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This easy Tamale Pie combines all of the delicious flavor of homemade tamales with an easy to make recipe. Enjoy a tamale pie casserole for dinner this week.
If you have never heard of tamale pie, it is just like a traditional tamale, but the ingredients are baked in a casserole. So instead of wrapping all of the meat and seasoning inside a masa filled corn husk, you layer in in a dish with a delicious corn meal crust. Sort of like a tamale pot pie! So if you love the flavors of a tamale, and want an easy way to enjoy them for dinner this week, Tamale Pie is the answer.
I make my tamale pie in my cast iron pan which makes it feel even more like comfort food to me. But you can also do it in a glass casserole dish. I like tamales but I am not a fan of a really thick layer of corn meal. So this version of Tamale Pie was perfect for me. You get a yummy meat mixture in between two thin layers of cornmeal. Another thing I love about this recipe is it is gluten free!
If you are a big fan of thick cornmeal I would suggest doubling the recipe for the cornmeal layer so it will be thicker. The trick with your cornmeal layer is to make sure it is really, thick – more like stiff! Cook it on the stove until it gets nice and stiff.
How to Make Tamale Pie
After making the cornmeal crust, put 1/3 of the mixture in the bottom of your cast iron pan.
Then add the meat mixture which you let simmer until the liquid was gone and is nice and thick. Put the meat mixture onto of your cornmeal layer and then add the rest of the cornmeal layer on top. Don’t worry about this looking really pretty, it will be delicious.
Bake it in the oven for about 25-35 minutes and t hen dish it up! Even your gluten free eaters can enjoy this tamale pie!
I served mine with some slice avocado and pico de gallo on top.
Tamale Pie
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1/2 C chopped onion
- 1 green pepper chopped
- 1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
- 2 15 oz. cans petite cut tomatoes
- 1 4 oz. can sliced black olives
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp chili powder
- dash of black pepper
Cornmeal Crust I suggest doubling this
- 3/4 C yellow cornmeal
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 C cold water
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1 Tbsp butter
Instructions
- Brown beef with onion, green pepper and garlic.
- Add tomato sauce, tomatoes, olives, sugar, and seasonings
- Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.
- Simmer until liquid is gone and mixture has thickened
Cornmeal Crust
- Combine cornmeal, salt, chili powder and water.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring consistently until stiff.
- Put 1/3 of mixture into bottom of cast iron pan or casserole dish
- Add meat mixture
- Top with remaining cornmeal crust.
- Bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes
Nutrition Facts:
VICKIE MITCHELL says
I used one can diced tomatoes and one can rotel tomatoes for the spice! I doubled the corn meal but I left it a little thinner so it would spread. This will definitely be prepared again. The family loved it.