Easy Crockpot Mexican Casserole Recipe is a great dish that I enjoy making for my family. You can make it in the skillet or in the slow cooker, depending on how much time you have. The delicious flavors meld together perfectly and your family will be begging for more.
We love making ground beef recipes in our crockpot. To find more recipes like this, see my post: 20 Slow Cooker Ground Beef Recipes or try Crockpot Beef Shepherd’s Pie.
Mexican Casserole
If you follow me for very long, you’ll know that I love making Mexican food in my Crockpot. So, making this Easy Crockpot Mexican Casserole was a natural fit for me. As you can see from my photos, you can also make this in your skillet. I have done both. It’s so simple and delicious. You can easily make changes to it and I’ll highlight some of those below. If you have any other questions about this recipe, feel free to leave a comment and I’m happy to answer them!
How Long Do I Cook Crockpot Mexican Casserole For?
If you’re cooking it in the slow cooker, cook on low for 4-6 hours. You can even cook it in your skillet though and if you do, it will only take about 15-20 minutes.
When Do I Put In Cooked Rice For This Mexican Casserole Recipe?
If you choose to add cooked rice, you can add it at the end. Be sure to stir everything well so that the rice is nicely coated with the spices and cheese.
Can I Use Brown Rice Instead of Rice a Roni in Mexican Casserole?
Yes, but you will need to adjust the amount of liquid you use in the Crockpot. To start with the rice uncooked in your slow cooker, add 1 cup of uncooked rice and change the water amount to 2 cups, instead of 1/4 cup.
Do I Have to Brown the Ground Beef or Can I Use Uncooked Beef, Since It Will Be Cooking All Day?
Yes. Brown the ground beef. Otherwise, your Mexican Casserole will be a soupy pot of grease. Of course, if you’re buying lean ground beef, it wouldn’t be nearly as greasy, but in my opinion, it still doesn’t cook up quite right, so you are better off cooking it in the skillet before you put it in the slow cooker.
WANT MORE EASY SLOW COOKER GROUND BEEF RECIPES?
Mexican Casserole (Freezer to Crockpot)
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef cooked
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 small green pepper chopped
- 16 oz can kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
- 8 oz tomato sauce
- 1/4 c water
- 1 pkg taco seasoning
- 1 Tbsp chili powder
- 1 1/3 c. uncooked instant rice or 3 c. cooked rice
- 1 c. cheddar cheese
Instructions
Skillet Instructions:
- Make rice according to package instructions.
- Chop onion and green peppers.
- Brown ground beef with onion and green peppers.
- Drain or scoop out the fat.
- Add taco seasoning, water, chili powder, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and kidney beans.
- Let simmer for 15 minutes to let flavors meld together nicely.
- Once rice is done, mix in.
- Place cheese on top and let melt.
- Dig in!
Slow Cooker Instructions:
- Place all ingredients, except instant rice and cheese into slow cooker.
- Cook on low for 4-6 hours.
- If you’re using the instant rice, you’ll want to add the rice about an hour before you’re ready to eat.
- Top with cheese a few minutes before serving.
Notes
Freezer to Slow Cooker Instructions:
Mix all ingredients (but instant rice and cheese) in freezer bag. Put cheese in extra bag and staple onto casserole bag along with bag of rice of using instant.
Laura says
August 22, 2013 at 5:42 pmWhat size crockpot is recommended?
Sidetracked Sarah says
August 23, 2013 at 12:39 amI believe I cook mine in a 5 quart, but there's a lot of extra room so it could go in something smaller.
crystal says
August 16, 2013 at 2:15 pmhow many people does one recipe feed i have six in my house and figured i may need to triple the recipes for them to feed six
Sidetracked Sarah says
August 18, 2013 at 8:05 pmI usually say that they should feed 6 adults. We have 8 total people in the house, but 2 of them are very small and don't eat much.
Lori says
May 5, 2013 at 6:57 amMy husband loves this and I love how easy it is to throw together. Originally, I made 3 of these up to freeze. I'm now out so it's time to get more made up even though I still have several other freezer meals made up.
Sidetracked Sarah says
May 5, 2013 at 7:31 amThat's awesome! We love it in our house, too! Thanks for sharing!
Melissa says
March 24, 2013 at 6:43 pmI love your freezer meals! =)
Angie says
September 30, 2012 at 9:34 amI think you may have saved my life this week with all your freezer meals!!! With my husband gone for the week, 3 boys, Football practices and baseball games I totally needed this!!! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!! One question though, how many do your recipes generally serve?
Sidetracked Sarah says
October 1, 2012 at 12:39 amHi Angie! We have 8 in our family. 4 of them eat like adults….the rest kids, one being a toddler that hardly eats anything. So…..that's a hard question to answer. I'd say 6-8 generally speaking. Sometimes we have leftovers, sometimes we don't.
You're so welcome. I'm glad this was helpful to you!
Lisa says
September 21, 2012 at 10:11 amIf I may say so, I so love your freezer meal recipes!!
Sidetracked Sarah says
September 22, 2012 at 12:19 amoh thank you so much! You're so sweet to encourage me that way!
Shonda says
June 5, 2012 at 6:20 pmIf I am using 3 c. cooked rice do I just add that in last and mix it. I don't think I want to cook the rice in the crockpot.
Sidetracked Sarah says
June 6, 2012 at 12:26 amYes, just stir it in at the end. Sorry, I may need to update the recipe and clarify a bit! 🙂
penny says
July 29, 2012 at 2:58 pmhow about if i use the rice a roni…if i am going to freeze this can i still use the rice a roni
Sidetracked Sarah says
July 29, 2012 at 10:56 pmI would freeze it without the Rice-a-Roni. Cook the Rice-A-Roni that day and add it to the crockpot when you put it all in.
Sidetracked Sarah says
November 1, 2011 at 2:51 amNo, don't put the freezer bag in the crockpot. Place all the ingredients in the freezer bag and freeze so they're all ready to go into the crockpot when the time comes. You may want to thaw it in the refrigerator the night before you plan to use it.
Kathy says
November 1, 2011 at 2:28 amI'm sorry…. I don't get it. Do you actually place the freezer bag in the crockpot? Or is it 'prepare ahead and freeze', then later put all the ingredients into the crockpot to cook?
Sidetracked Sarah says
October 16, 2011 at 5:24 amYou know, I didn't end up freezing mine together….like I had planned, but I think it would be fine freezing it all together.
RachelC says
October 16, 2011 at 3:20 amIt's me again with another question. If I'm using 3 cups of cooked rice for this, do I mix that with the other stuff (except cheese) and freeze, then cook in the crockpot too? Thanks for helping me!