Crockpot Cowboy Casserole (Slow Cooker Meal)

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Beef, potatoes, onions, kidney beans and CHEESE feature in this Crockpot Cowboy Casserole! Quick to prep, this is a real family pleaser!

Very little prep time, you can get this in your pot, and get on with your day – coming home to a fully cooked, ready to eat meal.

Ever have a day where you just want dinner to be DONE and not worry too much about it? Yeah. Me too. Except that’s EVERY day… enter, the Crock-Pot Cowboy Casserole. We love this recipe, it’s become a solid family favorite over the years. Coming home to a big crock of slow-cooked deliciousness just makes me so happy! 

Having some good slow cooker ground beef recipes in the inventory is fantastic! One of my favorites is my Poor Man’s Stew. This casserole has a very different flavor. Both are awesome!

PLAN AHEAD: When I know I have a super long day planned, I will often put this in the crockpot the night before, and let it cook while we sleep. Since I’m sometimes gone for more than 8 hours, I don’t want things to dry out, so putting it on overnight, and packaging it for lunch, or for reheating later than evening is a great way to still eat well. I just put it all in a baking dish and refrigerate. When I get home, I just put in the oven and let it reheat while I do other things. Dinner is done in about 30 minutes. Makes you rethink ALL of the slow cooker recipes you don’t make because they have too short a cooking time, right?

CANNED SOUP: This delicious recipe DOES contain a cardinal sin of the foodie world – cream of xxx soup. Which, honestly, I do tend to avoid if I can. However, in this case, simplicity and “get ‘er done” was the goal. If you really cannot handle the idea of canned soup, you can make your own Cream of Chicken Soup. You can always use Cream of Mushroom soup if your family prefers that.

FAMILY FRIENDLY & CAN STRETCH TO FEED A CROWD

This is a hit with the family. It makes enough that there is plenty for everyone, including seconds and even a little leftover. Got a bigger crowd to feed? No problem! Add another can of beans, and another can of tomatoes to stretch this meal! (adjust the seasonings). As this recipe stands, this recipe feeds my entire family (2 adults, 2 kids) with a bowl of leftovers.

Feel super free to mix it up, and add different beans, vegetables, cheese etc (suggestions below in the Top Tips section).

Ingredients:

• ONION – sliced pretty thickly
• GROUND BEEF – I use a 97/3 beef, but 80/20 is fine too, but I would brown it first, and be sure and drain the fat
• POTATOES – I like Russet or Yukon golds for this.
• GARLIC – Don’t skimp on the garlic. Ever. This is actual life advice.
• KIDNEY BEANS – you can sub any kind of bean, pintos, black or cannellini all go just fine in this.
• CANNED DICED TOMATOES – undrained, you’ll need all the juices for the sauce. For a smokier flavor, grab the fire-roasted ones.
• CREAM OF CHICKEN SOUP – Make your own cream of chicken soup, or pick up a can at the store (go for a low sodium one)
• DRIED OREGANO – you can use fresh if you wish, or just add more Italian herbs.
• ITALIAN SEASONING – Available at the store. I like my Homemade Tuscan Seasoning in this, but you do you!
• CHEDDAR CHEESE – I prefer to grate my own for this, it melts so much better than using storebought

How to make Crockpot Cowboy Casserole:

Full, printable recipe below – just scroll down to the recipe card!

1. Brown the ground beef, and drain well.
2. Place the browned beef, and the remaining ingredients except the cheese in a crock pot (slow cooker) and combine well.
3. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours.
4. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top, cover.
5. Serve when cheese is melted (about 10 minutes).

FAQs and Top Tips

• Add a can of black beans, stretch out the meal, or make sure there are more leftovers.
• Add a can of sweet corn and/or a can of green chiles – make it your own recipe!
• Use red potatoes (don’t peel!)
• Instead of Italian Seasoning, use my DIY recipe for Tuscan Seasoning
• Use Cream of Mushroom soup for a different kind of flavor.
• A little chili powder goes VERY well in this dish, with beans and beef it’s a no brainer, right?
• More Crock Pot Recipes:
  • Vegetarian Chili –  perfect for cool weather, packed with peppers, onions, beans, tomatoes, and sweet potatoes.
  • 15 Bean Soup – packed with flavor and goodness –  this meal is a great one to set and forget!
  • Beef Stew with Herbed Dumplings  –  this one makes the family run to the table, with the addition of Herbed Dumplings – it’s a total winter warmer!
  • Easy CrockPot “Rotisserie” Chicken – cook a WHOLE chicken all day in the crockpot. Fall-apart, tender and juicy. YUM
  • Smothered Pork Chops – tender & juicy, covered in a flavorful onion gravy. Slow-cooked while you do other things. This recipe is great for family dinners!
  • Slow Cooker Cuban Mojo Pork (from Lemon Blossoms)
  • ALL SLOW COOKER/CROCKPOT RECIPES

Want to see something fun? Here’s the original picture from when I published this many moons ago! eek.

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