listen, I was just thinking about this slow cooker cowboy casserole I stumbled on last fall when I was in a major dinner rut and couldn’t deal with cooking anymore.

my kids were complaining about everything I made and my husband kept suggesting we just order pizza every night which honestly sounded great but also our budget was screaming at us. I was scrolling Instagram at like 10pm one night and saw this recipe that looked easy enough that even exhausted me could handle it.

first time I made it I used ground turkey trying to be healthy and it was so bland and dry that even the dog turned his nose up at it lol. second attempt I forgot to drain the grease from the beef and it was basically swimming in oil which was disgusting. third try I finally got it right and my picky seven year old asked for seconds which has literally never happened with anything I’ve cooked.

now I throw this together at least twice a month and it’s become one of those recipes I can make half asleep. just dump everything in the slow cooker in the morning and come home to dinner that actually smells good instead of like whatever cleaning product I spilled earlier.

why this is a lifesaver

literally just brown meat and dump everything else in no complicated steps

slow cooker does all the work while you’re at work or running errands or whatever

uses mostly pantry staples and canned stuff so no special grocery trip needed

makes a huge amount so you get leftovers for days or can feed a crowd

even picky kids eat it because it’s basically comfort food in a bowl

what you need

here’s the stuff but honestly adjust based on what you have:

how to make it

Brown the ground beef in a big skillet over medium high heat breaking it up with a wooden spoon. I usually do this while making coffee because multitasking is my only skill.

Drain most of the grease from the beef. I pour it into an old can because I’m not trying to clog my sink. leave just a little bit for flavor.

Add the diced onion to the beef and cook for like 5 minutes until it’s soft. throw in the garlic for the last minute or so.

Dump the beef mixture into your slow cooker. I have a 6 quart one and it works perfectly for this.

Add the canned tomatoes with their juice, drained black beans, corn, taco seasoning, and ranch seasoning. just dump it all in there.

Stir everything together. doesn’t have to be perfect just get it mostly combined.

Cut the cream cheese into chunks and nestle them into the beef mixture. they’ll melt as it cooks so don’t worry about mixing them in.

Cover and cook on low for like 6-7 hours or high for 3-4 hours. I always do low because I leave it while I’m at work.

Stir everything about halfway through if you remember. I usually forget and it’s fine anyway.

Add most of the shredded cheese in the last 30 minutes and stir it in so it gets all melty.

Top with tater tots for the last hour of cooking. I just arrange them on top in a single layer but mine never look neat and that’s okay.

Sprinkle the rest of the cheese over the tater tots and put the lid back on until they’re hot and the cheese is melted.

Serve with sour cream and green onions if you want. I usually forget the green onions but sour cream is a must.

tips and stuff

• Use ground turkey or chicken if you want but add some extra oil or butter when browning because it’s way drier. learned this the hard way.
• Add diced jalapeños or green chiles if you like spice. my husband always adds hot sauce to his bowl because he’s one of those people.
• Swap regular cheese for pepper jack for extra flavor. I do this sometimes when I’m feeling fancy.
• Make it vegetarian by skipping the meat and adding more beans. I haven’t tried this but my sister does it and says it works fine.

storage and leftover situation

keeps in the fridge for like 5 days in a container. the tater tots get a little soggy but it still tastes good.

reheats great in the microwave. I usually do like 2 minutes covered and stir halfway through.

freezes okay for a couple months but the tater tots definitely get mushier. I portion it into individual containers before freezing so I can grab one for lunch.

found a mystery container in my freezer last month that turned out to be this from like 3 months ago. thawed it and ate it for lunch and it was totally edible just not as crispy. I really should start labeling things with dates but let’s be real I never will.

nutrition per serving

for about 8 servings:

these are rough guesses from some calculator online. depends a lot on how much cheese you actually use which for me is always way more than I plan. not exactly diet food but it’s filling and has protein so whatever.

questions people ask

can I use a different kind of potato

I mean you could use diced potatoes or hash browns but tater tots are kind of the whole point. they get crispy on top and soft underneath and it’s just better. regular potatoes would work but take longer to cook

do I have to use both taco and ranch seasoning

you could skip the ranch but it adds this tangy flavor that makes it taste different from regular taco stuff. if you only have one or the other just use that and add some extra spices

my tater tots didn’t get crispy

yeah they won’t get super crispy in the slow cooker like they would in the oven. if you really want them crispy you can broil the whole thing for a few minutes at the end but I’m usually too lazy for that

can I make this in the oven instead

probably yeah. I’d brown the meat, mix everything together in a 9×13 pan, bake covered at 350 for like 45 minutes, then add the tater tots and cheese and bake uncovered for another 20 minutes or so. haven’t tried it but that’s what I’d do

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