From the dawn of the Tex-Mex era… Tamale Pie was one of the firstTex-Mex dishes. It’s a distant cousin to Shepherd’s Pie and Cottage Pie, but it’s a dish all its own. Tamale Pie will fill up your hungry family with all the classic ingredients they love…
It’s a classic format with a unique Tex-Mex flavour – literally! Tamale Pie takes the ancient and vene-able Shepherd’s Pie formula and transforms it into unique All-American favourite…
All-in-one
This dish has all the stuff you and your family love in a classic Tex-Mex supper – in a one-pot recipe that includes he cornbread! And the best part is, you can customize it ‘until the vacas come home’!
The main premise of this old-fave casserole is immediately familiar and comforting. It’s a ‘stew’ full of ground beef and beans, and all the usual chili additions. But it’s baked in the oven under a moist, fluffy cornbread ‘crust’.
Authentic ingredients
Today’s recipe calls for no exotic or hard-to-find ingredients. In fact, you probably have many of them on hand already.
One ingredient I skip over is he black olives. They add umami depth to the overall flavour profile, but they may be overkill for some palates.
The key to making this dish your own is to adjust to chili powder and chili flakes to suit your own heat level and flavour preferences. I leave out the chili flakes. They’re overkill for me, but they do add a zingy top note to the overall flavour profile.
What you do
Scramble the ground beef with the bell peppers and onions. Drain off as much of the excess fat as you can. I use a fine-mesh sieve.
Stir in the tomatoes, tomato sauce, corn, olives (if using), chili powder, garlic, spices and seasonings. Simmer for 10 minutes.
Then, stir in the cheese and simmer until it’s melted and incorporated.
While the filling is simmering, mix up the cornbread topping.
Place the filling in the bottom of a 9 in. x 13 in. / 22.5 cm x 26 cm casserole dish and pour the corn-bread mix over the top in an even layer.
Bake in a preheated 350 F oven for 30 – 40 minutes – until the filling is bubbling and the cornbread topping is baked through. Use the old, reliable toothpick method to test for doneness…
Tips and hacks…
I love to use two or three colours of bell peppers in this dish. They’re the veggie stars of the present-ation, after all!
Use the chili powder of your choice. I prefer a dark, rich, adobo blend.
DO use fresh garlic! It makes a real difference! And it elevates the dish from the everyday Tex-Mex melange. And don’t be afraid to use more than 1 clove if you wish!
This is a great recipe to use frozen ground beef in. If you can, capitalize on the sales at the super-market. Get big ‘Family’ packs of ground beef when they’re on special and bag them in meal-sized portions for freezing.
My take
I was brought up in a home where English ans Scottish traditions prevailed. I only realized what I’d been missing when I got out on my own. And discovered the whole wide world of other cuisines!
One of my first revelations was Tex-Mex – in particular, the flavour magic of chili. And I’ve been a fan ever since. Tamale Pie is a great way to revisit your own young-life flavour experiences!
~ Maggie J.