Instant Pot or Crockpot Cobre Valley Casserole–a ground beef casserole with rice, refried beans, picante sauce, green chiles and more.
Cobre Valley Casserole
I came across a recipe for cobre valley casserole on Taste of Home that looked quite tasty! The original author stated, “We live in southeastern Arizona, in a part of the state known as the Cobre Valley. Cobre is Spanish for copper, which is mined here. People in this area have enjoyed variations of this recipe for many years.“
I changed up the original recipe a bit to make it into an Instant Pot or Crockpot recipe plus a couple other changes. The flavors remain the same though.
This recipe can be made in the Instant Pot or the Crockpot which is nice because you can choose which way works for you! I put this together up at my cabin and then we went on a hike and came back to a hot dinner. It was a perfect hearty dinner after a fun day outdoors.
Get creative with what toppings you like. Some ideas are sour cream, guacamole, olives, green onions, etc.
Ingredients/Substitution Ideas
- Lean ground beef–or ground turkey
- Onion–yellow or white
- Celery
- Salt
- Pepper
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Chili powder
- Cumin
- Water–or beef broth
- Long grain white rice–or converted rice
- Refried beans
- Diced green chiles
- Pace picante sauce–I used mild. Or you can use salsa.
- Cheddar cheese–I like sharp
- Tortilla chips–or Fritos
- Tomatoes–I used grape tomatoes sliced up
Steps
Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. When display says HOT add in the ground beef and break it up. Add in the onions and celery. Brown for about 5 minutes. Drain off excess grease. Stir in the salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder and cumin.
Pour in the water and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking. Turn off Instant Pot. Sprinkle in the rice. Dump in the beans, green chiles and picante sauce. Don’t stir.
Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 3 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 5 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
Stir well. Sprinkle the top with cheese, chips and tomatoes. Serve and enjoy!
Notes/Tips
- Serve with shredded lettuce. Top with extra toppings like green onions, sour cream and sliced olives.
- If you want to use brown rice instead of white rice then you’ll need to increase the cooking time to 22 minutes with a 10 minute natural pressure release.
- Variation: leave off the tortilla chips and use this as a hot dip with tortilla chips.
- Variation: use cooked rotisserie chicken in the place of ground beef.
- This recipe can be gluten free if you use gluten free refried beans and chips.
- I used my 6 quart Instant Pot*. You can also make this in a 3 or 8 quart pot.
- If you use your Instant Pot as a slow cooker then use the slow cooker high or more setting.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container* in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Other recipes you can make with picante sauce are Instant Pot Salsa Rice and Instant Pot 5-Ingredient Salsa Chicken.
More Instant Pot Southwest Recipes…
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Did you know you can filter the recipes on my website to search by meat type, IP or Crockpot, low carb, gluten free, etc.? Use the filter to find exactly what you are looking for.
Cobre Valley Casserole
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 minutes (plus 5 minute NPR)
- Total Time: 23 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
A ground beef casserole with rice, refried beans, picante sauce, green chiles and more.
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1 celery rib, diced
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 Tbsp chili powder
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 cup water or beef broth
- 1/2 cup long grain white rice or converted rice
- 1 (16 oz) can refried beans
- 1 (4 oz) can diced green chiles
- 3/4 cup pace picante sauce (I used mild)
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 cups tortilla chips
- 1/2 cup sliced or diced tomatoes
Instructions
Instant Pot Instructions:
- Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. When display says HOT add in the ground beef and break it up. Add in the onions and celery. Brown for about 5 minutes. Drain off excess grease. Stir in the salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder and cumin.
- Pour in the water and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking. Turn off Instant Pot.
- Sprinkle in the rice. Dump in the beans, green chiles and picante sauce. Don’t stir.
- Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 3 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 5 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- Stir well. Sprinkle the top with cheese, chips and tomatoes. Serve and enjoy!
Slow Cooker Instructions:
- Heat a pan over medium high heat. Add in the ground beef and break it up. Add in the onions and celery. Brown for about 5 minutes. Drain off excess grease. Stir in the salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder and cumin. Add mixture to the slow cooker.
- Add in the water, rice, beas, green chiles and picante sauce. Stir well.
- Cover and cook on high for 3 hours.
- Sprinkle the top with cheese, chips and tomatoes. Serve and enjoy!
- Category: Beef
- Method: Instant Pot or Slow Cooker
*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
I made the crock pot version of this; i just added a full cup of rice instead of half, and an extra half cup of water. Consistency was like a meaty bean dip. Taste was spot on and everyone loved it. I made it for a small crowd so I offered all the traditional taco fixins; lettuce, tomato, cheese, tortilla chips, flour tortillas, salsa and sour cream. Some ate it as a casserole, some liked it as a dip and others used it to make stuffed burritos! All versions were fantastic and I was surprised by how filling this is. A little goes a long way…this will be my new go-to for a crowd pleaser! A good tip to share is that tortilla chips will become soggy very quickly so just keep that in mind! Very good recipe and easy to prepare.
★★★★★
Thanks for the 5 stars CW!
Made exactly as recipe. Flavor is outstanding!!! However, its very loose in consistency. Mine was like a thick chili instead of a tighter casserole. Enjoying it with tortilla scoops. Will make this again, however, maybe add some extra rice. DELISH!
★★★★
tortilla scoops are a great idea!