Tamale Pie

Today’s recipe is a delicious and flavorful tamale pie! Tamale pie is one of those dishes that I can cook and everyone will eat it…even the picky ones. It’s literally a meaty base topped with cheese and covered in a sweet cornbread. I mean, what is there not to love?

*Disclaimer – this makes a lot, but we have a family of 6 and this was for 2 days. You can cut everything in half for a smaller amount*

Here’s what you’ll need:

Meat Mix

1. 4 lbs Ground Beef

2. 1 medium white onion

3. 2 garlic cloves

4. 1 can seasoned black beans

5. 1 can of sweet yellow or white corn

6. 1 can diced tomatoes

7. 1 can mild green chili’s

Albers Sweet Corn Muffin Mix (Found On The side of the box)

1. 1 1/2 C. all-purpose flour

2. 2/3 C. granulated sugar

3. 1/2 C. ALBERS yellow corn meal

4. 1 Tbsp. baking powder

5. 1 tsp. salt

6. 1 1/4 c. milk

7. 2 large eggs, lightly beaten

8. 1/3 C. vegetable oil

9. 3 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted

Homemade Taco Seasoning

1 1/2 TBS salt

2 TBS chili powder

2 TBS paprika

2 TBS onion powder

2 TBS garlic powder

2 TBS Cumin

1 TBS Mexican oregano

(This is my recipe and always my go-to for anything that requires taco seasoning)

Let’s get cooking!

Heat 2-3 tsp of Vegetable oil on medium low heat. Let it get warm, not smoking. Add diced onion and minced garlic cloves. Cook until almost translucent.

Add in meat and cook, breaking it up until no more pink is there.

Once the meat is done, drain the grease. Return the meat to pan and add in the corn (drain), the black beans (drain), green chili with liquid and the diced tomatoes with juice. Stir gently until mixed. Season everything with taco seasoning to taste.

Spread meat mixture in the bottom of a large pan (remember I used a lot!)

You can let that sit while you make your cornbread mix. Here’s a link to the directions: http://busymomrecipes.com/dinner/sweet-corn-muffins/

I doubled this recipe to cover my 4 lbs of meat. I also added in 1 tsp of the taco seasoning in the cornbread mix.

Next, top the meat mixture with cheese. I used a fiesta blend which is a mix of Monterey jack, cheddar, queso quesadilla and asadero cheeses.

Then top the meat and cheese mixture with the cornbread mix. Spread evenly with a spatula.

I sprinkled additional taco seasoning. This is totally optional. Pop it into a preheated oven set to 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes. It should look like this when it’s done!

Golden and crispy around the edges. Let it sit about 10-15 minutes before cutting it so the juices don’t run everywhere.

Let me say, this was freaking delicious!!!!!! Here’s a pick of how I plated mine.

I topped mine with green onions, sour cream and a side of avocado. I would have added cilantro but I didn’t have any. Get creative! Add jalapeños or salsa if you’re feeling spicy! The possibilities are endless. Happy Eats!

Until next time…🦋