s been around awhile. I can’t wait to try it!
I don’t have nutritional yeast could I make without?
You’re welcome to try. 🙂 I used it as a seasoning for extra flavor, so you’ll be missing that.
How many net carbs is this dish
Hi there! I don’t usually calculate nutrition info on my recipes since the healthy eating lifestyle I follow doesn’t require it (Trim Healthy Mama), but MyFitnessPal is a super easy way to find nutrition facts! You can just copy and paste the link into their generator.
Would like to see nutrition facts on recipes
I don’t usually calculate nutrition info on my recipes since the healthy eating lifestyle I follow doesn’t require it (Trim Healthy Mama), but MyFitnessPal is a super easy way to find nutrition facts!
what is the carbs? the calories? the fiber? anything per serving?
I follow a healthy eating lifestyle called “Trim Healthy Mama” which centers around eating healthy foods and separating carbs and fats into different meals to speed up the metabolism. Counting is not required on THM, so I embrace that and don’t count nutrition facts in my recipes. 🙂 You’re welcome to put the recipe into an app like MyFitnessPal to check and see whether it would fit into the particular lifestyle you’re following.
Carbs would be under 5g if that and if you watch your ingredients it shouldn’t be that. There’s not anything in there that would add carbs unless you decide to use a “taco seasoning” package. Many of those have added sugar and thickeners.
Why the yeast
The nutritional yeast? It just adds a good flavor. 🙂
Waiting to prep today and cook tomorrow. Would you keep meat and cheese mixture separated until time to cook? Or have it all assembled then bake when ready?
I think it would be fine to assemble, then bake when you’re ready.
What’s a good sub for the olives? I love them but my hubbie doesn’t. I feel like they add a lot to the dish so it would be lacking without…
I’m afraid I can’t think of any similar substitutes! Maybe put them on only part of the casserole?
I am not a fan of cottage cheese – is it necessary or is there anything I could substitute?
Honestly, I don’t think you’re going to taste it in here with all the other flavors. 😉 It’s there to give the casserole the sauce/moisture it needs, but it gets broken down in the mixing/baking process.
Girl, you make doing THM even better! I found this recipe on Pinterest and followed it here…of course something so good had to be Briana Thomas! Thanks and keep up the inspiration!
I made this tonight for hubby and I who are low carb. It was delicious and there will be plenty of leftovers for the work week even though I cut it back to make just a 9×13 baking dish. Thanks for a great recipe. I se this bein a regular in the low carb comfort food rotation 🙂
So glad you liked it, Ginny!
My family loved this, thanks!! My only change was adding more of all of the spices and some oregano.