From My Southwest Kitchen: Tamale Pie

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Tamale Pie

Tamale pie is an easy, quick, tasty, and economical dish to prepare. In my house, it is known as the Southwestern version of Shepard's Pie. It is one of my favorite "turn to" recipes. I make it when I need something quick and easy for family meals, potlucks, and friends/family get togethers. To begin, you brown some ground beef, drain it, and then season it with salt, chili powder, cumin and onion powder. Add some tomatoes, green chilies, corn, olives and Mexican Cheese. Mix together well and let the mixture cook for a couple of minutes. Spoon the mixture into a prepare baking dish. Prepare the cornbread mix according to package directions and spread it over the meat mixture. Place in a 375 degree (F) oven and bake for 30 minutes or until the top is browned. The aroma when it comes out of the oven has a hint of spiciness mixed with the smell of fresh baked cornbread. I let my casserole rest for 10 minutes before I serve it. The casserole is slightly spicy and ever sooo good.
This recipes makes 6-8 servings.

Tamale Pie

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1/2-teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons chili powder (more or less to taste)
1-teaspoon cumin (more or less to taste)
1-teaspoon onion powder
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can fire-roasted tomatoes
1 (4-ounce) can green chilies, diced
1 (16 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (4 ounce) can sliced ripe olives
1 cup grated Mexican Cheese (about 4 ounces)
Nonstick cooking spray
1-pound of prepared cornbread mix (such as Jiffy or Bob's Red Mill)

Directions:
1 Preheat oven to 375°F.
2 Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium high. Add the ground beef, and brown. Drain the beef and wipe excess oil from the skillet. Return ground beef to the skillet and add salt, chili powder, cumin, and onion powder. Stir until combined well.

3 Mix in fire-roasted tomatoes, chilies, corn, olives, and cheese. Cook for and additional 3 minutes. Add more chili powder and cumin if desired. Spray the insides of a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Spoon filling into the casserole dish.

Ground Beef Mixture

Beef Mixture in Bottom of Prepare Baking Dish

4 In a large bowl, prepare the cornbread batter according to the directions on the package. Pour the cornbread batter over the top of the filling in the baking dish.