Tamale Pie

When I made my hush puppies Hush Puppies, I had a lot batter leftover. Those of you who know me, know me well. You knew I would find a way to re-use that batter, and that I did. 🙂 I made a delicious tamale pie and my leftover hush puppy batter became the topping.

Tamale pie is an American casserole invented in the early 1900s. The first recorded recipe was featured in 1905. It was designed to mimic the flavors of a traditional Mexican tamale but in an easier, deconstructed format. Instead of rolling individual masa-stuffed husks, cooks layered ground meat and chili sauce between cornmeal mush. Tamale pie is viewed as a nostalgic, retro-American comfort food. While not a traditional Mexican dish, it remains a beloved example of early American fusion. Don’t get me wrong, I love tamales, but they are very time consuming and labor intensive to make. Tamale pies also go by other names, such as Mexican cornbread casserole, or tamal de cazuela, or Mexican shepherd’s pie, tamale loaf, tamale casserole, or chili cornbread casserole. Home cooks found that layering the ingredients into an oven-baked casserole saved enormous amounts of time and energy compared to making traditional tamales. During the Great Depression and World War II, governments promoted tamale pie as a patriotic, budget-friendly meal, along with many other types of casseroles in general.

Tamale Pie

I used my cookbook as a guide, then just did my own thing and made my own recipe, as always. I threw in all kinds of things. It became a Southwestern “kitchen sink” kind of meal; adding a little of this and a little of that until it all came together as one. 🙂

1 lb lean ground beaf

1 lb chorizo

1/2 red bell bepper, diced

1/2 cup corn

1 tomato, diced

1 jalapneo, diced fine

1 red chili pepper, diced fine

1 TBSP garlic

1 onion, diced

1 can red beans, drained and rinsed

1 package spicy taco seasoning

1 TBSP chili pepper

salt & pepper to taste

1 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste

1 -1 1/2 cups water

cornmeal batter

cheddar cheese for topping

1/3 cup smashed chips, optional for topping

chopped cilantro

Cornmeal Batter

1 cup flour

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1 1/2 tsp sugar

2 tsp baking powder

salt to taste

1 tsp cumin

1-1 1/4 cups buttermilk

1 egg, lightly beaten

Mix the cornmeal batter and set aside until ready to use.

Get a large skillet very hot, add a little olive or cooking oil. Add the ground beef and the chorizo. Cook until mostly done. Drain the excess fat if necessary.

Combine the peppers, corn, onions, garlic and spices together and add to the meat mixture.

Mix together thoroughly and cook for about 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the tomatoes, green onions, about 2/3 of the chopped cilantro, red beans and water.

Mix together thoroughly, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and keep uncovered, and simmer for about 1-1 1/2 hours, or until most of the liquid has evaporated. Make sure to stir frequently.

Preheat the oven to 400* F or 204-205*C.

Generously spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray. Add the meat and vegetable mixture to the pan and spread into an even layer. Add dollops of the cornmeal mixture on top, then spread out to make an even layer.

Add the cheese on top and the crushed chips if using. I had just a few spicy Doritos leftover that I smashed and added to the top. Why not, right?! 🙂

Bake for about 10 minutes at 400*F then reduce the heat to 350* F or 180*C and continue to bake for about 30 minutes, or until the topping is cooked and golden brown. Allow to cool for a bit, then add the remaining chopped cilantro on top right before serving. Serve alongside something crispy or a nice salad with an acidic dressing.

Delicious! I think you’re going to like it a lot. 🙂

Have a great day and make everyday great. Life is short. Make the most out of every minute and enjoy the ride. ‘Til next time.