Slow Cooker Tamale Pie Recipe

Name: Slow Cooker Tamale Pie Recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 375 min
Total time: 390 min
Ingredients: 1 pound lean ground beef; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; ½ teaspoon salt; ½ teaspoon chili powder; ¼ teaspoon pepper; 15.25 ounces black beans (1 can, rinsed and drained); 14.5 ounces diced tomatoes with green chilis (1 can, undrained); 11 ounces whole kernel corn (1 can, drained); 10 ounces enchilada sauce (1 can); 2 green onions (diced); ¼ cup fresh cilantro (chopped); 8.5 ounces Jiffy Cornbread Mix (1 package); 2 eggs; 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend

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A tried-and-true slow cooker favorite - Tamale Pie! With ground beef, canned beans, lots of vegetables, and a cornbread topping, this will quickly become a family favorite. And because the slow cooker does the work, it's the perfect meal for a busy weeknight.

You’ll be surprised at how easy this slow cooker recipe of slow cooker tamale pie comes together. Using canned beans and a cornbread muffin mix it’s the perfect dinner for a busy night.

If you like tamales, this recipe has that same delicious tamale taste without any of the hard work.

We knew this recipe would be a hit because most of our family loves tacos. But when you add the cornbread topping to this tamale pie, it takes this slow cooker recipe to a whole new level.

We LOVE our slow cookers – some of our favorite slow cooker recipes include:

With the cornbread topping, all you need is a simple green salad to round out this meal. It’s so yummy and has a five-star reviews from everyone who tries it.

Can you add your own homemade cornbread topping?

We use the Jiffy cornbread batter in this slow cooker tamale pie. It’s inexpensive and so easy to make. It’s tasty and found in most grocery stores.

You could easily use your own recipe for cornbread muffins or bread. Our Easy Homemade Cornbread Recipe or our Cornbread Muffins recipes could work as the cornbread topping for this tamale pie.

Any of these options will work. You just want to cook it for the last hour of cooking. It should be set up and start to turn golden brown. When you insert a toothpick it should come out clean.

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Ingredients to top of your tamale pie

This slow cooker recipe for tamale pie has endless possibilities for toppings. It’s a great way to get some veggies in for your family.

Here are some of our favorite toppings you could add to slow cooker tamale pie:

Diced Tomatoes
Shredded Lettuce
Sliced Black Olives
More Shredded Lettuce
Diced Onions
Sour Cream

How to make slow cooker tamale pie:

Are you ready to make this easy slow cooker recipe for tamale pie? Add the ingredients and let your slow cooker do all the work for you. Here are the main ingredients needed for Slow Cooker Tamale Pie.

You may already have most of these ingredients on hand.

In a large skillet, brown your ground beef until cooked through and no longer pink. Drain grease well.
Stir in cumin, salt, chili powder, and pepper.
Place the meat mixture in the slow cooker and stir in the beans, tomatoes, corn, enchilada sauce, onions, and cilantro.

Meat mixture in the bottom of slow cooker

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until heated through.
At the end of cooking time, combine cornbread mix and eggs in a small bowl. Spoon over meat mixture.

Slow Cooker Tamale Pie in the slow cooker

Cover and cook for 1 hour longer or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Sprinkle with cheese and cover, let stand for another 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Slice of Slow Cooker Tamale Pie on a plate

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Recipe source: Taste of Home

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Questions & Reviews

Jen says:

This looks delicious, we love mexican food!
Mandy@Mandy's Recipe Box says:

My husband loves this pie, but I've never made it. Now I am giving it a try. Thanks Camille!
Vera Zecevic says:

This pie looks great! I would like to try some!
Deon says:

Haha! I hear ya about trying to make certain dishes photograph-worthy! Some of the best casseroles taste fantastic but look "meh" on the plate, but I must say that your husband did a stellar job here! This really does look delish! And, anything containing enchilada sauce automatically has my heart :D

Deon @iPinnedIt.com
Sinea Pies says:

This looks so good. Thanks!
Blessings,
Sinea
Ducks ?n a Row
Chandra Sirois says:

I love the corn bread topping! Serious Comfort Food!
Stephanie says:

This recipe seriously ROCKS!!! I've made it twice now and my Husband loves it as much as I do :) I made it the 2nd time with a homemade enchilada sauce that I've loved using and the flavors were that much more intense! (Maybe because everything was from scratch, I don't know) THANK YOU for this recipe! Definitely a keeper!!
samantha says:

I made this for dinner tonight--This meal was amazing, and earned rave reviews from my husband!! I did substitute ground turkey in place of the ground beef, but it made no difference! Will most certainly be making again soon! Thanks!
Cristyandco says:

Made this last night, everyone loved it! I used two boxes of Jiffy mix, as we love cornbread in my house, and my slow cooker is a 6 quart and one box didn't cover the entire top. DELICIOUS!
Marni G says:

Only add eggs to the cornbread mix, not milk and oil...? Making it right now and doubting this part?!
Kelly says:

Omg just made this and it is very yummy!! Will be making the again for sure.
Dezarae says:

can you post your homemade enchilada sauce recipie?
Lorie Liptak says:

I LOVE this recipe! I prefer to use chicken and have tried white beans in lieu of black beans. The flavors are perfectly balanced and this stuff is better as leftovers!
CMax says:

If it cooks 6-8 hours, couldn't you put meet in raw or partially cooked?
Cyd says:

We don't put raw hamburger in the crock pot. There is just something about cooking it first and draining off the grease. We have only made it as the recipe directs. Hope this helps you. :)
Krista says:

For the corn bread you just add eggs? Not the oil and milk?
Cyd says:

Right! Just mix the corn bread mix and the eggs.
Mel says:

My family loved it ! So easy and good thanks !e
Rebecca says:

So if you don't have a cornbread mix.....would just cornbread recipe dry ingredients plus the eggs work?
Cyd says:

You can make your own cornbread mix to use in this recipe.
Brandi says:

I made this last night and it was a HUGE hit! There was even a little left over for lunch today :)
LL says:

My family loved this and so did I. It felt filling and healthy. (Minus the cornbread!) I added 2 packages of cornbread because of a previous review, but 1 would have been just fine. I also put the hamburger in raw, and it came out just fine. I use really lean hamburger so I never get much grease out of it anyways and it's 1 less step! Seems silly to me to cook something on the stove that is going to sit in the crockpot for EIGHT hours!
Annabelle says:

How is the recipe affected if I make this without cheese? My daughter can't eat it, and it's so frustrating trying to find meal the family can eat without making a special version for her.
Mark says:

I am now making this dish. I will follow up with the outcome...I really like tamale pie, this version should be tasty. I am, however including diced jalapenos and cayenne pepper.
Stacey says:

Made this tonight with frozen corn and extra tomatoes instead of enchilada sauce. We have gluten issues and used our own corn bread recipe and it worked great. Saving this one for a repeat. Kids said they liked it better than pizza or even French fries!
Rie says:

Not sure if I did something wrong. Although it was good, and my husband had two helpings, I thought it was more like chili with cornbread. Am I missing something? I did like the idea of cornbread on top, something like dumplings. Maybe I will try to do that with my chili recipe.
Diana Walker says:

This recipe seems to be a carbon copy of the Taste of Home recipe. But other recipes for Slow Cooker Tamali Pie/Casserole, all say to make the cornbread according to recipe on box. I'm with you... just two eggs sounds like an awfully dry cornbread topping. And with all the comments, I'm wondering if others just haven't noticed it doesn't say 'according to recipe on box'. I've also noticed other comments where ppl have used their own homemade recipe. Hope this helps!
Carole says:

I am just beginning to use my crock pots more. Was this recipe intended for a 3.5 quart crock pot or larger? Thank you.
Cyd says:

Hi Carole. We love the convenience of our slow cookers! Most of us have 6 - 7 quart slow cookers. That is what we use when we make this recipe.
Jesse says:

Will this work on high for 3 hours and 1 hour on low for cornbread?
Cyd says:

The cornbread cooks for the last hour of the total cooking time. You should be able to cook it on high for less time. The main thing is to be sure it is heated through. You may want to turn it to low when you add the cornbread. Just keep a close eye on it where you are changing up the cooking temp and cooking time.
Cliff says:

This is a major go-to here in Texas! Anyone ever use masa (like you would use for regular tamales) instead of cornbread?
Cliff says:

Ooh...I forgot...y'all may want to try Martha White's Gladiola yellow cornbread mix!! Jiffy is just TOO Yankee...especially the sweet stuff...bless your hearts!) And I also agree about adding sliced or diced fresh jalapenos since I can't eat cilantro.
Kelly says:

Exited about this recipe! Is there an Instant Pot version?! Would love to see that!
Cyd says:

This post will help you convert recipes. https://www.sixsistersstuff.com/how-to-convert-recipes-into-instant-pot-recipes/
Jess says:

I tried this for the first time today. Cooked on low for 8 hours then used a gluten free cornbread mix and doubled the mix and eggs to cover the top. My cornbread didn’t seem to cook or rise, even after a second hour. The base tasted good, but I may have to scrape off the top! I added lots of toppings (Greek yogurt instead of sour cream, jalapeño, avocado, cheese, and green onions). Maybe I’ll just try Jiffy next time.