Does your family love those Chili Cheese Burritos from Taco Bell? This Crock Pot Chili Cheese Casserole has a lot of the same flavors but is dished up in a layered casserole that will have the family asking for seconds!
How to Make Chili Cheese Casserole in a Slow Cooker
UPDATED: Voted Battle Ground Beef Winner by our Crock Posse (YouTube Community), so Mikey made a cooking show!
For a long time now my friend Liz has been telling me that I should soo convert my slow cooker meals into casseroles for GOODEness Gracious (my other site) and convert my favorite dishes from GOODEness Gracious to slow cooker meals.
I just love good friends with good ideas, don’t you?
Now I had accidentally done this with one of my holiday favorites– Corn Casserole and it is true, folks really like having the option of the Oven Version or the Crock Pot Version. But, I really haven’t intentionally done this sort of thing in the past… even though I do it in my kitchen ALL. THE. TIME.
BUT, I had never gotten around to actually converting recipes until I got a new toy… my newest slow cooker… a 9 x 13 casserole crock pot. It is JUST perfect for the very idea of cooking my favorite casseroles in the slow cooker!
So when I started thinking up what casserole I would like to try first, I immediately thought of Beefy Mexicali. It is a HUGE favorite at this house AND at Aunt Lou’s. I have made it so many times I can’t keep track and shh… don’t tell her I made the crock pot version 😉 while she was on maternity leave!
Tips for Converting an Oven Recipe for the Crock Pot
- Reduce the Liquid: When converting a recipe from the original, I sometimes reduce the liquid because I know that my slow cookers seal in a lot more moisture than the dry-heat of the oven. That was really important for this recipe because I knew I didn’t want my layers to be a soggy mess.
- Choose Your Heat Level and Time Wisely: Time and heat levels are important. Since I wanted the side tortillas to toast a bit, I chose to cook on high (like I do with most of my slow cooker baking recipes). As for choosing a cooking time it is important to know how your slow cookers cook. Almost all of mine cook really hot. But this casserole crock cooks a bit more normal… which probably has to do a lot with the fact that it is a 3.5 qt size EVEN though it looks big. So, I knew my dish would likely cook on high for 3 hours quite nicely. In one of my larger crocks, this recipe might only cook for 1.5 hours on high and by 3 hours would be way over-done. For the best results, always– ALWAYS — slow cook a new recipe for the first time when you are at home so you can keep an eye on things and know the particular time for your recipe.
Crock Pot Chili Cheese Casserole Notes
- A 9 x 13 casserole crock pot is NOT required for this recipe, it just comes in handy. An oval or round crock pot will work just fine. You can just make more layers if needed.
- This recipe is an adaptation of our Beefy Mexicali from our sister site.
- Looking for more recipes? Our Recipe Finder can help you find exactly what you need.
- Check out all our favorite recommendations for cookbooks, slow cookers and low carb essentials in our Amazon Influencer Shop.
- As with any of our recipes, carb counts, calorie counts and nutritional information varies greatly. As a result, your nutritional content depends on which products you choose to use when cooking this dish. The auto-calculation is just an automated estimate and should NOT be used for specific dietary needs.
- All slow cookers cook differently, so cooking times are always a basic guideline. Recipes should always be tested first in your own slow cooker and time adjusted as needed.
Crock Pot Chili Cheese Casserole Recipe
Crock Pot Chili Cheese Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Ground Beef
- 1 Onion Chopped
- 2 Garlic Cloves Minced
- 15 oz Can Tomato Sauce
- 30 oz Chili with Beans (2 – 15oz cans)
- 8 oz Cans Mushrooms (2 – 4oz cans) Drained, Optional
- 12 Flour Tortillas (6 inch tortillas) Fajita Size
- 3 Cups Shredded Cheese
- 2.25 oz Can Sliced Olives Optional
- 6 oz Beef Broth
Instructions
- Brown ground beef with onion and garlic and drain.
- Combine ground beef with tomato sauce, chili and mushrooms.
- Spray your crock with cooking spray.
- Layer four tortillas to cover the bottom of your crock.
- Put 1/3 of your beef mixture on the tortillas.
- Put 1 Cup of the cheese on top of the meat.
- Repeat layers two more times (3 total layers)
- Top cheese with olives and drizzle the beef broth on top of the casserole.
- Cover with lid and cook on high for 1 1/2 to 3 hours.
Video
Notes
- A 9 x 13 casserole crock pot is NOT required for this recipe, it just comes in handy. An oval or round crock pot will work just fine. You can just make more layers if needed.
- This recipe is an adaptation of our Beefy Mexicali from our sister site.
- Looking for more recipes? Our Recipe Finder can help you find exactly what you need.
- Check out all our favorite recommendations for cookbooks, slow cookers and low carb essentials in our Amazon Influencer Shop.
- As with any of our recipes, carb counts, calorie counts and nutritional information varies greatly. As a result, your nutritional content depends on which products you choose to use when cooking this dish. The auto-calculation is just an automated estimate and should NOT be used for specific dietary needs.
- All slow cookers cook differently, so cooking times are always a basic guideline. Recipes should always be tested first in your own slow cooker and time adjusted as needed.
Nutrition
We recommend serving this dish with one of these side dishes:
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Do u repeat the tortillas too?
Yes. Four per each of the three layers. Enjoy!
Can you make this in a Instant Pot on Slow Cook?
We haven’t tried this recipe on slow cook in our instant pot, but it should work. However, the slow cook feature on an instant pot usually takes longer to cook than a traditional slow cooker. So, watch it closely the first time you make it and allow for extra cooking time. If you give it a try, let us know how it goes!
How much time would you suggest if cooking in an Instant Pot on Slow Cook?
When I purchased the Instant Pot, I gave my slow cooker to a neighbour .
We haven’t tested it, so we can’t say for sure, but our Instant Pot units cook significantly cooler than our other crock pots. So I would guess it would take at least 3 hours, if not 4 or 5. You will just have to test it it out. The good news is this recipe does not have raw ingredients, and you are just heating it through to blend the flavors and melt the cheese. If you give it a try, let me know how it goes!
Can you use fresh mushrooms instead of canned?
Hi Leslie- We haven’t tried it, but I don’t see that it would hurt. Enjoy!
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