Crockpot Cowboy Casserole With Ground Beef
Deliciously flavorful and prepped in 10 minutes, this Crockpot Cowboy Casserole With Ground Beef is a hearty, savory mix swirled with gooey cheese. Made in the slow cooker to keep weeknights easy, this beef casserole is the perfect family dinner before sports games.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- ⏲️Ready In: 10 minutes Prep 6 Hours Cooking
- 👪Serves: 6
- 🍽 Calories: 499 kcals
- 📋Main Ingredients: Ground beef, red potatoes, seasonings, frozen corn, green pepper, and Rotel tomatoes.
- 📖 Dietary Notes: Nut-free and gluten-free
- ⭐ Why You’ll Love It: It’s an easy, budget-friendly dinner packed with savory flavor and topped with gooey cheese.
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This easy crockpot cowboy casserole with ground beef is the dinner I rely on during busy weeks when everyone seems to be heading in different directions.
With affordable pantry staples like potatoes, beans, corn, and ground beef, it stretches a pound of meat into a hearty meal that fills hungry kids before sports practices, games, and evening activities. Plus, the slow cooker does the work for you (kind of like my 4-ingredient salsa chicken), which is always a little easier for chaotic nights.
Jump to:
- A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Why It’s Different💭
- Ingredients and Substitutions
- Flavors To Try
- How To Make Crockpot Cowboy Casserole With Ground Beef
- Helpful Hints
- How To Store It
- Slow Cooker Cowboy Casserole With Ground Beef FAQs
- More Easy Dinner Recipes
- Fajita Salad Recipe
- Cheesy Beef Enchilada Skillet
- Slow Cooker Cabbage Roll Soup With Ground Beef
- Slow Cooker Cowboy Casserole
Why It’s Different💭
Budget-friendly: There’s nothing fancy in this ground beef and potato crockpot casserole. Being made from everyday ingredients is what keeps it a cost-effective meal, kind of like my taco spaghetti skillet recipe)
One pot meal: Though you can easily serve this casserole with a side salad or extra veggies, it’s not needed. It’s a meal made entirely in the slow cooker and served solo.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Ground beef: Ideally, use lean ground beef so that you’ll have less excess grease. Likewise, know that any ground meat can actually work, and ground turkey is a great swap!
- Potaotes: I like to use red potatoes most of the time as I find that they hold their shape best when cooking for a long time. But regular white or russet potatoes work too. We’ve used sweet potatoes too, but they do become a bit too tender; they’re better in this vegetarian sweet potato hash.
- Kidney beans: Traditionally, cowboy casserole uses kidney beans. However, we sub in chickpeas a ton because my kiddos love them!
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Flavors To Try
- Spicy casserole: Add some chopped jalapenos or red pepper flakes to the slow cooker cowboy casserole with potatoes for a kick of heat.
- Bacon: I have yet to find something that isn’t MORE delicious when crumbled, crispy bacon is added to the dish.
How To Make Crockpot Cowboy Casserole With Ground Beef
Step 1: Brown the ground beef in a skillet and drain the grease before adding onions and peppers to it.
Step 2: Add the potatoes, kidney beans, and frozen corn to the slow cooker.
Step 3: Mix in the remaining ingredients except the cheese. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.
Step 4: In the last 30 minutes, top the beef casserole with cheese and allow it to melt before serving.
Note
Adding the cheese in the last few minutes of cooking keeps the casserole hearty and not greasy!
Helpful Hints
Pro tip: Browning Beef
The better you brown the beef the better the casserole will taste (less grease!)
- Make sure to cut the ptoatoes evenly so that they all have the same texture.
- Freshly shredded cheese is best as pre-shredded cheese normally has extra ingredients that prevents it from melting as well.
- Try not to crack the lid or stir while cooking, the more steam escapes the lower the temperature gets in the slow cooker.
- Serve the casserole as is or with your favorite crusty bread to stretch it further.
How To Store It
Fridge: Store leftovers once cooled in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. It’ll thicken up a smidge.
Reheating: Reheat individual portions in the microwave for 1–2 minutes, stirring halfway through. For larger portions, warm the casserole in a covered baking dish in a 350°F oven until heated through. If it seems dry, add a splash of beef broth before reheating.
Freezing: Let the casserole cool completely before transferring it to a freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating for the best texture.
Meal prepping: You can brown the beef and chop the vegetables up to a day in advance. Store them separately in the refrigerator, then assemble everything in the crockpot when you’re ready to cook.
Slow Cooker Cowboy Casserole With Ground Beef FAQs
More Easy Dinner Recipes
If you tried this Crockpot Cowboy Casserole Recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes!
Slow Cooker Cowboy Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 cup onion chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
- 3-4 red potatoes cubed
- 1 1/2 cups frozen corn
- 14.5 ounce can of kidney beans drained
- 10 ounces rotel tomatoes
- 1 tsp. pepper
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. minced garlic
- 1/2 tsp. chili powder
- 1/2 cup beef broth
- 1 cup fiesta blend cheese
Instructions
- Add the ground beef to a skillet and cook, chopping, until browned.
- Drain the beef and add onion and peppers to the skillet.
- Cook until vegetables are softened.
- To your crock pot, add potatoes.
- Next add kidney beans and then, frozen corn.
- Add the ground beef and veggie mixture.
- Add the seasonings, followed by rotel.
- Cook on high 3-4 hours or low 6-8.
- For the last 30 minutes of cooking, top with fiesta cheese and allow it to melt, then enjoy.
Video
Notes
- Layer the cheesy beef casserole as written in the slow cooker. This helps everything cook until tender.
- Don’t forget to thoroughly drain your beans before adding them!
- Let the casserole sit for 5-10 minutes before serving it so that everything has time to settle and flavors absorb.
Nutrition
Equipment
- slow cooker
