Delicious Tamale Pie is loaded with seasoned ground beef, tomatoes, bell peppers, and jalapenos with a cheesy cornbread topping. All the flavor of tamales in casserole form. Friends and family just love this tasty pie and comfort food dish. It always gets rave reviews.
This hearty dish is a meal in itself, but if company is coming or it is a special occasion, I love to serve this pie with a simple salad, Raspberry Margaritas, and Easy 7 Layer Dip.
How do you make Tamale Pie?
Start by browning the ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat. Then after a few minutes, add the onions, bell peppers, and jalapeno. Continue cooking until the beef is browned and the onions and bell peppers are soft. Then reduce the heat to low and add the garlic. Cook for about 1 minute, stirring continuously. Now add the fire-roasted tomatoes, corn, tomato paste, chili powder, and cumin. Simmer for about 10 minutes while you mix the topping.
In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt. Then stir in the sour cream, milk, beaten eggs, oil, cheese, and corn. Stir just until combined.
Next, spoon the meat mixture into a baking dish spreading evenly. Top with the cornbread mixture using a spatula to even the top. Then top with a little more cheese and jalapeno rings. Finally, bake for about 40 minutes or until the topping is set and golden brown.
Recipe notes and helpful tips
- If desired, substitute ground turkey, pork, or chicken for the ground beef.
- You can substitute diced or crushed tomatoes if you can not find fire-roasted tomatoes.
- If you have a sensitivity to spicy foods, omit the jalapenos or substitute them with a small can of drained green chiles. Please see the section below on picking the best mild jalapenos.
- Pro Tip – don’t risk dropping the ground beef in the sink to drain the fat. Simply tilt the pan and use a paper towel to absorb the grease.
- If the pie browns too much before the topping is completely set, top with a piece of aluminum foil loosely placed over the top.
- Let it cool for about 10 minutes before digging in. I find it best to cut through with a sharp knife and use a sturdy spatula to plate it.
- Top the casserole with sour cream, black olives, jalapenos, tomatoes, or cilantro.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave at reduced power.
- Freeze in a sturdy freezer container for up to 2 months or wrap the whole casserole in 2 layers or plastic wrap. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
How to choose more mild jalapenos
With just a little patience and understanding, you too, can pick jalapenos that are flavorful, mild, and not so darn hot. Look for younger peppers that are smooth and green all over with no striations or blemishes. The young green peppers are less stressed and milder. Stay away from peppers with white lines, flecks, and red ones as these peppers are older and hotter. For best results, take your time picking the peppers.
To further reduce the heat, once cut in half, use gloves to scoop out the veins and seeds. There is quite a bit of heat in those veins and seeds. If you like your jalapeno poppers hot, leave the seeds and veins in or leave a portion of them in.
More tasty Tex-Mex recipes for you to try
Easy Tamale Pie Recipe
Ingredients
Filling
- 1 ½ lbs. lean ground beef
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 red pepper finely diced
- 1 jalapeno minced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 14.5 ounce can fire roasted tomatoes
- 1 15 ounce can corn drained (reserve ½ cup for topping)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 ½ tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
Topping
- 3/4 cup cornmeal
- 3/4 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup sour cream
- 3/4 cup milk
- 2 eggs beaten
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese reserve 1/2 cup for sprinkling on top
- 1 jalapeno sliced in rings
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease or spray with nonstick cooking spray an 11x7 inch casserole dish.
- Browning the ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat. After 3-4 minutes add the onions bell peppers and jalapeno. Continue cooking until the beef is browned and the onions and bell peppers are soft.
- Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic. Cook for 1 minute stirring continuously. Remove any excess grease from the skillet. Add the fire roasted tomatoes, corn, tomato paste, chili powder, and cumin. Simmer for 10 minutes.
- In a large bowl whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt. Then mix in the sour cream, milk, beaten eggs, oil, cheese, and reserved corn. Stir just until combined.
- Spoon the beef mixture into the casserole dish spreading evenly. Top with the cornbread mixture using a spatula to even the top. Sprinkle with reserved cheese and jalapeno rings. Bake 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with only a few crumbs. Garnish with cilantro. Cool for 10 minutes before slicing.
Notes
- You can substitute diced or crushed tomatoes if you can not find the fire roasted tomatoes.
- If you have a sensitivity to spicy foods omit the jalapenos. Please see section below on picking the best mild jalapenos.
- Pro Tip – don’t risk dropping the ground beef in the sink to drain the fat. Simply tilt the pan and use a paper towel to absorb the grease.
- If the pie browns too much before the topping is completely set top with a piece of aluminum foil loosely placed over the top.
- Let it cool for about 10 minutes before digging in. I find it best to cut through with a sharp knife and use a sturdy spatula to plate it.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave at reduced power.
- Freeze in a sturdy freezer container for up to 2 months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight.
Nutrition
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Daniel Franks
Reminds me of my mother’s recipe. I too am familiar with olives inside, touch of Spain in the mexican flavours. Really delicious. Please do migas! Not found a recipe I like yet 😉
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Daniel! So glad thzt you like the tamale pie. I will add it to my consideration list.
Tim
This is a wonderful Tamale pie recipe; only thing I modified was adding sliced black olive to meat mixture and sliced Anaheim chilis on top of cornbread rather than Jalepeno.
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Tim! So happy that you liked the tamale pie!
Rob D.
Beth, your recipe got rave reviews and I love the tips on variations and how-to options. Thank you!
Beth Pierce
That is awesome, Rob! The pleasure is all mine!
Vickie
We had this for dinner last night, it was fabulous!
Trying to cook in the heat and moving, challenging!
But this was so worth it! Thankyou for this great recipe!
Beth Pierce
The pleasure is all mine, Vickie! Good luck with the move. We moved in the heat too. Moving is exhausting.
Sangeetha
This Tamale Pie recipe sounds absolutely mouthwatering! I love the idea of combining the flavors of tamales with a cheesy cornbread topping. It’s a brilliant twist on a classic dish, and I can imagine how comforting and satisfying it must be. I can’t wait to try this recipe
Moni
I absolutely loved your Tamale Pie recipe! It was easy to follow and the end result was incredibly delicious. The combination of flavors was perfect, and the step-by-step instructions made it a breeze to recreate. Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe!
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Moni! I am so glad that you liked the tamale pie!
Barbie
Thanks for the great recipe! It is a real keeper. We are including this in our regular rotation file.
RomyRaves
Thanks for sharing. This looks so delish. I need to make it for my family – tasty and savory while filling us up! Looking forward to trying this one.
Ivana Mearns
Very, very delicious. The perfect comfort food, with nice warming spices, definitely a five star recipe.
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Ivana! I am so glad that you liked it!
Steph S
This was so yummy and easy! Thank you for the recipe! We really liked it.
Stephanie
Oh my gosh, this is such a delicious meal! I omitted the jalapenos since my husband is the only one here who would like them. The cornbread topping is what takes this recipe over the top for sure.
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Stephanie! Yes I agree about the cornbread topping!