This Mexican Tamale Pie recipe is a delicious one-pot meal made with ground beef, corn, enchilada sauce and spices, topped with a tamale inspired masa topping.
Looking for more Mexican-inspired recipes? Try my Birria Ramen, Chilaquiles, or Tres Leches Cake!
Why I love this recipe:
- One-Pot Meal: Easy prep and even easier clean up! I love hearty meals that don’t make my kitchen a mess, and this is one that your family is sure to love!
- Basic ingredients: this dinner is a go-to when I need to use ingredients I already have on hand to make something warm and comforting for my family.
How to make Tamale Pie:
Brown Beef: Cook ground beef in a deep skillet or cast iron pan, crumbling it into small pieces as it cooks, until browned. Add diced onion, season with salt and pepper, and sauté for 3 minutes.
Add Flavor: Add enchilada sauce, corn, chiles, chili powder, coriander, and cumin and cook for 5-10 minutes. Taste and add additional spices (chili powder, cumin, salt or pepper), as desired. Stir in cheese.
Make Topping: Mix the corn flour, baking powder and salt together. Stir in the chicken broth, milk, butter and cheese. Pour topping mixture evenly over the top of the meat mixture.
Bake at 400 degrees for 40 min. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Serve: Top this old school tamale pie with avocado and sour cream, if desired.
Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions:
To Make Ahead: The beef mixture can be made ahead of time and kept in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 days. Warm in a pan before adding the tamale topping.
To Freeze: To freeze baked tamale pie, the easy Tamale Pie recipe and allow to cool. Cover well and and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge before baking. May also freeze after baking. The beef mixture may also be frozen separately in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Recipe Variations:
- Pan Size: I like to bake the tamale pie right in the skillet I’m cooking in but if you don’t have the right size or oven proof pan, you can bake it in a 9×9 inch or similar size pan.
- Vegetarian: Swap the meat for two cans of pinto or black beans.
- Box Mix Cornbread Topping (Jiffy or Bobs Red Mill): Prepare according to package instructions. Pour over meat mixture and bake.
- Chiles: Try using diced jalapeños or a chipotle chili in adobo sauce.
- More Veggies: Add a chopped bell pepper, grated carrot, olives, peas or whatever you like.
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Recipe
Tamale Pie
Equipment
Ingredients
Meat Filling:
- 1 ½ lbs lean ground beef
- 1 yellow onion , finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 10 oz can red enchilada sauce , or homemade
- 1 can creamed corn
- 8 oz can diced green chiles
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese
Masa Topping:
- 1 1/2 cups Masa Harina (corn flour)
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup melted butter
- 1/2 cup shredded cheese
Optional Topping Ideas:
- avocado, sour cream, cilantro, hot sauce
Instructions
- Cook ground beef in a deep 12-inch skillet* or cast iron pan, crumbling it into small pieces as it cooks, until browned. Add diced onion, season with salt and pepper, and sauté for 3 minutes.
- Add enchilada sauce, corn, chiles, chili powder, coriander, and cumin and cook for 5-10 minutes. Taste and add additional spices (chili powder, cumin, salt or pepper), as desired. Stir in cheese.
- Make Topping: Mix the corn flour, baking powder and salt together. Stir in the chicken broth, milk, butter and cheese. Pour evenly over the top of meat mixture.
- Bake 400 degrees for 40 min. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
- Top with avocado and sour cream, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
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Kids wouldn’t try it but they are in a very picky phase. The adults loved it though. And I think the kids will in a couple of years.
Oh, sweet HEAVENS, this is good!! I think next time I’ll try for a bit of spice (like the tamales I grew up eating), but this had excellent flavor and is an every-person-in-the-fam pleaser!
Since this recipe was launched I made it already 3 times. My kids and husband ask for it. I add a little more veggies like shredded carrots and some beans and it is always a winner. Thank you for sharing this!
This has become an instant family favorite and we’re having it again this week because we can’t get enough! I used the Jiffy topping for simplicity sake and it came together so quickly and easily. Every kid has seconds which is a major win!
Ah now come on Jiffy !!!!
I tried this recipe last night and it was delicious! Not often do all four kids and both parents love a new dish! My son just had his braces tightened and thankfully this was soft enough not to hurt his teeth. I added a can of beans to make it stretch a little more but there was plenty for my big eaters. I loved trying a recipe that was unique. The flavors were wonderful, especially with your homemade enchilada sauce (I halved it for this recipe). I’ll definitely make this again. Thank you!
Also added a bell pepper
this was amazing!! I def gotta keep this one!!
Definitely satisfied my tamale craving with such a simple recipe. I made it twice this month! The first time I followed the recipe as written except I didn’t have coriander. The second time I tried vegetarian style with 2 cans black beans and bell pepper. I also cut the butter in half for the masa topping. It wasn’t as rich, but we still liked it enough that I will cut it in half next time too. Adding this one to my recipe collection!!
I liked it more than my husband. I used the masa flour topping. We thought it was a little too thick. We also topped it with fresh grilled jalapeños, sour cream and Avacados. The ground beef mixture was good. I’d like to try it again adding black beans. I’m addition I’d like to use chipotle chili in adobo sauce to give it a zing.
So delicious! My only problem was that I realized after starting to make it that my cast iron pan is a 10 inch, not a 12 inch. Unfortunately that meant that it bubbled over in the oven and made a bit of a mess. But it was delicious! I would definitely make it again once I get a bigger pan!
Delicious and easy! A keeper, will definitely make again. Worth the hunt to find some of the ingredients locally! It overflowed my 9×9 pan, so next time, will either split with a loaf pan again or add more veggies to scale up to 9×13.