Mexican Beef Stew – Best Crockpot Recipe
Have you ever made Mexican Food in the Crockpot? I’ll show you how to make something better than any roast or stew you’ve ever had!
Last night where I live we got 7 inches of snow. So, since we were “shut-in” it was a great day to cook something in the crockpot and let it simmer all day. I think this was the “best crockpot recipe” I’ve made in years! This, like so many other recipes – came from wanting to use some leftovers and certain ingredients up. Sometimes the best meals are created out of things you need to “get rid of” or use up.
Ingredients needed to make my “Mexican Beef Stew”:
- 1 lb thin cut round steak
- 1 can beef broth
- 3-4 cans water
- 1/2 Lg Vidalia Onion
- 1 medium green pepper
- 5 medium potatoes
- 3-4 Jalapeno peppers (ONLY if you like heat)
- 1 can black beans
- 1 can sweet corn
- 6 corn tortillas
- 4 tbsp fresh or jarred minced garlic
- 2 tbsp fresh ground pepper
- 2 tbsp salt
- 2 tbsp Italian seasonings
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 6 tbsp ground Cumin
- 3 tbsp chili powder
- 1- 8oz package shredded Colby-Jack cheese or Mexican Melting Cheese
- 1 small container light sour cream
- Saltines or tortilla chips
I always keep some really thin cut round steak in the freezer for things like fajitas and beef fried rice. The first thing I did was to put a 1lb frozen block of thin sliced round steak in the microwave on defrost for about 6 minutes. Then I plugged in my crockpot on high, and add in 1 can of beef broth, 1 can of sweet corn (dont’ drain), 1 can of black beans (don’t drain or rinse), the garlic, and all the seasonings – then mix well and cover. Wash, seed, peel, and dice your pepper(s) and onion – add to the crockpot and mix well again. Dice the potatoes (skin on) and add to the crockpot and mix again. Take your steak out of the microwaveand cut into 1″ strips with the grain, and then in about 3″ strips. Add to the pot, and mix well. Then add enough water to bring the level up to about 1″ below the top of the crockpot, which usually takes me about 3-4 empty (corn or bean) canfuls of water. Cover, and stir about once per hour. Cook on the “high” setting of your crockpot for 6 hours.
When your “Mexican Beef Stew” is done, turn off the crockpot, stir well, and serve! Now – you’ll notice a few ingredients you haven’t yet used from the list. Once you place the stew in bowls, add about 4 dollops of sour cream on top, cover with a handful of shredded Colby Jack cheese and serve! Sometimes I use mexican melting cheese instead of colby-jack. Serve and eat by dipping either saltines or tortilla chips! After 6 hours this stew has some of the most incredible flavor because of the ingredients. The corn tortillas over the 6 hours will break down and disintegrate and thicken up the stew (which is actually one of my secrets). That why this stew recipe doesn’t require any flour or cornstarch at all. The tortillas with the sweet corn give the stew an uncanny sweeter tastse that brings out the beef flavor that much more. The seasonings, the meat breaking down, the potatoes soaking up the broth – it all contributes to a melded flavor at the end you won’t soon forget.
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Your recipe doesn’t mention what to do with the 6 corn tortillas. I see you describe them later as being in the mix for 6 hours so it’s clear they not for after, but when do we put them in, and how do you prepare them (ie do we break them into small pieces or what?).
ahh…..I cut them into strips, about 1″ wide, and then the opposite way, making 1×1″ squares. Dump them into the pot with everything else in the beginning and let them cook the entire time!
Thanks John – I just broke them into pieces so it all worked out in the end. Only two minor issues for me – I could not find corn tortillas anywhere (15 kinds of flour ones, but no corn). Second, my stew was SMOKING hot (which I loved, but my wife enjoyed only by scent). I only did 2 Jalapenos, so i have to assume it’s the 6 tablespoons of cumin that did us in? I’m thinking maybe cut back to 2 tablespoons? Oh, and one more really big thing – I don’t know how big your crock pots are down there, but by the time I added all the ingredients to mine, there was no room left for the beef or water! I simply upgraded the whole works to a larger pot on the stove and tase tested all day long. We loved it. Thanks for the great recipe!
Cumin really doesn’t make a dish hot, it just gives it that earthy taste. It was probably the jalapenos, and hotness can be different depending on age, size, and how well you devein and seen them before chopping (the veins inside contain all the capsaicin oil that makes them hot). Try only sweet peppers on 1/2 a jalapeno next time. I remember last time I made this is was right up to the top of the crock pot, but I might have used our bigger one and not remembered (lol). I have a tendency to make huge pots of stuff…..glad you liked it!