• Home
  • Email List
  • Cookbooks
  • FAQs
  • Instant Pot Secrets
  • Sponsor Me

365 Days of Slow Cooking and Pressure Cooking

Easy slow cooker and Instant Pot recipes for each day of the year

  • Filter Recipes
  • Instant Pot
  • Slow Cooker
  • Chicken
  • Beef
  • Pork
  • Meatless
  • healthy
  • Soups

July 22, 2020

Instant Pot Tamale Casserole

  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

Instant Pot Tamale Casserole has seasoned ground beef, corn, olives, tomatoes and cheese with corn bread baked on top. An easy one pot meal made fast in your Instant Pot or slow in your Crockpot.

Pin this recipe for later!

SLOW COOKER tamale casserole instructions listed in the recipe card below.

Instant Pot Tamale Casserole

I was a bit nervous about this recipe, not knowing if the cornbread part on top would cook through and taste good. Turns out I had nothing to worry about! This Instant Pot tamale casserole was wonderful! We scarfed the whole pot down in minutes.

To make the casserole I used the pot-in-pot method. This ensures that the the burn error message won’t happen and that I can control how liquid-y the casserole is or isn’t. For the pot-in-pot method you’ll need a tall oven safe dish that fits inside your Instant Pot. I used this 3 quart Instant Pot liner* inside my 6 quart Instant Pot liner. Genius! It works so well. I believe that the Fat Daddios 7 inch by 4 inch pan* would also work well. And, no, you can’t use the 6 quart Instant Pot liner inside the 8 quart pot. It is too big and will get stuck.

Authentic tamales are a traditional Mexican dish with corn masa that is filled and wrapped in corn husks or banana leaves before being steamed. Corn masa can be hard to find and if you know me you know that I like cooking with items in my house in the easiest way possible. For this tamale casserole I used corn meal. This is not an authentic recipe but it sure tastes good and I think you’ll really love it too!

Pin this recipe for later!

What should I serve with Instant Pot tamale casserole?

There are so many great toppings that you can serve on your casserole. Try these:

  • Diced avocados
  • Extra cheddar
  • Diced tomatoes
  • Salsa, picante sauce or pico de gallo
  • Shredded lettuce
  • Sour cream or Creme Fraiche
  • Cilantro or green onions

This is a great one pot meal where veggies, protein and carbs are all in one dish. If you want extra veggies serve alongside a green salad or top with shredded lettuce.

More Recipes You’ll Love…

Instant Pot Dump and Go Meatball Lasagna

Instant Pot Salisbury Steak Meatballs

Instant Pot 5 Ingredient Beef Enchiladas Casserole

Instant Pot King Ranch Chicken

Pin this recipe for later!

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon

Instant Pot or Slow Cooker Tamale Casserole


★★★★★

4.6 from 8 reviews

  • Author: 365 Days of Slow and Pressure Cooking
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 60 minutes
  • Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe

Description

Tamale Casserole has seasoned ground beef, corn, olives, tomatoes and cheese with corn bread baked on top. An easy one pot meal made fast in your Instant Pot or slow in your Crockpot.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 2 Tbsp taco seasoning, dividing
  • 1 (14.5 oz) can corn, drained
  • 1 (2.25 oz) can sliced olives, drained
  • 1 (10 oz) can Rotel (I used mild)
  • 1 (14.5 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 3/4 cup corn meal
  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 2 Tbsp vegetable or canola oil
  • 2 Tbsp white sugar
  • 1 cup grated cheddar
  • Optional toppings: diced avocado, cilantro, sour cream, diced tomatoes

Instructions

  1. In a pan on your stove or in your Instant Pot on the saute setting brown the ground beef with 1 Tbsp of the taco seasoning. If there is excess grease, drain it off. Clean out Instant Pot (if used).
  2. Add the ground beef to a tall pan that will fit inside your Instant Pot (I use this 3 quart pot inside my 6 quart pot). Add in the corn, olives, rotel, black beans (if desired) and 1 Tbsp of taco seasoning. Stir to combine. 
  3. In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the corn meal, flour, baking powder and salt. Add in the egg, milk, oil and sugar. Stir until smooth. Spoon the mixture over the ground beef mixture. Sprinkle the cheese on top of the cornbread batter. Cover the pot with foil.
  4. Pour 1 cup of water into the bottom of the Instant Pot. Place the pan on a trivet with handles*. Lower the trivet and pot into the Instant Pot. Cover the pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 30 minutes. When time is up perform a quick release. 
  5. Remove the pot and remove the foil. Scoop onto plates and serve with desired toppings.

Notes

Slow Cooker Instructions: Brown the ground beef with 1 Tbsp of taco seasoning. Drain off excess grease. In your slow cooker stir together the beef, corn, olives, rotel, black beans (if desired) and 1 Tbsp taco seasoning. In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the corn meal, flour, baking powder and salt. Add in the egg, milk, oil and sugar. Stir until smooth. Spoon the mixture over the ground beef mixture. Sprinkle the cheese on top of the cornbread batter. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours. Scoop onto plates and serve with desired toppings.

  • Category: Beef
  • Method: Instant Pot

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @365dayscrockpot on Instagram

*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.

  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

56 Comments Filed Under: All Recipes, Beef, Instant Pot, Summer, Slow Cooker Tagged With: one pot meal

Recommendations

Comments

  1. Gary Kaetzel says

    August 18, 2022 at 4:15 am

    I made this yesterday and I LOVE it!!!! I used 2 envelopes of hot taco seasoning and a can of Rotel with habaneros so mine has a nice bite to it. I think it’d make the best burrito/taco filling and that’s what I’m going to do with it. It needs nothing else to make it perfect! Thanks for yet another great recipe!!! You rock!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      August 18, 2022 at 12:24 pm

      Nice! That’s a great idea to use it as burrito filling! Thanks for the 5 stars Gary!

      Reply
  2. Patricia Morris says

    May 19, 2021 at 8:05 am

    This wasn’t to our taste. We made this dish last night in our Instant Pot and thought it would be really good but ours was a bit underwhelming. As published it would be perfect for families with children.

    It was relatively flavourless despite the addition of high quality extra taco seasoning and cayenne pepper from Penzey’s Spices, medium Rotel, ‘mexicorn with poblano peppers, black beans, and a Mexican” blend of cheese on top including some Monterey Jack.

    Despite the addition of all the extra seasoning into the ingredients and adding some fire roasted tomatoes when serving, it wasn’t at all flavourful and lacked salt. We discovered that our canned Goya beans contained only 130mg of salt instead of the 400+ mg per can of many brands so were partially responsible for the lack of salt.

    We will make this again with some alterations to the spice levels & types and top it with the contents of a packet of spicy cornbread mix or just serve it with tortillas and shredded lettuce. 😊

    ★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      May 20, 2021 at 3:15 pm

      I like those ideas to add extra flavor!

      Reply
  3. Cin Tay says

    February 11, 2021 at 10:37 pm

    Do you have other recipes that use the 3 qt liner in the 6 qt liner – for pot in pot recipes?? Thanks 🙂

    Reply
    • Karen says

      February 12, 2021 at 3:55 pm

      Yes I do. I need to organize them all but for you now you can start here: https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/tag/pot-in-pot/

      Reply
  4. Erin Volker says

    January 13, 2021 at 2:10 am

    I used stackable steamer insert pans as I did not have a pan with high sides to fit my 6 Qt IP. I divided ingredients in half into each pan. I increased the cornbread mix to 3/4 c. Corn meal, 2/3 c flour, 2/3 c. Milk, and 2 eggs instead of one. I tweaked the baking soda and salt slightly. I also added a bit of chopped jalapeno pepper and mixed the cheese into the batter instead of putting the cheese on top. I stacked and sealed the pans and added it to pot with 1 cup water. I cooked mine 40 minutes. The top pan was perfect but the bottom one had a slight undone look to the cornbread. The top one could feed 4 people. I saved the second pan and assume the warm up will solve the “undone” problem.

    ★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      January 13, 2021 at 2:21 pm

      Good to know your experience. I would have thought the bottom pan would get more done because it’s closer to heating element. Weird!

      Reply
  5. Lori Sari says

    October 27, 2020 at 4:20 pm

    I don’t have the 3 qt. liner, so I used my Fat Daddio cake pan (it just fit the ingredients). The cornbread wasn’t cooked through after 30 minutes. I’m cooking for another 10 minutes, and hopefully that will do the trick! Do you know why it took longer to cook?

    Reply
    • Karen says

      October 27, 2020 at 6:10 pm

      Oh shoot! I’m not sure. There have been such mixed results with anything that has to be “baked” in the Instant Pot.

      Reply
  6. Beverly says

    October 2, 2020 at 6:20 pm

    Could you line one of the instant pot steamer baskets with heavy duty aluminum foil and use that?

    Reply
    • Karen says

      October 5, 2020 at 1:17 pm

      Sure! I bet that would work!

      Reply
  7. René Lacombe says

    September 3, 2020 at 1:51 pm

    Thanks for all the all the really good recipes you are making and showing how to do. A thousand thanks and please continue your good work is’t soooo delicious. One of your fan French Canadian

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      September 7, 2020 at 12:07 pm

      Ahhh, you are sweet. Thank you!!

      Reply
  8. Renee says

    August 31, 2020 at 8:01 pm

    Made tonight. It was good except cornbread was not done and soggy. Problem is u can’t tell until u scoop it out. Any tips?

    Reply
    • Karen says

      September 1, 2020 at 12:41 pm

      Next time I would cook longer. Mine came out well done. So I’m not sure the difference. It happens with different pots and altitudes perhaps.

      Reply
  9. Mimi says

    August 27, 2020 at 7:18 pm

    I made it tonight, and it was outstanding. It is my new favorite IP recipe. I didn’t have canned corn but had leftover fresh corn on the cob from the farmers market. I cut it off the cob and used that. I used buttermilk instead of milk because I needed to use it up. Both alterations were delicious. This is a great, easy, fun to make, absolutely delicious recipe!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      August 28, 2020 at 9:17 am

      I love both of those ideas!

      Reply
      • Erin says

        April 6, 2021 at 4:46 pm

        Could you do this with uncooked beans?

        Reply
        • Karen says

          April 7, 2021 at 1:06 pm

          no, but you could pressure cook the dried beans separately to begin and then do the recipe as stated: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xXh75S_z6f9uVeGNIopcNqMVn3oOXpK4UrVdjuSaWqk/edit?usp=sharing

          Reply
  10. Richard Vereb says

    August 14, 2020 at 11:01 am

    I have an 8 inch diameter Fat Daddio’s pan for my 8qt IP. The pan should hold enough volume. Can’t wait to try it. I have always loved tamales.

    Reply
    • Karen says

      August 14, 2020 at 11:53 am

      Hope you like it Richard!!

      Reply
      • richv says

        August 19, 2020 at 10:57 am

        Used everything except olives. Cornbread was moist in the middle. Finished under broiler. Love it.
        Next time I’ll use a bundt pan (no middle).

        Reply
        • Karen says

          August 19, 2020 at 12:43 pm

          Good plan using the bundt! It comes in handy!

          Reply
  11. Mike says

    August 3, 2020 at 6:12 pm

    I made this tonight and, we really liked it. The problem we always had with the Instant Pot was been, way too much leftovers. This pot in a pot method solves that. I don’t mind eating the same thing twice in a week but, I don’t want to eat the same thing all week long. Now, I did make a couple of small adjustments like, I only used half of the beans, corn, and Rotel, and I used a whole packet of taco seasoning. I also added some diced onion and diced jalapeños to the ground beef while browning it. I vacuum sealed and froze the remaining beans, corn and, Rotel for next time. There will definitely be a next time.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      August 4, 2020 at 2:00 pm

      Good tips on saving for next time! I’m so glad you liked it Mike!

      Reply
  12. Sandra Brown says

    August 2, 2020 at 2:54 pm

    Hi Karen, I am just curious to know if the slow cooker function would work for this recipe on the instant pot. My actual slow cooker is big so the meal would just spread out more if you know what I mean, which I guess is okay. I need to get the 3 quart liner for my 6 quart instant pot yet as you suggested. With all my pots and pans you would think that I will find something that is deep and will work in the instant pot for today though. I just have to look more! I have heard that the slow cooker function on the instant pot does not work the same as a regular slow cooker.

    Reply
    • Karen says

      August 3, 2020 at 2:27 pm

      I am skeptical about the slow cooker function on the Instant Pot working well for this recipe. I just have not had a good experience with it and have not heard others having a good experience. I would just try it in your large slow cooker.

      Reply
      • Sandra Brown says

        August 3, 2020 at 3:38 pm

        Hi Again,

        Thanks for your response about the instant pot’s slow cooker function, it looks like I won’t be trying that function anytime soon. Maybe one day when it’s only for me!
        I ended up making this Tamale Casserole yesterday in my instant pot as time ran out. It was good, especially the cornmeal topping. I just used one rounded teaspoon of sugar to my taste. The timing of 30 minutes was perfect. It came up to pressure quite fast and with no slow release, it was quite fast to make. Thanks Karen.

        ★★★★★

        Reply
        • Karen says

          August 4, 2020 at 2:01 pm

          Yay! So glad it worked out well. And you’re right on how fast it comes to pressure.

          Reply
  13. Greta says

    July 28, 2020 at 1:33 pm

    Looks delicious! Thanks for posting all these wonderful recipes! Do you have any recommendations for a pot to use for the pot-in-pot method for an 8 qt. IP besides the Daddios 4″ cake pan? Looking for something that is a lot deeper that will feed more. Thanks! 🙂

    Reply
    • Karen says

      July 29, 2020 at 11:55 am

      I’d use the 3 quart IP liner: https://amzn.to/3djcQ73

      Reply
  14. Paula says

    July 22, 2020 at 5:54 pm

    Hi Karen, My Hubby’s fav! I am so glad to see it for the IP 🙂 Can I use my Fat Daddios pan like the one you used for the IP Beef Enchilada Casserole. That was amazing also! One other question: my IP seems to now produce a lot more liquid around under the lid and in the little clear cup in the back. It is about a year and a half old and I use it a ton, should I get a new gasket? It isn’t a problem, is this normal after it gets “broken in”? THANKS!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      July 23, 2020 at 1:36 pm

      I think the Fat Daddios would work just fine. I’ve never heard that about the liquid. I’m really not sure! You could try a new seal and see if that helps. They are cheap to order on amazon.

      Reply
      • Paula says

        July 23, 2020 at 4:30 pm

        Thank you Karen! I did go back and see your mention of the Fat Daddios pan, I guess I missed it the first time. Thanks again for all you do!

        Reply
        • Karen says

          July 27, 2020 at 2:36 pm

          You are welcome 😊😊😊

          Reply
  15. Brenda W. says

    July 22, 2020 at 3:50 pm

    Just curious if you think I could use a gluten free corn bread mix for the top? Not sure if I can interchange flour for this.
    Thank you!

    Reply
    • Karen says

      July 23, 2020 at 1:37 pm

      Oh I bet that would be fine!

      Reply
  16. Brianna says

    July 22, 2020 at 3:13 pm

    Do you have to use the pot in pot method? This looks delicious but I don’t have a smaller pot. I also use a Fagor pressure cooker (not IP) so I’m not sure the link you included to the smaller pot would fit.

    Reply
    • Karen says

      July 23, 2020 at 1:39 pm

      You’d have to add liquid to the bottom of the pot for it to work. I would add in 1 cup of broth. Then the meat mixture. Finally spoon the cornbread on top. Cook for only 15-20 minutes instead of the 30. Not sure if it will work out! The biggest concern is that it will be really watery. The cornbread will get dripped on the whole time. Then the bottom part will have more of a soup consistency.

      Reply
  17. Beth says

    July 22, 2020 at 2:59 pm

    Karen, the newer (?) little video speeds by quickly – I can either look at the photo or read, but not really both. Is there a way to slow it down? And this recipe looks delicious. It reminds me a little of years ago making baked beans with cornbread – the cornbread batter is poured over the baked beans so is baked on the top and a little goes down into the beans. Delicious!

    Reply
    • Karen says

      July 23, 2020 at 1:42 pm

      That sounds so delicious!
      As far as the video goes I don’t know how to slow it down although you could push pause. A better option is to scroll down past the recipe and there are photos of the video in still format plus the wording so that you can read it.

      Reply
  18. james pierson says

    July 22, 2020 at 2:17 pm

    AS USUAL YOU FORGET TO INCLUDE IN YOUR RECIPES IF YOU USE THE LOW OR HIGH PRESSURE!!!!! WHEN WILL YOU CORRECT THIS??????

    Reply
    • Ken says

      July 22, 2020 at 2:38 pm

      Instead of being insulting, you should use a little common sense. You could use high!!!

      Reply
    • Carla says

      July 22, 2020 at 2:44 pm

      If you look at the picture you can see the high pressure light on as well.

      Reply
    • Beth says

      July 22, 2020 at 2:57 pm

      Just assume every recipe is high pressure unless told otherwise. One of the main benefits of an IP is cooking quickly, and low pressure cooks more slowly, which defeats the purpose. In fact I’ve never made a recipe that uses low pressure – it’s sometimes used for delicate dishes.

      Reply
    • Karen says

      July 23, 2020 at 1:43 pm

      Sorry! Every single recipe I write is HIGH PRESSURE. So just always assume that it’s high pressure.

      Reply
      • Becky says

        August 1, 2020 at 11:32 am

        Some people are just jerks!! Thank you for all the work you do to bring us these fabulous recipes!!!

        Reply
        • Karen says

          August 3, 2020 at 3:01 pm

          Thanks Becky I’m so happy you enjoy the recipes here 😊

          Reply
    • Maxine Fillmore says

      October 12, 2020 at 7:25 pm

      James, do you realize this is not about you. Karen does a great service for us all. Do you have narcissistic or mental problems or are you just a jerk? If you read her postings, you would know that it is always HI PRESSURE. She has stated that a dozen times. If you don’t like it, move to another site that is more about you.

      Reply
      • Kit says

        December 24, 2020 at 10:36 am

        Wholly unnecessary!

        Reply
  19. Ellyn says

    July 22, 2020 at 2:14 pm

    Can you use jiffy cornbread instead of making the cornbread?

    Reply
    • Karen says

      July 23, 2020 at 1:44 pm

      Sure!

      Reply
    • Diane says

      September 11, 2020 at 8:51 pm

      Ellyn, I used Jiffy and it works just fine. This is a super recipe and will adjust to all kinds of changes. Thank you Karen for being so thorough in your explanation.

      Reply
  20. Kathy H. says

    July 22, 2020 at 1:37 pm

    Sounds delicious! I live close to a store that has freshly made masa for tamale making. I was wondering if I used that as the topping instead of the cornbread mixture if it would come out okay. And if the timing would be the same. What do you think?

    Reply
    • Karen says

      July 23, 2020 at 1:45 pm

      I bet it would be the same timing!! Try it!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

Welcome!

Karen photo

Hi, I’m Karen. I know that dinner time can be less than relaxing. Busy schedules and cranky kids and a hundred other things can lead to weariness when it comes to putting dinner on the table. I can help! I make homemade, family-friendly slow cooker and Instant Pot dinners and share the recipes with you.

Stay In Touch

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube

Recent Posts

Categories

Archives

Amazon Associates Disclosure

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.

365 Days of Slow Cooking © 2023 · Privacy Policy

MENU
  • Home
  • Filter
  • Instant Pot
  • Slow Cooker
  • Chicken
  • Beef
  • Pork
  • Meatless
  • Healthy
  • Soups
  • Email List
  • Cookbooks
  • FAQs
  • Instant Pot Secrets