This Easy Slow Cooker Cowboy Casserole is another one of my favorite types of casseroles because it's a healthy, quick, and easy dump-and-go recipe. Loaded with delicious flavors from ground beef, rice, beans, tomatoes, and veggies, then smothered in melted cheese, it's the perfect comfort food for any time of the year! The best part is, that you put everything in the slow cooker, walk away, and let the crockpot do the cooking for you.
This recipe was inspired by my Shipwreck Casserole and my Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken. It pairs well with buns, breadsticks, salad or veggies on the side. It's popular any time of the year, but ideal in the summer when you don't want to heat up your house. It also makes a great Stampede dinner. And it's ideal to come home to after a busy day. This recipe is also weight watchers friendly at 7 ww points.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- No pre-cooking. This is truly a 'dump and go' recipe - you don't have to precook a thing - not even the ground beef! It's ideal for busy moms.
- No draining. You don't even have to drain any cans - just put everything in the crockpot.
- No pots to wash. Everything is cooked in one pot (the slow cooker).
- Hearty. This a full and flavorful meal that's very filling. And that's why it's called Cowboy Casserole.
- Economical. This casserole is budget-friendly and makes a lot of servings (12 @1.5 cups each) at a great price point!
- Simple ingredients. This casserole contains ingredients you'll already have on hand and/or are easy to find at the grocery store.
- Won't heat up your house. You can make this in the summer without turning on your stove!
🥘Ingredient Notes
You’ll need the following ingredients for this recipe:
- Extra lean ground beef. Use extra lean or it will make the casserole too greasy.
- Rice (uncooked). I use short grain whole grain brown rice. Do NOT use Instant rice (or minute rice). Some people use tater tots or red potatoes.
- Canned Rotel. Rotel is basically diced tomatoes with chilies and spices for extra flavor!
- Package of taco seasoning. This is a simple way to add a Mexican flair to this casserole.
- Jarred jalapenos. Jalapenos give this cowboy casserole a little kick. (I used tamed)
- Cumin. Cumin adds a fresh, earthy flavor.
- Fresh cilantro. Gives this casserole a burst of fresh flavor and green color!
- Sharp cheddar cheese. I use light cheddar cheese.
📖Variations & Substitutions
- Rice - you can use white rice or brown rice, but do NOT use Instant rice (or minute rice). You need to use regular (short or long grain ) for this recipe
- Navy beans - you could substitute Pinto beans, black beans, Cannellini beans, or Great Northern beans
- Kidney beans - you can use chili beans if you prefer
- Spicy - add chili pepper flakes, hot sauce, or chili powder while cooking to imbue heat into the dish, or add additional jalapeno pepper
- Cilantro - you can use dried cilantro if you don't have fresh, but you'll only need half the amount
- Garlic - you can use jarred minced garlic or 1. 5 teaspoon of garlic powder, if you don't have fresh garlic
- Onions - if you don't have onions, you could substitute with 1 teaspoon of onion powder
- Rotel - is simply diced tomatoes with green chiles and some spices. If you can't find Rotel, you can use canned tomatoes and canned green chilies.
- Add-ins - you can add in a can of green beans or use fresh bell peppers as well
🔪How to Make Cowboy Casserole in the Crockpot
Prep: Spray a 6 quart crockpot with non-stick cooking spray
DO NOT DRAIN ANYTHING!!!!
Layer the bottom of the crockpot with extra lean raw ground beef.
Next, add the rice.
Then add the rest of the ingredients (except cheese)
**DO NOT DRAIN ANYTHING
Gently stir, trying not to mix in the ground beef or rice (but it's okay if some of it gets mixed) . * If you are around, you can stir the whole thing ½ way through the cooking process.
Cooking time: Cook in crockpot on high heat for 3 hours or low heat for 6 hours, stirring halfway through (if you are around- this is not critical)
Melt cheddar cheese before serving. Garnish with cilantro and salsa, if desired.
Top Tip
An instant read thermometer (affiliate link) is a great tool for checking the doneness of ground beef!
🥗 What to serve with Slow Cooker Cowboy Casserole
This easy crock pot recipe goes really well with a garden salad, spinach salad, or bread:
🌡️Storage
Fridge: Store this hearty casserole in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Freezer: It freezes well in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Reheat: Thaw in the fridge overnight, then warm in the oven or microwave.
👪 Serving Size
This slow cooker cowboy casserole recipe makes 12 servings @ 1.5 cups each. However, you can half, double, or triple the recipe by clicking on the serving number and selecting the number of servings you'd like. The ingredient quantities will automatically adjust.
🔢WW Points
This recipe is Weight Watchers friendly @ 7 WW points for a 1.5 cup serving. You can further lighten this up to 6 ww points using fat-free ground turkey. If you also use fat-free cheddar cheese, you can bring it down to 5 weight watchers points.
❔ Recipe FAQ's
Yes, ground beef can be cooked in a crock pot, but it's best to use extra lean ground beef so that it's not greasy.
Cowboy casserole is a one-pot meal that typically has some kind of meat (like ground beef or ground turkey), some kind of starch (rice, red potatoes, tater tots, or hash browns), and vegetables and/or beans.
It is not necessary to preheat a slow cooker.
If you're looking for easy crockpot dishes, you'll love this Crockpot Cowboy Casserole! It's bound to become one of your family's favorite recipes.
🍲 More easy Crockpot recipes
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📋 Easy Slow Cooker Cowboy Casserole recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb extra lean ground beef
- 3 cups uncooked rice (I use whole grain brown rice) *do NOT use minute rice
- 12 oz can of corn
- 19 oz can of kidney beans
- 10 oz can of navy beans
- 3 Cans Rotel (10 oz each)
- 1 ounce - package of taco seasoning
- 3 teaspoon garlic
- 3 tablespoon jarred jalapenos (I used tamed)
- 1 whole onion, diced
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 2 tablespoon fresh cilantro
- 4 cups cheddar cheese * I use light
Garnish (optional)
- additional fresh cilantro
- salsa
- sour cream
Instructions
- Layer the bottom of the crockpot with extra lean raw ground beef.
- Next add the rice.
- Then add everything else (except cheese) **DO NOT DRAIN ANYTHING!
- Gently stir, trying not to mix in the ground beef or rice (but it's okay if some of it gets mixed) . * If you are around, you can stir the whole thing ½ way through the cooking process as well, but it's not critical if you can't.m
- Cook in crockpot on high for 3 hours or low for 6 hours, stirring halfway through, if possible.
- Melt cheddar cheese before serving. Garnish with additional fresh cilantro, salsa and/or sour cream, if desired.
Notes
- Rice - you can use white rice or brown rice, but do NOT use Instant rice (or minute rice). You need to use regular (short or long grain ) for this recipe
- Navy beans - you could substitute Pinto beans, black beans, Cannellini beans, or Great Northern beans
- Kidney beans - you can use chili beans if you prefer
- Spicy - add chili pepper flakes, hot sauce, or chili powder while cooking to imbue heat into the dish, or add additional jalapeno pepper
- Cilantro - you can use dried cilantro if you don't have fresh, but you'll only need half the amount
- Garlic - you can use jarred minced garlic or 1. 5 teaspoon of garlic powder, if you don't have fresh garlic
- Onions - if you don't have onions, you could substitute with 1 teaspoon of onion powder
- Rotel - is simply diced tomatoes with green chiles and some spices. If you can't find Rotel, you can use canned tomatoes and canned green chilies.
- Add-ins - you can add in a can of green beans or use fresh bell peppers as well
Susanne Sulkers
Took this to a "pot luck" dinner, it was enjoyed by all, a couple of people even asked for the recipe. I didn't include the jalapinos but cut up 2 stalks of celery and added that. I did add an extra cup of water as I didn't feel there was enough moisture for the 3 cups of rice.
Terri Gilson
Hi Susanne,
I'm so glad you enjoyed it! I'm surprised it wasn't too runny with 3 cups of water, but I'm glad it worked out so well for you!
Terri
Linda DeHaven
Lol, I really had to think about that one. I put the brown rice into a plain countertop canister and threw away the bag, so I'm not sure specifically what kind of brown rice it is.
Terri Gilson
ohhhh I see 🙂
Linda D
It's very, very tasty, but 3 hours on high isn't long enough to cook the brown rice. I reset for another hour and also added another cup of water hoping to get it done. Next time I'll use white rice.
Sher
Ok, I made this last night. I cooked it in the crockpot for like 4 hours and went through not only the liquid stated, but a whole container of beef broth. Then I finally put it in the oven for 45 min. Finally the rice was tender. Think I will be using the oven. It was darn good, just had to change the cooking. YUM!
Terri Gilson
Hi Sher,
I'm glad you enjoyed, but sorry to hear you had issues with the rice cooking. I am wondering if it's just different types/brands of rice? I use Uncle Ben's. Happy to hear it turned out great anyway!
Terri
Linda
I'm not sure - I put it into a cannister and tossed the bag, lol. It was very good, just needed more liquid and longer cooking. I think next time I'll use white rice. Thanks for the reply!
Terri Gilson
Hi Linda,
Of course! Sorry, but I'm not sure what you mean by putting it into a cannister and tossed the bag?
Yes, maybe try white rice. I hope it turns out for you! 🙂
Take care,
Terri
Linda H
Haven't made it but it looks delicious so going to try. My question is how many "points" is this per serving on Weight Watchers as it indicates it's Weight Watchers friendly.
Terri Gilson
Hi Linda,
It’s 7 pts for a 1.5 cup serving. The points are listed if you scroll down to WW points in my recipes.
Enjoy!
Terri
carolyn
Could you mix all ingredients( EXCEPT,) cheese, ground beef, and rice together and pour on top of the ground beef and rice mixture instead of separately and then stirring? This would make it a lot easier and would not disturb the gr. beef and rice mixture. Thank you!
Terri Gilson
Hi Carolyn,
Yes you can! I just didn’t want to dirty another bowl😊
Clara Leeber
Question: Arethe 3 cups of rice already cooked are is it 3 cups of dry (uncooked) rice?
Terri Gilson
Hi Clara,
The rice is dry (uncooked) when you put it in. Thanks for pointing that out - I have updated recipe so it's clearer.
Enjoy!
Terri
Shirine Layton
The recipe tells you, uncooked rice.
Terri Gilson
Hi Shirine,
I updated it to say uncooked rice AFTER she inquired.
Thanks
Terri
Cheryl
It calls for uncooked rice, but the rice does not cook without more fluid. At the halfway point, when I stirred it as directed, the rice was still completely raw. I had to add a quart of chicken broth (out of beef broth) & turn up to high before the rice cooked. FYI, I did NOT drain anything & it was not enough fluid. Next time, I will cook 2 cups of rice prior to starting the crock pot (3 was too much in my opinion).
Terri Gilson
Hi Cheryl,
I'm sorry to hear you had trouble with the recipe. I did test it twice, so I'm really wondering if it's the type of rice that's used.
Terri