Tamale Pie

4.80 from 99 votes

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.

Prep Time20

Cook Time40

Resting Time5

Total Time1 5

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Tex Mex

Servings: servings

Calories: 411kcal

Author: Valerie Brunmeier

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.

Video

Notes

Storage 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.

Nutrition