Tamale Pie is a classic American comfort food! Top the seasoned ground beef with cheddar cheese and cornbread. It makes great leftovers!
Have you ever eaten a tamale pie?
Tamale pie is one of those quintessential American pot luck casseroles.
Why Tamale Pie is a Family Favorite
Tamale pie is not remotely Mexican and only slightly resembles the taste of real tamales. But it tastes great, is budget-friendly, and easily feeds a lot of people!
What Are the Ingredients in Tamale Pie?
I always loved tamale pie as a kid, luckily it was often served in our school cafeteria. The tamale pie I recall was made with ground beef, green chili, olives, whole corn and cornbread, although you could just as easily use pulled pork or a more traditional tamale filling for the casserole.
Where Does Tamale Pie Come From?
Tamale pie is believed to have originated in Texas sometime in the 1900s and became popular in high school cafeterias to feed students. Variations may include beef, pork, chicken, chorizo, beans and cheese with vegetables, cornbread and/or creamed corn. It became a particularly popular dish during times when wheat was scarce, such as around the time of World War II.
Some versions (like our Chicken Green Chili Cheese Tamale Pie) have a masa topping like a real tamale and others, like this one, have a cornbread topping.
substitutions and changes
- Eliminate the raisins if you’re not a fan of them or don’t want the sweetness.
- Instead of Anaheim, use a different type of chili, such as B. roasted poblanos or even jalapenos if you like it spicy.
- Make it vegetarian: substitute beans and/or brown lentils for the ground beef.
- Instead of cheddar, use a combination of cheeses, e.g. B. a Mexican-style cheese mix.
- Substitute a different bell pepper (e.g. red, orange, or yellow) for the green one if you prefer its flavor.
How to store and reheat this dish
Refrigerate the tamale pie, covered, in its casserole dish for several days. To reheat, loosely cover cake with foil and heat in a 350F oven until heated through – exact timing will depend on how much cake you are reheating.
To freeze this dish, cool it completely to room temperature, then freeze covered in its casserole dish or in a smaller container if needed. Allow the frozen dish to thaw completely in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
More delicious Tex-Mex recipes to make!
- Quesadilla Pie
- Tamale pie with chicken, green chilies and cheese
- Chicken Casserole with Salsa Verde
- Chile Relleno casserole
- Tex Mex Shepherd’s Pie
From the editors of Simply Recipes
Tamale Pie
ingredients
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1 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
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1 1/2 lb lean ground beef
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1 Onionchopped
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1 green bell pepperSeed and stalk removed, chopped
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1/2 teaspoon Salt
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2 teaspoon chili powder (more or less to taste)
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2 teaspoon cumin (more or less to taste)
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1 (14.5-ounce) can fire roasted tomatoes
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1 (4–ounce) can green Anaheim chilidrained, chopped
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1 (16-ounce) can whole grain corndrained
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1 (4-ounce) can be cut when ripe olives
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1/3 Cup raisins
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1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese (Above 4 ounces)
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1/3 Cup water
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1 (16–ounce) package prepared grain bread Mixture, like Jiffy or Bob’s Red Mill
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water, egg, oilor milk as needed to mix the cornbread batter according to package directions
method
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Preheat the oven:
Preheat oven to 375°F
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Fry the beef, onions and peppers:
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the ground beef, onion and peppers. Add salt, chilli powder and cumin. Cook, stirring occasionally, until ground beef is browned on all sides.
Remove from stove. Drain excess fat if needed (if using lean beef, there should be no excess).
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make filling:
Mix in the roasted tomatoes, Anaheim chilies, corn, olives, raisins, cheese and water. Adjust seasoning. Add more chilli powder and cumin if you like.
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Pour the filling into the casserole dish:
Rub a little olive oil over the inside of a 9″ x 13″ baking dish (or use non-stick cooking spray). Spoon filling into casserole dish.
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Prepare cornbread dough:
In a large bowl, prepare the cornbread batter according to package directions. Pour the cornbread batter over the filling in the casserole.
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Bake:
Bake at 375°F for 40 minutes until top is browned.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 556 | calories |
| 24g | Fat |
| 52g | carbohydrates |
| 35g | protein |
