Beef And Cornbread Tamale Pie Recipe

What do you get when you mix a tamale with pie? Absolute deliciousness! This recipe is unique in that it combines all the traditional elements of a tamale in the form of a pie. It's innovative and it's a crowd-pleaser. The combination of the cornbread crust, veggies, spice medley, and beef will satisfy even the hungriest of customers, and there's no doubt that you'll be asking for another slice ... or two. 

Recipe developer Stephanie Rapone came up with this wonderful recipe that is every bit delicious as it is unique. "I love this tamale pie recipe because it really does remind me of tamales! The topping is much closer to the texture of the outside of a tamale than cornbread, which I really like," she shares. And there's a fun story behind why Rapone decided she wanted to start making this dish. "This recipe was 'inherited' from my husband's grandmother, with one tweak I made (I like the cheese on top instead of mixed into the meat, where I feel like it gets lost)," she notes.

Let's get down to the nitty-gritty! You will first need to gather all the ingredients to whip up this tasty dish. Pick up canola oil, ground beef, a yellow onion, green bell pepper, salt, tomato sauce, frozen corn, sliced black olives, sugar, chili powder, cheddar cheese, yellow cornmeal, water, and butter. There are also two optional ingredients — sour cream and Mexican hot sauce.

Once you have those items, you can whip up this beef and cornbread tamale pie.

Take out a large 14" oven-safe skillet or a braising pan for this step. Place it on your stove and turn the heat up to medium-high. Drizzle in the canola oil and then the ground beef. After that, you can toss in the yellow onion, bell peppers, and a teaspoon of salt to add a little flavor to the meat.

Stir to combine the ingredients and let the beef cook and veggies soften.

At this time, you can toss in the tomato sauce and stir. Please note that the meat does not have to brown or cook long before you throw the tomato sauce in. Place the lid on the skillet and cook for about 5 minutes.

When your timer goes off, add the corn and black olives and give everything a good stir. To season the mixture, throw in the chili powder and sugar. Reduce the heat down to low and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes without the lid. Be sure to stir every 5 minutes or so.

While the beef mixture simmers, preheat your oven to 375 F.

Then, you can mix up the cornmeal topping. All you need to do is grab a saucepan and add the water. Next, add the cornmeal and the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt. Place the saucepan over your stove and turn the heat to medium. Grab a whisk and continually whisk the water and cornmeal until it gets nice and thick. Once thick, turn off the heat and add butter. Use a whisk to combine. "Just keep whisking and stirring. Once it starts to thicken up (you can feel it get harder to stir or whisk), turn off the heat. You want it thick when you put it over the meat filling, but not so thick that it's gloppy and hard to pour and spread." 

"The method of cooking the cornmeal with the hot water is definitely a special method that creates that awesome topping texture," Rapone says. 

Now that you have finished making the cornmeal mixture, use a spoon to scoop out the cornmeal and cover the meat mixture. Pop it into the oven and set your timer for 30 minutes. Continue cooking until the cornmeal mixture is set.

Once set, add the cheese on top and pop the tamale pie into the oven for 10-15 minutes, so the cheese melts and gets nice and golden brown.

Remove the beef and cornbread tamale pie from the oven and place it on a safe spot on your counter. Let it rest for at least 10 to 15 minutes before serving to ensure you don't burn your mouth. "We love this with just some sour cream and hot sauce for a simple dinner. But, pretty much any favorite taco topping is yummy — jalapeños, black olives, cilantro, even more cheese!" Rapone suggests. "Just have fun with it."