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Crockpot Tamale Pie- a frugal family friendly meal

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This Crockpot Tamale Pie is the perfect frugal family crockpot meal!  It’s hearty, filling and best of all, a quick and easy recipe.

Crockpot Tamale Pie

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When I was in third grade, my teacher had a pet hamster that she kept in our classroom.  We had so much fun feeding that little guy and taking care of him, but the thing I remember the most about little Mr. Hamster was how he would jump on his hamster wheel and run, making that thing spin like crazy!  It always intrigued me and I remember wishing for my own wheel to run on because it looked like so much fun!

The last couple of weeks I felt a lot like that hamster running on his wheel- the biggest difference was that all my spinning did actually accomplish things.

My husband’s sister got married and we were out of town for 4 days for the wedding, both our boys had birthdays and of course birthday parties too, I put 2 bushels of peaches in the freezer, we had numerous guests here for meals and well, you get the picture.

It was all good, fun stuff, but whew, it was exhausting and hard to keep up with everything!

tamale pie crockpot

Anyway, one of those hectic days last week I was trying to think of something simple to make for dinner and suddenly remembered this frugal family friendly crockpot recipe!  We first enjoyed this years ago when we were visiting my husband’s sister and her family.

His sister is one of those people that is super efficient and organized and makes raising 5 kids that are 7 years apart in age look easy!  So when we’re at their place, I always enjoy observing how she does things and like to see what foods she makes.

That night for dinner she made this Crockpot Tamale Pie.  I had never even heard of Tamale Pie before and was intrigued.  Cornbread with Mexican type food ingredients?  It sounded delicious and it was.  I fell in love with it instantly!

slow cooker tamale pie

And unless you hate cornbread, this is one of those recipes that you really can’t go wrong making!  The ground beef and beans make it a hearty dish, the tomatoes and taco seasoning give it lots of juicy flavor and the corn bread tops it all off perfectly and makes it super filling!

And to top it all off, it’s ready with just 10 to 15 minutes prep time!  Give it a try yourself- it’s a great frugal family meal that you’ll love!

tamale pie slow cooker

How to Make Tamale Pie in the Crockpot

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4.86 from 7 votes

Crockpot Tamale Pie

This Crockpot Tamale Pie is the perfect frugal family crockpot meal!  It’s hearty, filling and best of all, a quick and easy recipe.

Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time3 hrs
Total Time3 hrs 10 mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8 to 10 servings
Author: Thrifty Frugal Mom
Prevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. ground beef, cooked and drained
  • 2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 2 28 oz. cans diced tomatoes, drained*
  • 2 cups whole kernel corn (if using canned, drain)
  • 1 med. onion, sliced
  • 1 package taco seasoning
  • 1 package cornbread**
  • 1 cups shredded Cheddar cheese optional
  • 1 bunch cilantro optional
  • Sour cream
  • Salsa optional
  • Tortilla chips optional

Instructions

  • In bowl, combine cooked beef, black beans, tomatoes, corn, onion and taco seasoning.  Mix well and pour into greased slow cooker. 
  • Prepare cornbread according to package directions and spoon over beef mixture.  Sprinkle with cheese and cilantro if desired.  
  • Cover and cook on high for 3 hours or low for 6 hours. (Once corn bread is set in center, it's ready to eat.)
  • Serve with sour cream and salsa and tortilla chips, depending on your preferences.

Notes

* If using home canned diced tomatoes, I typically use 3 to 4 pints.
** I just use our favorite homemade 9x9 pan size cornbread recipe.
NO CROCKPOT? NO WORRIES!
You can still make this recipe!  Just mix up the bottom part in a big pot and let it simmer for 20 min. or so on the stove top. Then make your favorite cornbread, bake it and when you are ready to eat, either top the cornbread with the bottom mixture or top the bottom mixture with the cornbread.  Requires a bit more work, but it's just as delicious!

OTHER RECIPES YOU MIGHT ENJOY:

Creamy Sausage and Potatoes

 

Creamy Crockpot Mexican Chicken- super easy frugal recipe

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Filed Under: Main Dishes, Recipes

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Comments

  1. Jaime says

    August 11, 2017 at 6:35 PM

    This looks amazing! I’ve made something similar in the oven before. The cornbread is what really makes it. =)

    Reply
    • ThriftyFrugalMom says

      August 15, 2017 at 12:12 PM

      Yes, I agree! The cornbread is really what takes it from okay to amazing!

      Reply
  2. Carolina says

    September 6, 2017 at 9:04 AM

    I feel like I could tackle this recipe and my family would actually love it! Need to break in my crock pot more… 🙂

    Reply
    • ThriftyFrugalMom says

      September 6, 2017 at 1:44 PM

      I hear you on the breaking your Crock Pot in more. 🙂 Recipes like this make it so easy though.

      Reply
  3. Catherine says

    February 21, 2018 at 12:03 AM

    Oh this looks absolutely delicious and so comforting! What a fabulous recipe for the crockpot…pinning for later!

    Reply
    • ThriftyFrugalMom says

      February 26, 2018 at 3:20 PM

      Thanks, Catherine! Delicious and comforting are definitely two really good words for this dish. 🙂

      Reply
  4. Nicole Hood says

    April 10, 2018 at 1:32 AM

    Love that you made this in the Crockpot! I have a weakness for cornbread dishes so this is right up my alley!

    Reply
    • ThriftyFrugalMom says

      April 10, 2018 at 12:09 PM

      I hope you give it a try, Nicole! You’d get to enjoy a little cornbread in every bite. Yum!

      Reply
  5. Kim says

    April 10, 2018 at 8:06 PM

    This looks fabulous!! Can’t wait to give it a try… thanks for the great deal on ground beef.

    Reply
    • ThriftyFrugalMom says

      April 10, 2018 at 10:02 PM

      Of course, Kim! You know how I love a good deal! 🙂

      Reply
  6. Christina says

    January 23, 2019 at 1:33 PM

    5 stars
    My son loves tamales so I’m so happy I can make this delicious variation for him! It’s such a great recipe!

    Reply
    • ThriftyFrugalMom says

      January 24, 2019 at 4:45 PM

      Glad you all enjoyed the variation, Christina!

      Reply
  7. Jamie says

    January 23, 2019 at 1:34 PM

    5 stars
    I don’t use my slow cooker nearly enough. Thanks for this simple and delicious sound meal idea! I’ll be dusting off the slow cooker and making this soon!

    Reply
    • ThriftyFrugalMom says

      January 24, 2019 at 4:45 PM

      It’d definitely worth dusting off the slow cooker for! 🙂

      Reply
  8. Lori Denton says

    November 2, 2020 at 9:11 AM

    I love your honesty and recipes. I got so excited to see everything that I lost your basic pantry entry. Would you please send me that if you have time? I started reading it then got distracted by a recipe and then another and now I can’t seem to find pantry basic items again. Thank you for sharing. I really appreciate it.

    Reply
    • Lydia Beiler says

      November 2, 2020 at 10:13 AM

      Thanks for your kind words, Lori! Knowing that you are enjoying my content enough to “get lost” in it is a huge compliment. 🙂 I think this Cheap Pantry Staples post is the one you are looking for? If not, let me know and I’ll help you figure out which post it was.

      Reply

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Welcome! I’m Lydia. I love to share easy homemade recipes, simple homemaking tips and great money saving ideas. I want to help you find ways to live well and enjoy life on a budget! Read more…

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