Our easy Crockpot cowboy casserole with ground beef recipe has canned black beans, diced tomatoes, corn and russet potatoes in it! If you are looking for the best one pot meal everyone will love, this is the one.

Enjoy this hearty Cowboy Casserole Crockpot dish—cheesy ground beef, potatoes, black beans, corn, and green onions all slow-cooked to perfection.

Ok so you too love easy Crockpot recipes like we do but need something new on the meal plan rotation?? We get it, things can get boring but this layered ground beef casserole will certainly be a hit with your kids tonight!

Back in the day we used to make this ground beef casserole with potatoes all the time, then summer hit. We wasn't about to turn on our oven to heat up our house any hotter than it already was so we started to use our slow cooker all the time instead.

After some experimenting it hit us one day that we could make about everything in this pot. It was time to tackle the idea of a casserole in it where vegetables, beans and meat could cook in a good sauce. As soon as we had the layering instructions down pat it was time to share it with y'all, which is today!

Ingredients for a Cowboy Casserole: potatoes, corn, black beans, cheese, beef, jalapeños, onion, spices, broth, and sauce—solid for an easy Crockpot Tex-Mex meal.

We like to use canned goods as much as possible because it saves us a lot of time and this one is top of the list for that. We mean we have gone all out before with roasted jalapenos but have used canned too and either way it is good so easy it is on this round.

Ingredient notes

We like to add some diced onions as well as a bell pepper (any color you prefer) for added texture and flavor.

As far as the canned items you'll want to grab black beanspetite diced tomatoes and whole kernel corn. If you want to add canned jalapenos you can opt for that instead of fresh too. If we have made slow cooker black beans the day before we will use those.

As for the liquid needed there is some in the canned tomatoes but you will need beef broth as well. Worcestershire sauce adds a punch of flavor as well as a sprinkle of seasonings here and there, at least some salt.

We love cheese on everything so cheddar cheese is our go to but you could use any variety, shredded. There is a good dairy free version from Daiya if need be, or it could be left out entirely if you prefer.

We do like to add peeled and diced russet potatoes to make it a heartier meal. Red potatoes will stay a bit more firm.

Can you use hash browns?

You could but we would recommend the diced version instead of shredded. We will say that the texture will be softer than if you use fresh so keep that in mind but yes you could use already prepped right out of the bag, frozen, no thawing required.

The meat we use almost always is 80/20 ground beef. You do want a bit of fat in there for flavor. If you have a bit too much grease you can drain it off before adding into the pot but typically we only have a few tbsp so it all goes in there.

Can you use ground sausage?

Yes, we have done that. My favorite combination is actually 1/2 pound HOT Jimmy Dean ground sausage and half beef. This way you get a bit of heat in there and we don't have to add a spicy element beyond that.

A hand holds a bowl of black beans over a Crockpot filled with ground meat and chopped vegetables, preparing a hearty Cowboy Casserole.

Black beans, ground meat, and diced tomatoes layered in a Crockpot make this Cowboy Casserole an easy and hearty Crockpot recipe ready to be cooked.

Can you add cornbread?

Now we have made crockpot cornbread before, as is and it turns out well. You could cook on high and then pour the batter over the top of everything for the last 2.5 hours or until the center has set and toothpick comes out clean but it will be wet on the underlayer.

Instead what we recommend is to make Cowboy Cornbread Casserole with cornbread muffins served on the side, or crushed when baked on top of each serving. That way you get the breaded texture on the top but you avoid the mushy layer where the two layers meet.

How Long to Cook Cowboy Casserole in Slow Cooker

Everything is better on low, especially something with a lot of ingredients. It gives everything time to soak in the flavors of the sauce surrounding it so we recommend that heat level for 6 hours. If you are in a hurry you could cook on high for 4 hours but don't……..

A plate of cheesy Cowboy Casserole with beef, black beans, corn, and potatoes sits next to a fork—solid for fans of hearty Crockpot recipes.

Crockpot Cowboy Casserole Recipe

By Our easy Crockpot cowboy casserole with ground beef, canned black beans, tomatoes and potatoes is the best one pot meal everyone will love. Prep: 15 minutes minsCook: 6 hours hrsServings: 6 Save Recipe Saved! Pin Recipe Comment Print Recipe

Equipment

1 slow cooker
1 skillet

Ingredients

1 pound ground beefor ground sausage
1 small onion, diced
1 small bell pepper, diced
4 small potatoes, russets used, peeled and cut into 1/2" pieces
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1 can corn, 15 oz drained
1 can black beans, 15 oz, drained and rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes 15 oz petite, undrained
1 cup beef broth
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 can jalapenos4 oz diced, optional for heat

Instructions

In a large skillet over medium heat add ground beef, onion, bell pepper and garlic. Cook until meat is no longer pink and set aside.
Spray inside of a slow cooker with non stick spray and add diced potatoes and drained can of corn on the bottom. Pour meat mixture in pan on top of that with drained and rinsed can of black beans on top.
Sprinkle all seasonings on top followed by can of diced tomatoes, can of diced jalapenos, followed by worcestershire sauce and beef broth poured over everything in pot.
Cover and heat for 6 hours on low (ideally) or high for 4 hours. Sprinkle cheese on top at this time and cover until that melts and then serve!