Cowboy’s Meal
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Introducing: Cowboy’s Meal. A super, super good hodge podge meal made up of the most satisfying ingredients with a very Tex-Mex vibe that I’m here for! Eat it as in a bowl, add to shells for taco night, or throw an egg on it and make it a breakfast skillet!
On the very last day of 2017, my mama took little Pepper so Erica and I could spend a night together without a toddler. The temps were in the negatives and it was just all around unpleasant. We opted to rent a bunch of movies, make dinner at home, and eat our weight in stove top popcorn and starbursts. That’s actually my favorite kind of night and to be honest, the perfect way to end a great year. I wanted to make something different because well, it was New Year’s Eve and all, but I didn’t feel like spending a ton of time in the kitchen because there were movies, popcorn, and starburst waiting for me in the living room, you know?
So, what’s probably the quickest and easiest meal that I have in my repertoire and that I always have the ingredients on hand for? You guessed it. Poor Man’s Meal! It’s one of my favorite meals and it’s very popular on this ol’ blog! You can read all about it, how much I love it, how I grew up on it, and grab the recipe here. But, I’m me and I still wanted to make something a little different so I decided to just start throwing a bunch of stuff together. I was feelin’ a southwest vibe and seriously, the end result equaled actual magic.
I had a hard time with a name for it at first, but I’ve finally decided on Cowboy’s Meal! I don’t know any cowboys personally, but I do know that they seem to like things like beef, beans, corn, and a lil spice. This was the PERFECT meal to end 2017 with for Eric and I.
I love that Cowboy’s Meal is simple and most importantly, delicious! We ended up loading up the meat/potato/bean mixture into tortillas and piling tomatoes, cheese, and lettuce on those. Y’all… make this and then, do that. It’s delicious on it’s own, but add it to a tortilla blow your own dang mind.
How to make Cowboy’s Meal:
You’re going to start off with a homemade and top notch taco seasoning. I know it seems like a lot, but trust me, you need all these spices to make it perfect. Grab 2 teaspoons chili powder, 2 1/2 teaspoons cumin, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1/2 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, and finally, 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Be sure to keep the garlic powder and kosher salt out. You’ll need a teaspoon of each later for the potatoes.
Stir them all up!
In a hot skillet or dutch oven, add one pound lean ground beef. Break up with spatula very finely. Add taco seasoning mixture to beef when it’s all cooked. Continue to let it cook for about 1-2 minutes then add a small 8 ounce can of tomato sauce to the meat and stir well. Cook for another few minutes together, stirring occasionally. When It’s finished cooking set aside.
In same skillet (no need to wipe it out) OR you can use a separate one from cooking the beef. Heat 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil and then add 6 cups of frozen hash brown potatoes (you can thaw them out for quicker cooking time too!). Season with 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and about 1 teaspoon garlic powder. Continue to cook over medium-high heat until the potatoes are warm and lightly browned. If you need to spray the potatoes with a bit of cooking spray while they are cooking.
When the potatoes are lightly browned and mostly cooked (they won’t get super brown and crispy because of the amount in the pan at once) add in about 1/4 cup freshly chopped cilantro and let it continue to cook for a minute or two. I recommend this ingredient, but it’s not going to make or break the dish. I know there are weirdo cilantro haters out there. Haha I’m jokin’ with y’all. It adds delicious flavor (says me the gal who may be slightly cilantro obsessed).
Link to my favorite all purpose LARGE non stick skillet!
This is where the Cowboy’s Meal party really gets started. Sometimes I’m like a mad scientist and I just keep throwing ingredients into a mixture until I feel like I’m satisfied with the amount of ingredients I’ve foraged out of my fridge and pantry. Ha! But really, these are all wholesome ingredients and this recipe is super budget friendly too!
Add in the corn and canned (drained, but not rinsed) pinto beans and gently stir together and cook together for a minute or two. The picture above shows fresh corn. I highly recommend fresh sweet corn if it’s in season! There’s nothin’ better. You may also use canned or frozen corn, either will work just fine and it’ll still taste yummy! Frozen corn will take a few extra minutes to heat up unless you let it thaw for a bit prior to heating it.
Now add that deliciously seasoned ground beef mixture back into the skillet along with all the other goodies. you try a spoonful of the meat yet? I sure did. Spoiler alert: come back again and make this meat just for plain ol’ taco night. It’s incredible!
GENTLY fold the beef into the skillet. The potatoes are a bit delicate and can mush up. It doesn’t really matter to me, but if you care. Be gentle.
And, you are done!
I’m just saying you should probably round this meal out by heating some tacos shells then adding things like cheese, tomatoes, lettuce and extra cilantro (if that makes ya happy)! These “Cowboy’s Meal Tacos” make me VERY happy.
How good does this look? Seriously one of my favorite recipes to make. If you can believe it leftovers are even better! A couple years ago a skinnyish dish reader shared a photo of her Cowboy’s Meal leftovers for breakfast with a egg on top! I can confirm. It’s delicious.
I’ve never said these words… and I’m not sure I’m using them in the correct context, but I don’t even care. Here it goes:
BOOM. MIC DROP.
Did I do that right?
Make this.
Have a good day.
With love from my kitchen to yours,
Star
Cowboy’s Meal
Materials
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder (plus 1 tsp for potatoes)
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt (plus 1 tsp for potatoes)
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 2 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 lb lean ground beef I use 93% lean 7% fat
- 8 ounce can tomato sauce
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 6 cups frozen hash brown potatoes
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro chopped (optional)
- 1-½ cups pinto beans canned, drained and rinsed
- 1-½ cups corn canned (drained), fresh, or frozen
Optional (for toppings and extra deliciousness)
- shredded cheese
- chopped onions
- chopped tomatoes
- chopped cilantro
- chopped lettuce
- corn or flour tortillas
Instructions
- Stir together garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, cayenne pepper, paprika, cumin, and chili powder. Set aside. Make sure to keep 1 tsp garlic powder and kosher salt set aside for cooking the potatoes.
- In a large 12 inch deep hot skillet add ground beef and break up with spatula. When the beef is cooked. Add spice mixture. Stir and cook together for about one minute. Stir in can of tomato sauce. Continue to cook over medium heat for a few minutes. Remove from skillet and set aside in a bowl.
- Add 3 tbsp oil to the skillet and heat. Add hash browns, 1 tsp kosher salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, and 1 tsp garlic powder. Cook over medium-high heat until warm and lightly browned. (If adding freshly chopped cilantro: Add in the last 2-3 minutes of cooking potatoes)
- Add corn and pinto beans to potatoes. Gently stir the mixture together and cook for a few minutes until heated through.
- Add seasoned ground beef back into the skillet and gently stir into the mixture. Serve hot in a bowl or on tortillas with extra toppings of choice! Enjoy!
WOW! This was such a hit in my house. I love the generous portions, I personally am such a chili lover, this was a fun twist. I used Simply Potato Southwest hash browns. So delicious. This was my first time making one of your recipes. Thanks so much!
This looked good – I did not expect it to be as good as it was. Absolutely delicious! I’m going to be cooking this so much we get sick of it – ha!
Haha! So happy you enjoyed it, Erin!
I wonder if this would be good with riced cauliflower instead of hash browns?
I haven’t tried it that way. Let me know how it goes if you decide to give it a go!
Hi, could I make this with regular potatoes (either yellow or red)? I have a bunch to use up! Would the recipe be the same?
It should be just fine! They might take a little longer to cook that’s all.
I was thinking of roasting regular potatoes, cubed, in the oven. Would use a lot less oil and they would be crispy.
I am drooling! Can’t wait to try – quick question…Can you use diced white potatoes instead of frozen hashbrowns?
For sure! They may take a little longer to cook, but it works perfectly.
Holy crap. Yum! I’ve been seeing this recipe floating around on Instagram and finally decided to make it today. It’s super easy and delicious. This is a nice alternative to chili
Soooo good!! I did cheat a little and reloaded the potatoes with a diced zucchini and yellow squash. Trying to watch the carbs . Threw in a few chopped jalapeños too. This is going on my meal prep list! Amazing!
I am wanting to make this this week. I am wondering how much fat is in the hash browns you buy. I can’t buy the brand you use and the ones that I saw when shopping today had different fat content. I want to keep the points value the same as your recipe:)
I’m sorry I don’t have a bag on hand right now so I can’t check that info, but honestly, as long as theirs no additional oils/sugars and just potatoes, maybe salt & pepper then the points should be the exact same. I’ve also used shredded in place of the cubed. I hope that helps, and hope you enjoy!
That’s what I thought. Unfortunately the two bags I looked at had 4g and 8g of fat. I will have to keep looking!
I am wanting to make this this week. I am wondering how much fat is in the hash browns you buy. I can’t buy the brand you use and the ones that I saw when shopping today had different fat content. I want to keep the points value the same as your recipe:)
I’m sorry I don’t have a bag on hand right now so I can’t check that info, but honestly, as long as theirs no additional oils/sugars and just potatoes, maybe salt & pepper then the points should be the exact same. I’ve also used shredded in place of the cubed. I hope that helps, and hope you enjoy!
That’s what I thought. Unfortunately the two bags I looked at had 4g and 8g of fat. I will have to keep looking!
The only way I can get this to add up to 5 points using the WW recipe builder is if I leave out the vegetable oil. Not sure what I am doing wrong?
Never mind. I saw the comment about having to use the specific brand name for hash browns to get it to work. I will have to compare nutritional info when I get home to see if that makes a difference. Thanks for your wonderful recipes!
My family, 3 kids included, loved this recipe and have asked when we can have it again! It will definitely be in our regular rotation. Thank you!
My family, 3 kids included, loved this recipe and have asked when we can have it again! It will definitely be in our regular rotation. Thank you!
Hi! Planning on making this tomorrow night and my grocery store only had the shredded hash brown potatoes- do you think it makes a difference? Just wondering if I absolutely need to go to another store to pick up diced hash brown potatoes. Thanks!
It should work just fine for ya. Hope you enjoy!
Thanks!! Looking forward to it!
Update! It was kind of mushy with the shredded hash browns, stil delicious! I just made it again using Potatoes OBrian and it was delicious! Thanks again
Update! It was kind of mushy with the shredded hash browns, stil delicious! I just made it again using Potatoes OBrian and it was delicious! Thanks again
Hi! Planning on making this tomorrow night and my grocery store only had the shredded hash brown potatoes- do you think it makes a difference? Just wondering if I absolutely need to go to another store to pick up diced hash brown potatoes. Thanks!
It should work just fine for ya. Hope you enjoy!
Thanks!! Looking forward to it!
Update! It was kind of mushy with the shredded hash browns, stil delicious! I just made it again using Potatoes OBrian and it was delicious! Thanks again
Update! It was kind of mushy with the shredded hash browns, stil delicious! I just made it again using Potatoes OBrian and it was delicious! Thanks again
Just made this and it was delicious!! It was my first recipe I used from your blog and definitely not the last! Thank you so much for sharing! 🙂
I am so happy to hear you enjoyed, Gabby!! Let me know what else ya try!
Just made this and it was delicious!! It was my first recipe I used from your blog and definitely not the last! Thank you so much for sharing! 🙂
I am so happy to hear you enjoyed, Gabby!! Let me know what else ya try!
I am really looking forward to adding this to the menu for next week. I saw when you first published it and I didn’t read the recipe closely and thought that I would need to dice up raw potatoes so dismissed it. Glad I took another look. I was having the same issue as some of the other folks regarding calculating points. My first issue was that I plugged the ground beef into the calculator accidentally selecting “cooked” instead of raw. The other issue that I found was with the hash brown potatoes. When I specified “Ore Ida” brand hash browns, I got the same 5 points per serving. When I used generic frozen hash browns, the point value for the recipe was 7 points per serving. Hope this info helps out some other folks.
I am really looking forward to adding this to the menu for next week. I saw when you first published it and I didn’t read the recipe closely and thought that I would need to dice up raw potatoes so dismissed it. Glad I took another look. I was having the same issue as some of the other folks regarding calculating points. My first issue was that I plugged the ground beef into the calculator accidentally selecting “cooked” instead of raw. The other issue that I found was with the hash brown potatoes. When I specified “Ore Ida” brand hash browns, I got the same 5 points per serving. When I used generic frozen hash browns, the point value for the recipe was 7 points per serving. Hope this info helps out some other folks.
I made this last night and it was really good! I measured out 6 cups of diced hash browns but it looks like so much… Like way more than 8 servings. Do you usually use an entire 32 oz. bag of hash browns? Idk it just looks like it turned out more although 6 cups of hash browns is a lot.
I’m so happy you enjoyed! Yep, I use 6 cups of frozen hash browns. 6 cups of the hash browns is not a 32 oz bag though. And yep, it’s 8 servings (1.25 cups each) I’m kind of confused on what you’re asking exactly, so if I didn’t answer your question please let me know!
I guess my question is, I had a 32 oz bag of hash browns and measured out 6 cups of it and it almost used the whole bag. Is this normal?
This was so delicious and so easy to make! Even better that it’s made with things I’ve almost always got on hand. We served it with corn bread, so yummy!! Thanks for another great recipe Star!
I made this last night and it was really good! I measured out 6 cups of diced hash browns but it looks like so much… Like way more than 8 servings. Do you usually use an entire 32 oz. bag of hash browns? Idk it just looks like it turned out more although 6 cups of hash browns is a lot.
I’m so happy you enjoyed! Yep, I use 6 cups of frozen hash browns. 6 cups of the hash browns is not a 32 oz bag though. And yep, it’s 8 servings (1.25 cups each) I’m kind of confused on what you’re asking exactly, so if I didn’t answer your question please let me know!
I guess my question is, I had a 32 oz bag of hash browns and measured out 6 cups of it and it almost used the whole bag. Is this normal?