Slow-Cooker Enchilada Casserole Recipe | ~Texas Homesteader~ (2024)

by Texas Homesteader ~

This cheesy enchilada casserole is simple to put together and uses slow-cooker convenience.

Ground meat, cheese, refried beans, tomato sauce, chili and corn tortillas makes this a simple yet delicious meal. Check out my easy recipe, y’all!

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Stale Corn Tortillas Too Crumbly

I had enchiladas on the menu but my corn tortillas weren’t cooperating. They were older tortillas and kept breaking instead of rolling up.

(UPDATE: I now make my own easy corn tortillas fresh!)

Enchilada Casserole In Slow Cooker

I thought about a recipe for an enchilada casserole. Hummm… a casserole might solve some stubborn tortilla problems for me.

Since RancherMan & I had an appointment right around the supper hour I decided to make the casserole in my slow cooker.

Enchilada Casserole Ingredients

Here’s what goes into my casserole:

2 lbs of ground meat (Ground beef is good, but I often use ground wild pork)

Taco Seasoning (it’s easy to make homemade taco seasoninginstead)

Chopped onion

2 garlic cloves

2 cans of tomato sauce

A can of refried beans (I make & mash Instant Pot Pintos)

1 can of chili (I used Homemade Chilifrom the freezer)

Corn Tortillas

Shredded cheddar cheese

Cooking Meat & Onions For Casserole

I cooked the garlic & onions first in a small amount of bacon grease on medium heat until they were translucent. Then I added the ground meat.

When the meat was cooked I drained what little fat had accumulated. I returned the meat to my cast-iron skillet & added about 4 tablespoons of my homemade taco seasoning.

Then I poured the tomato sauce into the skillet with the drained meat/onions. When all was thoroughly mixed I mashed some of my homemade pinto beans and mixed it into the meat mixture.

Layering Slow Cooker Enchilada Casserole

Now I turned my attention to those dang stale crumbly tortillas.

~ I lined my large 8-quart slow cooker with those ornery corn tortillas, overlapping liberally in several places.

~ Then I topped them with 1/2 of my meat/bean mixture.

~ I sprinkled just a little shredded cheese on top and some sliced ripe olives.

~ Then I added another layer of overlapping corn tortillas and the rest of the meat/bean mixture.

~ I topped with another light sprinkling of cheese and a few sliced olives.

~ The entire casserole was topped with a final layer of overlapping tortillas.

~ Top the casserole with chili and a generous coating of cheese.

~ Add a handful of chopped chives and a few sliced olives if desired.

Wild Game Meat Option

You can make this casserole with ground beef of course. But RancherMan is an accomplished hunter so we always have wild pork in the freezer.

Sometimes there is other game in our freezer as well, but there’s never a shortage of wild pork. So I cook with it often.

(I’ve got a nice long list of wild-game recipes at the end of this post)

How Long To Cook Slow-Cooker Enchilada Casserole?

The ingredients are already cooked so I turned the slow cooker on low. Then RancherMan & I left for our appointment, which took us away from home for about 2 hours.

When we arrived home the house smelled Dee-LICIOUS!

What Goes With Enchilada Casserole?

Looking for something to serve with your enchilada casserole? What about:

Homemade Ranch-Style Beans

Cilantro Lime Rice

Texas-Style Spanish Rice

Fresh Pico de Gallo

Large Recipe Leaves Plenty Of Leftovers For Later!

Remember, my slow cooker is a large 8-quart model. And this recipe makes a lot!

So I’ve once again used the cook-once-eat-twice method of cooking there will be plenty for us to enjoy for lunch tomorrow. And several servings for me to put in the freezer for quick suppers later too. Gotta love it!

By using food I’d already prepared such as homemade pinto beans, chili and taco seasoning this recipe was very inexpensive too.

And those containers holding the leftovers in the freezer are all reusable so it’s environmentally friendly as well.

But even if you have to purchase those ingredients it’s an easy recipe that comes together quickly. And really, who doesn’t love slow-cooker convenience?

Did you make this Enchilada Casserole?

Please rate the recipein your comment below!

~TxH~

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