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Crock-Pot Ladies

Easy slow cooker recipes for the busy lady

You are here: Home / Recipes Categories / Entrees / Crock-Pot Tamale Bake + Video

Crock-Pot Tamale Bake + Video

Written by: Crock-Pot Ladies 36 Comments

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Crock-Pot Tamale Bake
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Crock-Pot Tamale Bake
Crock-Pot Tamale Bake

This family friendly casserole recipe for Crock-Pot Tamale Bake brings all the delicious Mexican food flavors into a super easy one pot dish!

Crock-Pot Tamale Bake

Slow Cooker Tamale Bake

My family LOVES Mexican food! And, while this recipe is not an authentic Mexican dish it is inspired by those delicious south of the border flavors we all love.

This yummy casserole type dish really hits the spot on a busy weeknight dinner. Filled with ground beef and seasoned with onions, garlic, tomatoes, black olives and seasonings then this casserole is topped with a homemade cornbread type topping and cooked in the slow cooker. Once everything is cooked add some cheddar cheese and a sprinkle of green onion for color.

This is one of my go-to recipes when I need something that I KNOW my kids will eat after a busy day of school and then evening after-school activities!

A note about ground beef:

In this recipe extra lean ground beef browned and crumbled on the stove-top. If you are short on time you can cook the hamburger meat ahead of time like the day before and just stash it in the refrigerator until you are ready to make this dish.

If you want to make meal prep even easier buy the big package of ground beef when it is on sale and cook it all up and freeze it. Then, you can just pull a bag of frozen pre-cooked hamburger out of the freezer and you area ready to cook any dish that calls for ground beef!


Crock-Pot Tamale Bake

Products Needed:

  • 3.5 Quart Casserole Slow Cooker OR 6 Quart Slow Cooker
  • Wooden Spoon
  • Can Opener
  • Measuring Cups
  • Knife
  • Cutting Board 
  • Mixing Bowl
  • Whisk

Crock-Pot Tamale Bake

Special Diets

High Fiber | Low Sugar | Gluten Free

This recipe for Crock-Pot Tamale Bake is Weight Watchers Friendly on the new Personal Points plan. You can see the WW personal points for this recipe here on the Weight Watchers website. Click here for MORE of our Weight Watchers Recipes


More fantastic Mexican inspired recipes:

  • Slow Cooker Taco Junk
  • Crock-Pot Taco Chicken Bowls
  • Slow Cooker Taco Bake
  • Crock-Pot Cilantro Lime Chicken
  • Slow Cooker Southwest Tamale Pie
Crock-Pot Tamale Bake

Crock-Pot Tamale Bake Recipe

Make this yummy Mexican inspired casserole in either your 3.5 quart casserole OR 4 quart or larger oval or round slow cooker. This recipe is full of flavor and is sure to be a hit with everyone in the family!
3.18 from 75 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 mins
Cook Time 3 hrs
Total Time 3 hrs 30 mins
Course Entrée
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 6 Servings
Calories 506 kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 Pound Extra Lean Ground Beef (Or Ground Turkey)
  • ½ Cup Finely Diced Yellow Onion
  • 1 Clove Garlic (Minced)
  • ¾ Cups Yellow Cornmeal
  • 1 Large Egg
  • 1 ½ Cups Milk
  • 15.25 Ounces Canned Corn (Drained)
  • 14.5 Ounces Canned Diced Tomatoes (Undrained)
  • 1.25 Ounces Taco Seasoning Mix (Or Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix)
  • 2.25 Ounces Canned Sliced Black Olives (Drained)
  • 1 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
  • ¼ Cups Sliced Green Onions (For Garnish (Optional))

Instructions

  • In a large skillet brown and crumble the ground beef with the diced onion and garlic until the meat is no longer pink.
  • Drain ground beef to remove excess fat.
  • In a large mixing bowl combine cornmeal, egg and milk and mix until smooth.
  • Add to the cornmeal mixture the corn, tomatoes, taco seasoning, olives and ground beef mixture and mix well.
  • Dump mixture into the bottom of a 3.5 quart casserole slow cooker OR a 4 quart or larger oval or round slow cooker.
  • Cover and cook on HIGH for 3 hours or on LOW for 6 hours.
  • Sprinkle with cheese and cover again and cook for an additional 15 minutes until cheese is melted.
  • To serve, spoon into bowls or onto plate and garnish with chopped green onion if desired.

Nutrition

Calories: 506kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 49mg | Sodium: 1024mg | Potassium: 422mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 800IU | Vitamin C: 22.3mg | Calcium: 110mg | Iron: 4.1mg
Tried this recipe?Rate the recipe and then let us know how it was!
Crock-Pot Tamale Bake
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Filed Under: Cinco de Mayo Crock-Pot Recipes, Entrees, Fall Recipes, Readers' Favorite Recipes, Spring Recipes, Summer Recipes, Videos, Winter Recipes Tagged With: 3.5 Quart Casserole Crock-Pot, Beef, Beef CP Recipes, Black Olives, Casserole, Cheddar Cheese, Cheese, Corn, Cornmeal, Frugal, Garlic, Gluten Free, Gluten Free CP Recipes, Green Onions, Ground Beef, Ground Beef CP Recipes, Ground Hamburger, Ground Turkey, Hamburger, High Fiber, High Fiber CP Recipes, Kid Friendly, Kid Friendly CP Recipes, Low Sugar, Low Sugar CP Recipes, Mexican, Mexican Food, Olives, Onion, Taco Seasoning Mix, Tomatoes, Turkey, WW, WW CP Recipe, Yellow Onion

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Comments

  1. Barb says

    November 18, 2013 at 3:45 PM

    I love tamales so I know I will be trying this recipe. I have a Wolfgang Puck Versa slowcooker. ( kind of sort of like the ninja slowcooker) so I can brown the meat right in it. Then add the other ingredients. Thanks for share your recipe.

    Reply
  2. Rhonda says

    November 21, 2013 at 7:42 PM

    I made this last night but ran late. I didn’t get any of it till lunch today. Wow, is it good! I couldn’t wait to get home from work to have seconds! Thank you!

    Reply
  3. Marcia says

    January 3, 2014 at 10:42 PM

    I am used to cooking Mexican food from scratch and don’t use taco seasoning. I have a molcajete ( a Mexican blender) and grind my spices, such as cumin, garlic, peppercorns .I use a paste made of Ancho chillies. The taste is terrific and it smells great cooking.

    Reply
    • Lin-Z says

      January 18, 2014 at 1:40 PM

      Sorry if this comes across the wrong way Marcia, but what’s your point?

      Reply
  4. Megan says

    January 22, 2014 at 2:01 PM

    Tamales are one of my most favorite things in the world.This recipe caught me by surprise as the cornmeal mix was super liquidy. I thought I had done something wrong! But in the end it turned out super delicious. I think the next time I make it, I will put in more olives as there seemed to be only a few per serving. Thanks for this idea!

    Reply
  5. Jeri says

    January 27, 2014 at 4:58 PM

    Can this be assembled the night before , refrigerated and cook in the morning?

    Reply
    • Lady Heidi says

      January 28, 2014 at 6:46 AM

      I don’t see why not!

      Reply
  6. A. Nicole M says

    April 3, 2014 at 3:16 PM

    I can’t wait to try this recipe! I just wanted to ask if there were any good sides to go with this or is the recipe itself full enough without sides?

    Reply
    • Lady Katie says

      April 6, 2014 at 4:07 PM

      You could do a simple side of rice to add to it. But it is a meal in itself.

      Reply
  7. Monica M. says

    May 18, 2014 at 4:37 PM

    Made this today and used the 3 hours on high. Wasn’t soupy or anything perfect thickness. It was good but not what I expected. Real Tamales are way different. There wasn’t enough spice in it. A little on the sweet side because of the corn. It was good, but not what I was looking for. Thanks for the recipe though!

    Reply
  8. sarah says

    August 9, 2014 at 4:42 PM

    Will it ruin it if cooked longer than what the recipe says? Sounds good with some sour cream and even tostitos for the kids.

    Reply
    • Lady Heidi says

      August 10, 2014 at 10:26 AM

      Hi Sarah, I would not cook it much longer than the recipe calls for as it may dry out. If you really must bump up the cooking time I would try adding some extra liquid. But I cannot guarantee the results on that suggestion.

      Reply
  9. Lauren says

    September 23, 2014 at 1:05 PM

    can this be frozen in advance?

    Reply
    • Lady Heidi says

      September 24, 2014 at 8:11 AM

      This one cannot be frozen in advance since the corn bread part would not freeze well.

      Reply
  10. Cindy says

    October 30, 2014 at 2:46 PM

    Any way to make this in the oven?

    Reply
    • Lady Heidi says

      October 31, 2014 at 5:24 PM

      Hi Cindy,

      While I am sure you can convert this into an oven recipe this recipe was tested and developed as a Crock-Pot recipe and without really testing it myself in an oven I am unable to advise on cooking temperatures and time. However you are willing to experiment and see if you can make it work. Experimenting is part of the fun in cooking!

      Reply
  11. ali says

    February 10, 2015 at 5:02 PM

    I made this tonight but it was very mushy. I followed the recipe to the T. What did I do wrong or is it supposed to be that way?

    Reply
    • Lady Heidi says

      February 10, 2015 at 7:44 PM

      The texture is semi mushy…like a casserole.

      Reply
  12. Debbie says

    February 12, 2015 at 6:27 AM

    I’m going to try this in the oven, I’ll post my results! I can’t wait to try this!!

    Reply
    • Lady Heidi says

      February 12, 2015 at 1:51 PM

      Let us know how it goes Debbie!

      Reply
  13. Debbie says

    February 12, 2015 at 5:36 PM

    Turned out great! I mixed all together like the recipe says, then put it in a sprayed 9×13 pan and baked about 30 minutes at 350. Might have to go s little longer, was cooking other things at the same time.

    Reply
    • Lady Heidi says

      February 13, 2015 at 5:16 PM

      Awesome, glad that came out OK for you. We don’t normally test our recipes in the oven since this is a Crock-Pot site but many of them can be converted.

      Reply
  14. Paula @ Mummy Vs Work says

    August 10, 2019 at 9:09 AM

    Yummy! We need to be trying out different recipes in our slow cooker as we tend to stick to ones we know we will eat!

    Reply
    • Crock-Pot Ladies says

      August 12, 2019 at 8:33 PM

      This is a fantastic one to try Paula!

      Reply
  15. Tamara Smith says

    April 19, 2020 at 4:44 PM

    I’d love to try this, any way to alternate recipe if I don’t have cornmeal? I do have corn tortillas?

    Reply
    • Crock-Pot Ladies says

      April 23, 2020 at 4:54 PM

      You could try layering the corn tortillas between the rest of the ingredients Tamara. I have never tried it but if you do let us know how it works for you!

      Reply
    • Kerri says

      April 1, 2021 at 1:13 PM

      I have made a taco bake with corn tortillas and basically all other ingredients are the same. I layer it like lasagna. It turns out great!

      Reply
  16. Peggy says

    January 13, 2021 at 9:19 AM

    No offense but this is without a doubt the worst recipe I have ever made in a crockpot! it was dry, there was no noticeable corn “Bread”, just grainy texture to this dish and tasted primarily of corn. As the first recipe I have tried from this site I am skeptical about trying the others!

    Reply
    • Emilee @ CrockPotLadies says

      January 13, 2021 at 11:18 AM

      Hi Peggy! I’m sorry this recipe didn’t turn out for you! We do have lots of amazing recipes on our site. Hopefully you’ll try them out. Have a great day!

      Reply
  17. Kerri says

    April 1, 2021 at 1:16 PM

    I do not have corn meal. Why do you recommend NOT using cornbread mix? I need to eat gluten free and I do have GF Krusteaz honey cornbread mix that I was going to use but a little apprehensive now that your recipe says “do not use a cornbread mix.

    Reply
    • Crock-Pot Ladies says

      April 5, 2021 at 8:00 PM

      The reason we suggest not to use cornbread mix is because boxed cornbread mix contains all sorts of other ingredients such as Leaveners (such as baking soda or baking powder) which make the cornbread rise and be fluffy. Also they usually contain some sort of sweetener which would change the flavor profile of this tamale bake. Plain corn meal however would still be gluten free and is what we recommend for this recipe.

      Reply
  18. Miranda says

    September 4, 2021 at 9:10 AM

    Thank you so much for taking the time to share these wonderful recipes! It’s very much appreciated.

    Reply
    • Emilee @ CrockPotLadies says

      September 4, 2021 at 5:48 PM

      So glad you’re enjoying them!

      Reply
  19. Don smithee says

    April 16, 2020 at 8:34 PM

    Need alternative for the olives pls. My wife hates olives. Tia

    Reply
  20. Crock-Pot Ladies says

    April 17, 2020 at 6:18 PM

    Hi Don, you can just omit the olives if your wife is not a fan.

    Reply

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