We all love traditional recipes. They are filled with history and symbolize the culture of where they come from. However, most of those recipes are so complex that they take a long time and many ingredients to reach their unique flavor and texture. Sadly, not everyone can afford that.
While tamales in general are Mexican dishes, this easy tamale pie recipe is actually said to be Texan. It consists of spicy ground beef on a cornbread casserole, all made with a selection of side ingredients that bring this modern-day meal a rich and complex flavor and make it filling.
Being a pie makes this dish more commonly served as a snack. However, you can easily turn it into a full meal by adding side dishes such as rice, vegetables, or mashed potatoes. Just make sure to pick light flavors; this tamale pie is so tasty that it surely needs to be at front and center!
This recipe’s preparation is divided in two big parts: the cornbread and the spicy ground meat. Some people add the cornbread on top; this option makes the cornbread act as a cover for the whole thing; it looks more organized and becomes easier to slice into the individual servings.
Now, if you want to be creative, you can start by assembling the recipe for tamale pie the other way around. By adding the ground meat on top of the cornbread, the latter acts as a solid base for it. Besides, you can add cheese and other spices on top of the ground meat for extra flavor.
Either way, you can rest assured that your tamale pie is going to be as beautiful as it is filling. In case you enjoyed that variation, we have more good news for you: this recipe has many, many possibilities for substitutions. Just keep scrolling the page and we will bring more ideas on that!
To make Tamale Pie, you will need the following ingredients:
Preheat the oven to 400 °F and spray a large oven-safe skillet with some cooking spray to grease.
In a mixing bowl, whisk 1 box of corn muffin mix with 1 egg, ½ cup of sour cream and ½ cup of canned creamed corn until well combined. Pour into the grease skillet.
Bake pie mix for about 20 minutes until golden then remove from heat and set aside to cool.
In a separate skillet over medium heat, heat oil and add 1 chopped onion, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon of chili powder and season with salt and pepper. Toss and cook for about 5 minutes until softened.
Add 2 cloves of minced garlic and cook for about 1 minute until aromatic.
Add 1 pound of ground beef and crumble while cooking for about 6 minutes until the meat is no longer pink then drain excess fat.
Once cooled, use a fork to poke the entire cornbread, all over and pour ⅓ cup of enchilada sauce over.
Add cooked ground beef mix over the enchilada sauce and sprinkle 1 cup of shredded Сheddar cheese and 1 cup of Monterey Jack cheese to top.
Cover the skillet with aluminum foil and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes until the cheese has melted.
Remove aluminum foil and change the oven setting to broil. Broil, uncovered, for about 5 minutes until the cheese is golden.
Serve hot and enjoy!
Ola, Tamale Pie! If you’re hosting a Mexican bonanza then this has gotta be on your party menu. Share some of your other festivities from the day and tag us online using our hashtag #cookmerecipes for us to share in the fun!
Superb, family hit
Delicious and easy. Made it for my family, they loved it.
I made this for Cinco De Mayo, and it was a hit! We all sat around the table sharing stories while eating. It's so easy and tastes like a fiesta in your mouth.
Superb! I made this tamale pie for my friends' Cinco de Mayo party. It was so easy to prepare, and everyone loved how the cheese melted perfectly over the spicy beef mix. I felt proud to serve such a delicious dish, and my friends keep asking for more.
Super easy recipe
Absolutely loved this!
So easy, kids enjoyed it.
I tried this tamale pie last weekend. So easy to make! My fam loved it, and we finished the whole thing. Gonna make it again soon. Yum!
I'm so thankful for this recipe! It was simple and full of flavors. Made it for my friends, and they loved it.
Wow!
This tamale pie was simply great! My husband and I devoured it. I swapped in some beans for meat and it was still awesome! Thanks for sharing.
Too spicy so going to dodge the chili stuff next time around other than that it was delicious.
Corn muffin mix isn't in any shops i live by what can i replace it with?
I didn't used canned creamed corn used normal corn on a cob and shaved it off to make it taste more fresh.
Accidently used sunflower oil instead of olive oil but thankfully the taste wasn't that different.
Spicy Recipes
