I’ll never forget the day I tried to make tamales from scratch. I was hosting a group of twenty-plus, and after spending an entire day slaving and stressing, I wound up with a giant mess and a slew of so-so tamales. It was a major fail. Not long after that, I started experimenting with tamale bowls. They wound up having all the flavors of tamales I love, minus the nit-picky assembly. Best part is the whole meal takes next to no time to prepare. Sounds pretty good, right? Well, it is. Let me show you how it’s done!
To begin, gather your ingredients—you’ll find an exact list in the recipe below.
Add the diced onion and bell pepper slices. Cover and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 4 to 6 hours.
After the allotted time has passed, carefully remove the steak from the slow cooker and shred with two forks on a cutting board.
Before you add the steak back to the slow cooker, separate the peppers and onions and place them on a plate. So juicy!
Stir the steak back into the sauce, add the drained can of black beans and then turn your slow cooker to low.
Prepare the cheesy polenta (directions are in the recipe below!) and ready your toppings.
To assemble your tamale bowls, start by adding a generous cup of cheesy polenta to a shallow bowl.
Top the polenta with shredded beef, bell peppers and onions. Then comes the best part—picking your toppings! Add dollops of mashed avocado, a sprinkling of Mexican cheese blend (or cojita), chopped cilantro, crushed tortilla chips or a spritz of lime. Feel free to experiment adding whatever other toppings your family enjoys!
(function() {
document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', function() {
var componentMetadata = JSON.parse('\x7b\x22componentName\x22\x3a\x22NewsletterCTA_9d2ab271-058d-4bdc-bfdb-ed43c417d1d0\x22,\x22deferOptions\x22\x3a\x7b\x22deferComponent\x22\x3atrue,\x22deferType\x22\x3a\x22OnDemand\x22,\x22deferId\x22\x3a\x22r0405a47911e248b39382561905c3eda0\x22,\x22deferredContainerId\x22\x3a\x22\x2fprimaryColumn\x2finteropInlineNewsletterCta\x22,\x22deferredContainerView\x22\x3a\x22InteropDeferWrapper\x22\x7d,\x22viewName\x22\x3a\x22NewsletterCTA\x22\x7d');
var configuration = {"unsubscribedNewsletters":[{"listId":"1e34a555-89d1-45f0-8f07-b3ae6b01c03c","thumbnailImageUrl":"/-/media/Images/Shared/myaccount/newsletters/BC_Thumb157x157.png","previewUrl":"https://morpheus3.idpk.net/email_sends/7743/preview","name":"Betty\u0027s Email","isPromo":false}],"settings":{"anonymousCopy":"Subscribe to Betty Crocker","anonymousDescriptionCopy":"Get kitchen tested recipes, meal ideas and more \u0026ndash; straight to your inbox","anonymousThankYouCopy":"\u003cp\u003eThanks! Your first email is on its way.\u003c/p\u003e\n","anonymousThankYouDescriptionCopy":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNow that you\u0026rsquo;re signed up, create an account on BettyCrocker.com to save your favorite recipes, learn more about special promotions and get inspired through Betty\u0026rsquo;s expert tips.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","anonymousButtonText":"Sign Up","anonymousEmailInvalidErrorText":"Please enter a valid email address.","anonymousSubscribeErrorText":"We encountered an error while signing you up. Please try again.","anonymousEmailAddressPlaceholderText":"Enter your email address","standardSmallImageUrl":"/-/media/Images/Shared/myaccount/newsletterCTA/PN_SO_MidPage2_B_BC.jpg","standardLargeImageUrl":"/-/media/Images/Shared/myaccount/newsletterCTA/PN_SO_Footer3_A_BC.jpg","backgroundColor":"#333333","registrationUrl":"/register/reg-fp?RegAction=SUBSCRIBERUPGRADE\u0026esrc=11275\u0026returnUrl=%2fhow-to%2ftipslibrary%2ftools-equipment%2fan-easier-way-to-homemade-tamales-slow-cooker-beef-tamale-bowls","registrationLinkText":"Join free!","hideForSessionCookieExpiration":0,"ctaType":"StandardAnonymous","location":"Inline","userState":"Anonymous"}};
var moduleName = 'newsletterCta';
var isVueModule = true;
GeneralMills.PandoSites.RegisterControlInstance(moduleName, configuration, componentMetadata, isVueModule)
});
})();
(function() {
document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', function() {
var componentMetadata = JSON.parse('\x7b\x22componentName\x22\x3a\x22ConsumerGeneratedContent_be556b19-c16c-41da-8dd2-2327a0854efc\x22,\x22deferOptions\x22\x3a\x7b\x22deferComponent\x22\x3atrue,\x22deferType\x22\x3a\x22OnDemand\x22,\x22deferId\x22\x3a\x22r12508c62a6244652a2adbfd303b3935d\x22,\x22deferredContainerId\x22\x3a\x22\x2fratingReview\x2finteropRatingReview\x22,\x22deferredContainerView\x22\x3a\x22InteropDeferWrapper\x22\x7d,\x22viewName\x22\x3a\x22ConsumerGeneratedContent\x22\x7d');
var configuration = {"loaderScript":"https://apps.bazaarvoice.com/deployments/bettycrocker/main_site/production/en_US/bv.js","type":"ReviewOnly","language":"en","isEmailRequired":true,"isScreenNameRequired":true,"includeRatings":false};
var moduleName = 'consumerGeneratedContent';
var isVueModule = true;
GeneralMills.PandoSites.RegisterControlInstance(moduleName, configuration, componentMetadata, isVueModule)
});
})();