Tamale Pie is pure, old-school comfort food! A casserole of saucy, seasoned ground beef with onion, bell peppers, and corn is baked with a cornmeal crust until golden brown and bubbly.
This recipe falls in the class of well-loved, vintage recipes like my Homemade Salisbury Steak, Catalina Chicken and Italian Stuffed Peppers.
I was always thrilled when my mom put Tamale Pie on the dinner table when I was a kid. I honestly didn’t know anyone, young or old, who didn’t love it. The combination of ingredients are hearty, wholesome, and crave-worthy and although this old recipe originated long before the 1970’s, its one of a collection of classic recipes that instantly transports me back to that time. This Tamale Pie recipe is the version I grew to love and that I still make frequently today.
It’s these nostalgic recipes from the past that I find myself craving the most. When I’m tired, stressed, or under the weather even just a little bit, I yearn for a meal like this.
Table of contents
Where Did Tamale Pie Originate?
Tamale Pie is thought to have originated in Texas in the early 1900’s and became a Tex-Mex staple over time. As it spread in popularity it was found on family dinner tables, school cafeteria menus, and became a classic potluck dish. It’s only vaguely similar to its namesake, tamales, but this was true of many vintage recipes. I have a recipe from my mom’s collection titled “Chinese Chicken” which is so NOT Chinese, but I’d never dream of calling it anything else.
Classic Tamale Pie Recipe
True, vintage Tamale Pie does not have a thick, cakey cornbread topping like many recipes out there. This more traditional recipe has a thin cornmeal crust with a light, velvety texture that forms a cozy blanket of goodness over the filling. As it bakes, juices from the filling seep up into the crust which gives it a rustic look. It utilizes canned goods and other pantry staples and even though it is referred to as a “pie” it is typically baked in a casserole dish. For an updated spin on Tamale Pie, you might like my Chili Cornbread Bake.
Ingredients in Tamale Pie
For the Filling
- Ground beef – Use 85% to 90% lean ground beef for the best flavor.
- Diced yellow onion
- Diced green bell pepper
- Minced garlic
- Canned diced tomatoes
- Canned tomato sauce – A small 8 ounce can.
- Frozen yellow corn – There’s no need to thaw it before beginning.
- Sliced black olives
- Seasoning – Chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.
- Shredded cheddar cheese
For the Cornmeal Crust
- Milk – I use 2% milk.
- Sugar
- Salt
- Butter
- Cornmeal – You can use either yellow or white cornmeal. The only difference is the color and both work equally well.
- Shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- Eggs – Lightly beaten.
How to Make Tamale Pie
This is a quick overview of the steps of this recipe. You’ll find detailed instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.
Tamale Pie Filling
- Brown the ground beef in a large skillet with the onion and green bell pepper. Drain off the excess grease.
- Stir in the garlic, tomatoes, tomato sauce, corn, olives, salt, chili powder, cumin, red pepper flakes, and black pepper and bring the mixture to a low boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the shredded cheddar cheese.
- Simmer until the cheese has melted and remove it from the heat.
Cornmeal Crust
- In a saucepan, warm the milk with the sugar, salt, and butter, until the butter has melted.
- Reduce the heat and stir in the cornmeal, a little at a time, stirring vigorously with each addition until smooth. Continue to stir vigorously for 2 to 3 minutes, or until thickened.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese.
- Slowly drizzle in the beaten eggs, stirring vigorously until combined. Remove the pan from the heat.
Assemble the Tamale Pie
- Transfer the filling to a casserole dish you’ve coated with nonstick cooking spray.
- Pour the cornmeal topping over the filling, smoothing it out carefully with a rubber spatula or the back of a spoon. It’s okay if it’s not perfect. That just means the delicious filling will bubble up and around the edges of the topping as it bakes. Yum! Bake at 375 degrees F for 35 to 40 minutes.
Serving Suggestions
I like to garnish Tamale Pie with a little cilantro for color and serve it with sour cream, hot sauce, and tortilla chips for scooping. It’s a meal in itself but you can round out this dinner with a simple green salad, roasted veggies, or rice. Here are some great choices.
Storage and Reheating Tips
Cover and refrigerate leftover Tamale Pie promptly for up to 3 to 4 days. Leftovers reheat beautifully in the microwave. To reheat in a conventional oven, cover with foil bake at 350 degrees F until warm.
To make ahead and freeze, bake the Tamale Pie in a freezer-safe dish and allow it to cool completely. Cover it in a layer of plastic wrap and then a layer of heavy duty foil (or two layers of regular foil) and transfer to the freezer for up to 3 months. Transfer the frozen Tamale Pie to the refrigerator the day before you plan to serve it to allow it to thaw completely before reheating.
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More Casserole Recipes
Tamale Pie
Video
Ingredients
For the Filling
- 1 ½ pounds 85% to 90% ground beef
- 1 cup diced yellow onion
- ½ cup diced green bell pepper
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 14.5 ounces canned diced tomatoes
- 8 ounces canned tomato sauce
- 1 cup frozen yellow corn, no need to thaw
- 2.25 ounces canned sliced black olives, drained
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper, or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
For the Topping
- 1 ½ cups milk, I use 2%
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup cornmeal
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
For Serving
- sour cream
- tortilla chips
- hot sauce, like Cholula
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F degrees. Lightly coat a 13- x 9-inch (or slightly smaller) casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large skillet over MEDIUM-HIGH heat, brown the ground beef with the onion and green bell pepper. Cook until the beef is no longer pink and then drain off as much grease from the pan as possible. Stir in the garlic, tomatoes, tomato sauce, corn, olives, salt, chili powder, cumin, crushed red pepper and black pepper and bring to a low boil. Reduce heat to MEDIUM-LOW and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese and simmer until melted. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish.
- In a large saucepan over MEDIUM heat, warm the milk, 1 tablespoon sugar, ½ teaspoon salt and 2 tablespoons butter, until the butter has melted. Reduce the heat to LOW and stir in the cornmeal, a little at a time, stirring vigorously with each addition until smooth. Continue to stir vigorously for 2 to 3 minutes, or until thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese. Slowly drizzle in the beaten eggs, stirring vigorously until combined.
- Pour the cornmeal mixture over the meat mixture, smoothing it out evenly (it's okay if it doesn't go all the way to the edges of the pan).
- Bake at 375 degrees F for 30 to 40 minutes until golden brown and bubbly around the edges. Remove it from the oven and allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Serve with sour cream.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
This post was originally published on February 18, 2015. It has been updated with new text and images.
I have assembled the filling for the tamale pie. Make the cornmeal crust and followed your recipe. I am wondering if I can bake it tomorrow?
I’m sorry I didn’t see your comment until today, Freddie. I’ve never assembled it ahead and refrigerated it but if I did, I would probably not add the top layer until I was ready to bake it. I hope it turned out well for you!
My family loved this… Thank you.
Any idea how many calories?
O loved this. More important my grandkids did. It was a big hit. The only thing I changed was to add a half cup of cream corn to the topping mix. It was great extra moist.
That’s fantastic, Tonia. Love your little modification. Sounds wonderful!
I made this last night and it was really good!! I can’t wait to have leftovers tonight!
The only changes I made were I added the whole bell pepper and some extra cumin.
I give this recipe 5 stars!
Most online recipes lack the tiny details, that really make a meal pop..you have given a excellent over view of how to prepare this dish…most impressed…as for the dish…well its amazing…thanks for being SO different…you rock babe
Favorite comment of the week! Thank you, Jill 🙂 I’m so glad you liked the post AND the recipe.
Going to give it a try, since my amazing wife passed away from brain cancer t 23 months I’ve taken cooking as a hobby.
Thanks so much for the recipe! My family and I loved it and I’ll make it again. I’d heard of tamale pie but never had it before…yum! In case this helps anyone, I made it with one pound of ground pork and it tasted fine. I didn’t have any tomato sauce so I used a bit of tomato paste and water. I also used a bit less cheese (for health reasons, I’m sure the amount in the recipe would taste wonderful!).
Fantastic! My Mom made a yummy one too. This one is wonderful. Thanks Gigi
Made a double batch last night and gave one to my sister to eat with kids/grandkids. It was DELICIOUS! I don’t know (and don’t really care) how many calories and fat grams are in this recipe, the shredded cheese added to the ground beef mixture gives it such a delicious creaminess! Almost made my eyeballs roll back! My sister and her family loved it too and appreciated the yummy treat!
Fantastic, Bev. Thanks so much for your comment 🙂
Have you ever assembled this tamale pie and then frozen it?
I have not tried freezing it, Louise, but I think it would probably work out well. If you give it a try, be sure to come back and let me know how it worked out for you.
I made it today using two smaller pans so I could give half to my daughter. I used a 10 1/2 can of red enchilada sauce because I didn’t have tomato sauce & only used about a tsp of chili powder because I figured there was already some in the enchilada sauce. I also added a can of drained rinsed black beans just because I like them. It came out wonderful. I served it with a fried egg over the top of each serving and a little sour cream. I will let you know if I ever try to freeze one or if my daughter freezes hers. I will be making it again and think it would be an awesome dish for a potluck.
Louise, that sounds wonderful! I love your tweaks and the fact that you split it between two dishes. And, the fried egg on top…yum! I look forward to hearing how it works out if either of you decide to freeze it. Thanks so much 🙂
My aunt used to make Tamale Pie, but nobody seems to have the recipe. I have pored over dozens of recipes, and this is the one that comes closest. Thank you so much! One question: Will the recipe still turn out fine if I double it? Or should I make two batches? I need to make more for a pot luck
You’d need an awfully large baking dish in order to double it so I’d recommend baking two casseroles. I hope you all enjoy it!
Valerie, you are right – this is absolutely comfort food at its best! Can’t wait to try this one.
Thanks, Julie! I hope you give it a try 🙂