These Slow Cooker Cooker Beef Tamale Bowls are everything you love about tamales, without all the work. Basically, the perfect dinner for the busy-but-hungry (Me!)
I think it was Lindsay from Pinch of Yum who recently said that “bowls” are the casserole of millennials. I think it’s totally true. While you don’t see a lot of new casserole dishes emerging, you do see plenty of dinner-in-a-bowl recipes floating around these days.
It’s for good reason–they’re convenient, delicious, comforting, all-in-one meals (just like casseroles). They have the added benefits of fresh/whole ingredients (rather than cream-of-something soup), and they work GREAT for feeding a family.
Build your own dinners like these beef tamale polenta bowls are a great way to get your kids to try new things. When they can build their dinners themselves, they’re much more likely to try something new. That means less fighting & a smoother dinner experience for all of us!
Key Components Of These Bowls
How to Make Beef Tamale Bowls, Step By Step
As always, you can find the full recipe, with ingredient amounts, detailed instructions, and tips in the recipe card below!
Start With the Beef
- Brown The Beef. In a large skillet or Dutch oven, heat a drizzle of oil over medium-high heat. Add beef and cook to brown 5-7 minutes on each side. Transfer to the crock of your slow cooker.
- Make The Sauce. Add 1/2 cup water to the skillet/Dutch oven that you browned the beef in and stir to scrape up any browned bits. Stir in your tomato sauce, chili powder, and chipotle chili powder. Taste and add additional chipotle pepper as desired.
- Coat & Cook The Beef. Pour sauce over beef and cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours or LOW for 6-8 hours, or until beef shreds easily with a fork. Shred beef and stir to coat with the sauce.
Next, Make The Polenta & Build Your Bowls
- Boil The Water. Boil The Water. About 30 minutes before serving, bring water to a boil in a large saucepan.
- Combine. Stir in polenta and a pinch of salt. Turn down the heat to low and stir constantly for about 3-4 minutes. Cover the pan and let rest another 5 minutes. (Polenta will soften and absorb more liquid during this time).
- Season Polenta. Stir in butter/oil and additional salt and pepper, to taste.
- Build Your Bowl. Layer polenta, shredded beef, and your favorite toppings in a bowl and enjoy! Leftover beef and polenta will keep best stored separately, each in an airtight container in the fridge 3-4 days. (Reheat polenta with a drizzle of water to loosen it back up.)
FAQ + Tips and Tricks For The Best Tamale Bowls
If you don’t have chipotle chili powder, you can mince up 1/2 a chipotle pepper packed in adobo sauce and use it instead.
Too spicy? If you accidentally made your sauce hotter than you meant to (I’ve been there), my firsts suggestion is to pile your bowl high with guacamole, lettuce, and tomatoes to take the edge off. But, if you want to take the sauce down a spicy notch, just add a little brown sugar (or honey) or your sauce to temper the heat.
More Toppings To Try. Think of these as burrito bowls with a polenta base. You can add any favorite taco toppings here–diced or pickled onions, jalapeño, lettuce, avocado, guacamole, pico de gallo, etc.
Did You Make This Recipe?
Tell me all about it! Leave a star rating below when you try our Beef Tamale Bowls recipe. I can’t wait to hear how it goes!
Slow Cooker Beef Tamale Bowls
Ingredients
For the Beef:
- 2 – 2 1/2 lbs Beef Roast,* cut into 3-4 pieces
- 1 (15 oz) can Tomato Sauce
- 2 teaspoons Chili Powder
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon Chipotle Chili Powder
For the Polenta:
- 6 cups Water
- 2 cups Polenta certified gluten-free, as needed!
- 3-4 Tablespoons butter or olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
To Serve:
- Shredded Lettuce
- Diced Tomatoes or Pico de Gallo
- Sliced Avocado or Guacamole
- Cheddar Cheese or Crumbled Cotija Cheese
Instructions
First Make The Beef:
- Brown The Beef. In a large skillet or Dutch oven, heat a drizzle of oil over medium-high heat. Add beef and cook to brown 5-7 minutes on each side. Transfer to the crock of your slow cooker.
- Make The Sauce. Add 1/2 cup water to the skillet/Dutch oven that you browned the beef in and stir to scrape up any browned bits. Stir in your tomato sauce, chili powder, and chipotle chili powder. Taste and add additional chipotle pepper as desired.
- Coat & Cook The Beef. Pour sauce over beef and cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours or LOW for 6-8 hours, or until beef shreds easily with a fork. Shred beef and stir to coat with the sauce.
For the polenta:
- Boil The Water. About 30 minutes before serving, bring water to a boil in a large saucepan.
- Combine. Stir in polenta and a pinch of salt. Turn down the heat to low and stir constantly for about 3-4 minutes. Cover the pan and let rest another 5 minutes. (Polenta will soften and absorb more liquid during this time).
- Season Polenta. Stir in butter/oil and additional salt and pepper, to taste.
- Build Your Bowl. Layer polenta, shredded beef, and your favorite toppings in a bowl and enjoy! Leftover beef and polenta will keep best stored separately, each in an airtight container in the fridge 3-4 days. (Reheat polenta with a drizzle of water to loosen it back up.)
Notes
- Roast. I recommend a chuck roast here. It’s one of the more affordable cuts of beef, and gets super tender when it’s slow cooked!
- Polenta. If you’re gluten-free, like us, make sure to buy certified gluten-free polenta. I like Bob’s Red Mill brand.Â
Nutrition facts are an estimate only and will vary based on brands and amounts used.
Find it Online:
https://www.onelovelylife.com/slow-cooker-beef-tamale-bowls/
Hi, I’m not very good at knowing cuts of meat – does it matter what specific type of beef roast you use here? I just discovered your site this week, and I made the slow cooker butter chicken last night. It was so easy to put together, and it was delicious! I’m always on the lookout for healthy, gluten- and dairy-free recipes that will appeal to my kids. I will be making more of your recipes for sure! Thank you!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the Butter Chicken! This one is pretty flexible as far as the cut of beef. Chuck roast is often a great price at my stores and the marbling of fat helps it get really, really tender. I’ve also tried it with other beef roasts with good results, so use what you can find/what’s a good price. It should work out great!
This recipe is intriguing. We love spicy food, so we’ll be trying it soon. I also appreciate the tip on how to tone down the heat in a dish!