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Years ago, I had never eaten Tamale Pie but followed a recipe and made one. Turns out the recipe was simply awful and it kept me from ever wanting to try it again. My mom (bless her) made a much different Tamale Pie years later. I loved it, and it was from her recipe that this one was born.
The Ingredients
The Meat – If you’ve been following me for any length of time you know I LOVE a good ground beef one-pot recipe. This Tamale Pie allows me to stretch a pound of meat to serve eight people! I get all my meat locally from a few different farms and I wrote a whole post on how to do this and why you should.
The Veggies – Fresh produce I get locally. This encourages me to cook within the season. The canned items in this recipe I get from Azure Standard except for the corn, which I purchase from an organic grocery store in my town.
Cornbread – My Southern Sweet Cornbread recipe goes into detail about why milling grains (and corn) to make flour is all around better. The nutshell version is this: you’re eating a food in its whole state, versus something that’s been stripped of its nutrients. Take a moment and read the above post if you’re unfamiliar with milling grains at home and why you should make the switch.
So, now you know! Time to jump in….
Pie Filling
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a 12″ Cast Iron Skillet or heavy bottomed pan over medium heat, melt the lard (bacon grease, butter, or olive oil) and cook the diced onion until it’s soft (a few minutes). All ingredient measurements are listed in the recipe below.
Next, add the poblano pepper followed by the minced garlic. Once the vegetables are soft and fragrant, add the ground beef, salt, and chili powder. (I like to push the veggies to the side when I cook the beef.)
Brown the beef and then stir in the tomato paste, corn, diced tomatoes, and olives.
Turn off the heat and “flatten” the mixture in the pan. Sprinkle the shredded cheese overtop set the filling aside to make the cornbread topping.
Cornbread Topping
In large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: corn flour, wheat flour, honey granules, baking powder, and salt. Set this aside.
In separate bowl, whisk together wet ingredients: butter, buttermilk, sour cream, and lastly the eggs. (Be careful not to add cold eggs directly to melted butter or it will cook them.)
All at once, add wet ingredients to dry and mix until just incorporated.
Pour the batter overtop the tamale filling, allowing it to spread evenly on top. Place the skillet into the preheated oven and cook for 20 minutes.
Remove the Tamale Pie from the oven and serve it warm. We like it with this sour cream!
Leave a comment below letting me know if you tried this recipe and what you thought! If you loved this one, check out my Cornbread Casserole.
Tamale Pie
Equipment
- 1 12" Cast Iron Skillet or 9×13 Baking Dish
Ingredients
Pie Filling
- 2 tbsp Lard, Bacon Grease, Butter, or Olive Oil
- ½ cup Onion, diced
- ¼ cup Poblano Pepper, diced
- 1 Garlic clove, minced
- 1 lb Ground Beef
- ½ tsp Salt
- 2 tsp Chili Powder
- 1 6oz can Tomato Paste
- 1 15oz can Corn, drained
- 1 14.5oz can Diced Tomatoes
- 1 4oz can sliced Black Olives
- ½ cup Cheddar or Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded
Cornbread Topping
- 1 cup Corn Flour (Preferably freshly milled)
- 1 cup Soft White Wheat Flour, freshly milled
- ¼ cup Honey Granules or Sucanat or White Sugar
- 1 tbsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Salt
- 5 tbsp Unsalted Butter, melted
- ¾ cup Buttermilk*
- 2 tbsp Sour Cream
- 2 Eggs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° F.
Pie Filling
- In a 12" Cast Iron Skillet or heavy bottomed pan over medium heat, melt lard and cook onion until soft (a few minutes). Add the poblano pepper followed by the garlic clove.2 tbsp Lard, Bacon Grease, Butter, or Olive Oil, ½ cup Onion, diced, ¼ cup Poblano Pepper, diced, 1 Garlic clove, minced
- Once the vegetables are soft and fragrant, add the ground beef, salt, and chili powder. (I push veggies to the side to cook the beef.) Brown the beef and then stir in the tomato paste, corn, diced tomatoes, and olives.1 lb Ground Beef, ½ tsp Salt, 2 tsp Chili Powder, 1 6oz can Tomato Paste, 1 15oz can Corn, drained, 1 14.5oz can Diced Tomatoes, 1 4oz can sliced Black Olives
- Turn off the heat and "flatten" the mixture in the pan. Sprinkle cheese overtop then set aside to make the cornbread topping.½ cup Cheddar or Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded
Cornbread Topping
- In large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients: corn flour, wheat flour, honey granules, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.1 cup Corn Flour (Preferably freshly milled), 1 cup Soft White Wheat Flour, freshly milled, ¼ cup Honey Granules or Sucanat or White Sugar, 1 tbsp Baking Powder, 1 tsp Salt
- In separate bowl, whisk together wet ingredients: butter, buttermilk, sour cream, and lastly the eggs. (Be careful not to add cold eggs directly to melted butter or it will cook them.)5 tbsp Unsalted Butter, melted, ¾ cup Buttermilk*, 2 tbsp Sour Cream, 2 Eggs
- All at once, add wet ingredients to dry and mix until just incorporated.
- Pour batter overtop the tamale filling, allowing it to spread evenly on top. Place into preheated oven and cook for 20 minutes.
- Remove from oven and serve warm. Keeps in the fridge for 3-5 days.
Notes
Nutrition
