Tamale Pie

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Mexican Inspired, Southern

Keyword beef-tamale-pie, tamale-pie

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 30

Stand time 5

Total Time 55

Servings servings

Calories 726kcal

Author Melissa Sperka

Preheat the oven to 375°F and spray an 13x9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
Filling: In a large skillet over medium-high heat, sauté the diced onion and red bell pepper in a couple of drizzles of olive oil. Cook for 3 minutes until they soften and begin to brown. Season with salt and black pepper to your taste.
Add the minced garlic and sauté for an additional minute. Add the ground beef. Season lightly with salt and black pepper. Cook until no pink remains in the ground beef and then drain any excess fat from the pan.
To the pan add the Rotel tomatoes, taco sauce (or tomato sauce) and taco seasoning. Cook for 3 minutes. Add the Mexican corn and cilantro. Mix well.
Pour the filling into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with 1¼ cups of shredded Colby-Jack cheese.
Green Chili Cornbread Topping: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together both packages of cornbread mix, buttermilk, eggs, melted butter, and green chili peppers. Stir in ¾ cup Colby-Jack cheese. Spread cornbread batter evenly over the beef filling.
Bake for 30 minutes until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cornbread comes back clean. Rest for 5 minutes then serve.

Spice - The spice in the beef filling can be adjusted making it hot or mild based on your personal preference. Add dark chili powder, ancho chile powder or cayenne to amp up the heat.
Cheese - You can use shredded pepper jack cheese or shredded sharp cheddar cheese in this recipe.
Canned Tomatoes - You can use mild, medium or hot Rotel tomatoes depending on your preference. You could also replace the tomatoes with a thick salsa.
Taco Sauce - You can use a can of tomato sauce for a milder flavor or enchilada sauce in place of taco sauce.
Cornbread - You can use Martha White or Jiffy Mix for the topping.
Beans - You could add black beans (well rinsed) or pinto beans (well drained) to the beef mixture.
Peppers - You can swap the red bell pepper with jalapenos or poblano pepper for a little extra spice.
Protein - You can use ground pork, ground turkey or ground chicken in this tamale pie.
Corn - You can use canned corn (well drained) or frozen Mexican corn. When using frozen, it should be thawed prior to adding to the filling mixture.
Toppings - Serve topped with shredded lettuce, guacamole, diced tomatoes, pico de gallo, sour cream and diced avocado.