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John Wayne Mexican Casserole (Naturally Gluten Free)

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Mr. GFE and I both enjoy a good casserole and he is a huge fan of John Wayne. So when I saw John Wayne Mexican Casserole made with beans and tortilla chips in a listing on All Free Casseroles Recipes, I had to take a look. The description began:  “Here’s a Mexican casserole recipe that every cowboy will love, including the Duke himself.” Once I clicked on the link to see the recipe, I determined that All Free Casserole Recipes had come up with the John Wayne casserole name. The original recipe was actually called My Mom’s Mexican Casserole. I am pretty sure that the casserole recipe got a lot more views by affixing John Wayne’s name to it though. I’m not sure what the Duke would think, but we love it!

This John Wayne Mexican Casserole made with beans and tortilla chips is naturally gluten free and loved by everyone who has tried it! It's a great addition to the one-dish meal category, which is a personal favorite of mine. From Gluten Free Easily. (photo)

To be honest, when I think of John Wayne, I think of hearty “manly” meals that don’t usually involve Mexican food, but the casserole looked really good. Still, I decided to give the recipe a go, creating my own simpler version—a gfe version made with simple pantry ingredients. So I skipped the canned Ranch style beans and opted for plain pinto beans. I omitted the cream of chicken soup. (Although Pacific Foods makes gluten-free cream of chicken soup and there are lots of homemade gluten-free versions of “cream of” soups, again, I wanted to keep things simple and use what I already had in my pantry.) I omitted the packaged taco seasoning mix (although there are plenty of gluten-free options, like this one), but I decided that I would salsa as my liquid, binder, and main flavoring in the recipe instead of as an optional ingredient and, therefore, I knew the taco seasoning would not be needed. (By the way, when I do need taco seasoning, I rely on this Four-Ingredient On-the-Spot Taco Seasoning.) I knew the salsa would do the job I wanted, because my Enchilada Casserole includes salsa for the very same reason and it’s delicious.

This John Wayne Mexican casserole made with beans and tortilla chips (pantry staples here) is a perfect one-pot meal—my personal fave! My aunt and I enjoyed it for lunch when she was visiting. Mr. GFE and I enjoyed it for dinner two nights. And I ate if for breakfast and/or lunch a few days. It was good every time! Enjoy!

Gluten-Free John Wayne Mexican Casserole Gluten Free Easily

John Wayne Mexican Casserole … Cover the Tortilla Chip Edges if You Want them Soft

John Wayne Mexican Casserole Recipe

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John Wayne Mexican Casserole

I'm not sure what the Duke would think, but we love this simple Mexican casserole. Great comfort food, and naturally gluten free.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. In a large skillet, brown meat with onions and drain off fat.
  3. Stir in beans, tomatoes, and salsa.
  4. Simmer over medium-low (or heat on medium heat stirring constantly) until everything is well combined and heated through. There will be some extra liquid; do not drain/discard. (The extra liquid will be absorbed by the tortilla chips and will soften them nicely.)
  5. Grease a 9×13 casserole dish.
  6. Put down a layer of crushed tortilla chips, followed by a layer of the meat/bean mixture (use half of the amount), then a layer of cheddar cheese (use half of the amount). Add one more layer of remaining ingredients.
  7. Cover with foil and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until bubbly.
  8. Let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.
  9. Top with sour cream and/or guacamole, if desired. Enjoy!

Notes

For the crushed tortilla chips, I just grabbed a mostly full, already opened bag of tortilla chips that was clipped shut and used my hands to crush the chips (most of them anyway) while they were still in the bag. That was an easy way to do it. You want a mixture of larger pieces and smaller pieces, so don't go too crazy with your crushing. You really don’t want them pulverized. When you add the meat/bean mixture over the tortilla chip layer, be sure to cover the chips all the way to the edges if you want them soft rather than crispy. Either

When you add the meat/bean mixture over the tortilla chip layer, be sure to cover the chips all the way to the edges if you want them soft rather than crispy. Either way will work fine, but I preferred the softer version, although the crispier version is shown here.

This John Wayne Mexican Casserole made with beans and tortilla chips is naturally gluten free and loved by everyone who has tried it! It's a great addition to the one-dish meal category, which is a personal favorite of mine. From Gluten Free Easily. (photo)

John Wayne Mexican Casserole … Perfect for My Aunt and I for Lunch

Originally published December 7, 2013; updated September 6, 2017.

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Comments

  1. Shirley – sounds scrumptious – perfect comfort food. We love a great casserole in this household too – so this is a nice addition to the ones we usually have – thanks for sharing! 🙂

    Reply

  6. Shirley, this looks great and easy. I’ll make it next Tues., when I have the 2 grand-kids for the day. Their parents join us for dinner when they come to pick up the kids. Sure need something easy on those fun but busy days. I am dairy free, too, and have a block of the Daiya cheddar to try for my portion. I’ll let you know how it turns out dairy-free.

    Reply

  7. SOOOO tasty! Used lentils instead of beans and a mixture of hard, shredded cheeses. My girls gobbled it up! Thanks so much!

    Reply

  8. How can this be gluten free with tortilla chips?
    I am just starting the gluten free eating and find all chips contain gluten – they are made with wheat, corn, rye, barley, etc.

    Reply

    • Hi Yvonne–Welcome to gfe. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley, as well as oats that are not certified gluten free (otherwise, oats contain gluten from cross contact with gluten-full grains in fields, on harvesting equipment, and in processing facilities). There is no gluten in corn, but as with any other ingredients, if corn products are processed with gluten ingredients there can be cross contact. But there are gluten-free tortilla chips. Read labels and do your research. Here’s an article on this topic from About.com that you might find helpful.

      Shirley

      Reply

    • I found GF tortilla chips….the brand is SIETE Grain Free Tortilla Chips and they come in several varieties at Basic Foods.

      Reply

  9. This is a great pot luck recipe. I always have a hard time finding something to bring to pot lucks that are GF and I know I can eat. This fits the bill easily. It was a BIG hit with everyone also.

    Thank you for putting the EASY in GFE.

    Reply

    • Kathie–Thanks so much for taking the time to leave this wonderful comment and let me and all of us know how much you and everyone else enjoyed this recipe! That news makes my day, dear! And I love that you emphasized the “Easily” part of gfe! 🙂

      Have a great weekend, dear!
      Shirley

      Reply

  10. I must admit, I did find the name of this casserole intriguing, Shirley! It definitely sounds like something my family will love- nice and hearty with lots of lovely spicy flavours. Thank you so much for bringing this recipe to the Hearth and Soul Hop – sharing!

    Reply

    • Everybody knows John Wayne, right? 😉 This casserole has become a family favorite for many readers; I hope that yours will love it as well. 🙂

      As always, I greatly appreciate Hearth and Soul Blog Hop and your sharing!
      Shirley

      Reply

  11. Re: gluten free corn chips.. There are tons of brands in every supermarket that are labeled gluten free…

    This dish kicked butt. Made it last night.. The chips stayed super crunchy, added some green chilies on one half and diced black olives on the other. A true winner and is now in my permanent recipe file. Really sensational stuff.

    Thanks!

    Reply

    • Hi Greg–Welcome to gfe! I’m thrilled by your very positive review and love your changes to the recipe. I’m sure others will enjoy making those modifications as well. 😉

      You’re right on the current availability of gluten-free corn chips/tortilla chips. When I wrote this post, the “gluten-free” labeling regulations were not in effect. Since then many more manufacturers now know the rules are following them, and are saying their chips are less than 20 ppm gluten. It’s nice to have so many safe options now!

      Thanks again for taking the time to leave this great comment!
      Shirley

      Reply

    • Hi Chanda–Welcome to gfe! 🙂 Leaving it uncovered will probably mean that it will take longer to bake and will be a bit drier, but it still should be okay. If you find it a bit dry with your first bite, you can sprinkle some grated cheese on top to compensate.

      Enjoy!
      Shirley

      Reply

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