Cattle Drive Casserole (aka John Wayne Casserole)
This Cattle Drive Casserole Recipe is the ultimate comfort food! It’s made with a Red Lobster cheddar bay biscuit crust, a hearty ground beef filling, and finished off with a creamy, cheesy top layer. This is the kind of dinner the whole family will love and makes amazing leftovers!
For more Family Favorite Dinner Recipes, be sure to check out my Easy Italian Sliders, Chicken Alfredo Lasagna Rolls, and French Onion Beef Stew.
I love a good hearty casserole, and this Cattle Drive Casserole (you may have also heard it called John Wayne Casserole) is the perfect one to please everyone at the table, hungry cowboys included!
Speaking of hungry cowboys (or just hungry families) be sure to try my Cowboy Soup or King Ranch Casserole, too! They’re made with similar Tex-mex style ingredients and can feed a crowd as well.
One of the best parts of this Cattle Drive Casserole is the Red Lobster Biscuit layer. If you’re a Cheddar bay biscuit lover, you’re going to wonder why you haven’t tried it like this before!
After the crust comes the meat layer, which is made up of a chili-esque, taco-seasoned beef filling. So good.
Then the casserole is finished off with a creamy, sour cream and mayo topping (trust me here!) and then sprinkled with a layer of melty, gooey cheese.
I’m telling you, the combination of all these delicious flavors creates such a satisfying and comforting dinner. It makes a lot too, so it’s perfect if you have a lot of mouths to feed. And the leftovers are SO good the next day, too!
Ingredients for Cattle Drive Hamburger Casserole
- Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuit Mix – is used to create the biscuit layer crust for the casserole. You will use both the mix and the seasoning packet that comes with it.
- Shredded cheese – I like to use a combination of different cheeses in this casserole. I usually choose cheddar cheese and pepper jack, but you could also use Colby jack cheese or a Mexican blend.
- Milk – is combined with the biscuit mix to create the dough.
- Ground beef – I like to use a lean ground beef, but you could also use ground turkey instead.
- Olive oil – is used for cooking the veggies.
- Veggies – you will need one yellow onion, a green pepper (or a red bell pepper), and three cloves of minced garlic.
- Fire roasted tomatoes – adds a nice boost of flavor as opposed to regular diced tomatoes.
- Green chiles – I use a small can of mild diced green chiles, but you could use medium or spicy chiles for a little kick.
- Spices – you will need both taco seasoning and salt to season your cattle drive casserole.
- Sour cream and Mayonnaise – are combined with the cheese to make the super creamy cheese layer on top of the casserole.
A full list of ingredients, measurements, and instructions are located in the recipe card below.
How to Make Cattle Drive Casserole – Step by Step
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and spray a 9 × 13-inch casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray. Mix the biscuit mix (including the seasoning packet), about 1/3 of the cheddar cheese, and the milk in a medium bowl. Press the biscuit dough into the prepared casserole dish and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and turn the oven temperature down to 375.
Cook and crumble the beef in a large skillet over medium heat until mostly cooked. Drain off the excess grease then add the olive oil, diced onion, and green pepper and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for about a minute, until fragrant.
Stir in the tomatoes, green chiles, taco seasoning, and salt. Bring to a simmer, then cook for 5 minutes. Spread the meat mixture evenly over the biscuit base.
Mix the sour cream, mayonnaise, half of the cheddar and half of the pepper jack cheese in a medium bowl. Dollop it on top then spread it out as best you can without mixing it into the ground beef layer.
Sprinkle the remaining cheddar and pepper jack cheeses over the sour cream mixture.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly. Serve with freshly sliced green onions for garnish if desired.
Tips and Notes
- Additions and substitutions: this is an easy casserole to adapt to your tastes. Corn and black beans would both make great additions to the filling, and feel free to substitute the ground beef with ground turkey. You can also make this into a gluten free Cowboy Casserole by using the Gluten Free Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuit mix!
- Make it spicier by using a hot taco seasoning, adding spicy green chiles, or a splash of hot sauce to the beef mixture. I also love topping mine with pickled or sliced jalapeños!
- Freezer Instructions: Cover the casserole dish with a layer of plastic wrap and then a layer of aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. It is best to thaw the frozen casserole in the refrigerator overnight before baking, and it is even better if you can let it come to room temperature before placing it in the oven.
- To Reheat: If reheating the remaining casserole, place it in the oven at 350°F for 15-20 minutes or until thoroughly heated through. If heating a single serving, you can heat it in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes at a time until warm.
- Any leftover casserole can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
If you try this recipe, please leave a comment and rating below. I love to hear from you and always appreciate your feedback!
Recipe: Cattle Drive Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 box Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuit Mix
- 3/4 cup milk
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 medium green bell pepper, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 14.5 ounce can fire roasted tomatoes
- 4 ounce can diced green chiles, undrained
- 2 Tablespoons taco seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 cup pepper jack cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and spray a 9×13-inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- Mix the biscuit mix (including the seasoning packet), about 1/3 of the cheddar cheese, and the milk in a medium bowl. Press the mixture into the prepared casserole dish and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and turn the oven temperature down to 375.
- Cook and crumble the beef in a large skillet over medium heat until mostly cooked. Drain off the excess grease then add the olive oil, onion, and green pepper and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for about a minute, until fragrant.
- Stir in the tomatoes, green chiles, taco seasoning, and salt. Bring to a simmer, then cook for 5 minutes. Spread evenly over the biscuit base.
- Mix the sour cream, mayonnaise, half of the cheddar and half of the pepper jack cheeses in a medium bowl. Dollop it on top then spread it out as best you can without mixing it into the meat layer. Sprinkle the remaining cheddar and pepper jack cheeses on top.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly. Serve with freshly sliced green onions for garnish if desired.
Notes
- Additions and substitutions: this is an easy casserole to adapt to your tastes. Corn and black beans would both make great additions to the filling, and feel free to substitute the ground beef with ground turkey. You can also make this into a gluten free Cowboy Casserole by using the Gluten Free Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuit mix!
- Make it spicier by using a hot taco seasoning, adding spicy green chiles, or a splash of hot sauce to the beef mixture. I also love topping mine with pickled or sliced jalapeños!
- Freezer Instructions: Cover the casserole dish with a layer of plastic wrap and then a layer of aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. It is best to thaw the frozen casserole in the refrigerator overnight before baking, and it is even better if you can let it come to room temperature before placing it in the oven.
- To Reheat: If reheating the remaining casserole, place it in the oven at 350°F for 15-20 minutes or until thoroughly heated through. If heating a single serving, you can heat it in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes at a time until warm.
- Any leftover casserole can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
