John Wayne Casserole

What is John Wayne Casserole? It’s a delicious dish made up of ground beef and pork, taco seasoning, veggies, and a creamy base of cheeses.

Casserole recipes are a great easy dinner idea because most of them consist of a combination of items that can be baked all together, and the result is a delicious blend of flavors!

If you love a meat and cheese casserole like this great recipe, then you’re also going to love similar recipes like this cheeseburger casserole, this hamburger hashbrown casserole, and this french onion casserole!

Jump to:

• ❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
• 🧾 Ingredients Needed
• 🍳 Equipment
• 👩🏻‍🍳 How to Make John Wayne Casserole
• 💭 Recipe Pro Tips
• 📋 Recipe FAQs
• 🍽 What to Serve with John Wayne Casserole
• ❄️ Storage
• 🧆 More Casserole Recipes You’ll Love
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

🧾 Ingredients Needed

Head on over to the grocery store to grab the following simple ingredients for this easy casserole recipe. Don’t forget to scroll to the recipe card for exact measurements. 

We’ve provided a few notes about some of the ingredients in case you find it helpful:

• Crescent Roll dough – Store-bought or homemade pizza dough will work here as well. You can use a rolling pin to roll the dough out to line the bottom and sides of the casserole dish. Some may even prefer a biscuit crust.
• Ground pork – You could use ground beef or ground turkey instead if you’d like. 
• Green bell peppers – You can slice or chop the bell pepper. The choice is yours. Or you could even use a red bell pepper if you prefer.
• Sweet onion – Yellow or white onions will work as well. 
• Rotel – Feel free to use fresh diced tomatoes and chilis instead. 
• Canned jalapenos – Not a spicey fan? Go ahead and leave the jalapenos out. 
• Mayonnaise – Miracle Whip will work here too.  
• Shredded cheddar cheese – Cheddar is my favorite but Monterey jack or Colby jack cheese would make great substitutions. 

Note: Corn Makes an excellent optional ingredient to this recipe! Just add a layer of 1 cup of sweet corn between the meat and peppers.

🍳 Equipment

Here’s what you’ll need in terms of supplies to make this original John Wayne casserole recipe.

• 9 X 13-inch baking dish 
• Large heavy-bottomed skillet
• Spoon or spatula for mixing
• Mixing bowl
• Oven

👩🏻‍🍳 How to Make John Wayne Casserole

*Be sure to see the printable recipe card below for the full ingredients list & instructions!*

This easy ground beef casserole recipe is easy to make but we still want to show you the steps of how to make this so it’s helpful!

Prep. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease (or use parchment paper) a 9 X 13-inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. 

STEP 1. Make the crust. Line the pan with the Crescent Roll dough. The dough should completely cover the bottom and stretch to the sides of the pan. Bake for 10 minutes.

STEP 2. Remove. Remove the pan from the oven and set aside.

STEP 3. Cook the meat. Using a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef, pork, and taco seasoning and sauté until the meat mixture is browned and cooked through, breaking it up and mixing as you go. Drain and remove the meat from the skillet. 

STEP 4. Cook the veggies. In the same skillet, sauté the bell pepper and diced onions until softened. 

Tip: If you don’t want the casserole too spicy, you can leave off the jalapeno peppers.

STEP 5. Assemble the casserole. Spread the seasoned, cooked meat over the Crescent Roll crust followed by the Rotel. Next, layer in the softened bell pepper and onions on top of the ground beef mixture, followed by 1/4 cup of the jalapenos. 

STEP 6. Make the creamy topping. Stir together the sour cream, mayonnaise, cream cheese, and then fold in 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese.

STEP 7. Spread the mixture. Spread the sour cream mixture over the casserole.

STEP 8. Add cheese and jalapenos. Top with the remaining 2 cups of cheddar cheese and ¼ cup of jalapeño peppers. 

STEP 9. Bake. Pop the casserole in the preheated oven and bake for 35 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the casserole is heated throughout.

📋 Recipe FAQs

🍽 What to Serve with John Wayne Casserole

When it comes to side dishes for casseroles, we like leafy greens or breads. For this recipe, we really like serving this side salad with it and this Italian white bread.

❄️ Storage

Leftover Casserole: This casserole makes for wonderful leftovers. It stores and reheats well. Allow the casserole to cool completely before covering it in a layer of plastic wrap and placing it in the refrigerator. You can keep it there for up to 4 days. You can also scoop the casserole out of your dish and store it in a separate airtight container.

Can you freeze this casserole? Yes. Prepare the recipe up until the point of baking, cover it in 2 layers of plastic wrap, and pop it in the freezer. It can stay there for up to 3 months.

Thawing: If you freeze this casserole- when you’re ready to serve, transfer the casserole to the refrigerator to thaw. Remove the plastic wrap and cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 325 degrees F for 20-30 minutes or until heated through. You can also pop an individual slice in the microwave. Microwave in 30-second intervals until the portion is heated through. 

🧆 More Casserole Recipes You’ll Love

If you love casseroles or easy dinner ideas, you’ll love these other recipes that we have for you:

Did you make this? I’d be so grateful if you left a “star” rating below to let me know what you thought! Then, the next time you need a quick and easy recipe, come back to Fantabulosity to browse all of my easy recipes!

📖 Recipe