A tamale pie is a tamale-like concoction, usually made with a meaty filling and cornmeal or masa topping. It’s meant to be an easier way to enjoy the flavors of Mexican tamales in a fraction of the time. This version is filled with ground beef, tomatoes, and corn, with a simple cornmeal mush topping. Feel free to add some cheese if you like and experiment with different fillings. It makes a tasty, satisfying weeknight meal.
Recipe Variations
- Meat: Replace the ground beef with lean ground pork, ground turkey, or ground chicken. Or use a combination of beef and pork. Shredded meat or chicken are also excellent options.
- Crust: Instead of a top and bottom corn mush crust, top the filling with your favorite cornbread batter. You can use this recipe for American cornbread or this Mexican cornbread.
- Vegetarian: Replace the meat with black beans or a meat substitute.
Tamale Pie
Looking for a quick and easy dinner idea? Try tamale pie! This hearty dish features a meaty filling and a cornmeal or masa topping that’s sure to satisfy.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: One Pot Meals
- Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Ingredients
Scale
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 F.
- Lightly grease a 2-quart casserole dish.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and ground beef; cook, stirring, until the beef is browned and the onion is tender.
- Add the tomatoes, corn, 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, pepper, and chili powder to the beef; set aside.
- In a saucepan over high heat, bring the 3 cups of water to a boil. Gradually whisk the cornmeal into the boiling water along with the remaining teaspoon of salt. Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes, or until the cornmeal is very thick.
- In a small bowl, beat the egg; quickly beat it into the cornmeal mush. Add the chopped ripe olives, if using.
- Spread half of the cornmeal mixture over the bottom of the casserole. Top with the beef filling. Spoon the remaining cornmeal batter over the beef filling.
- Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until lightly browned.
- If desired, top with the shredded cheese 5 minutes before it’s done.
