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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I’ve never tried tamales before, so this was a new experience for me, but in a good way!
Even though I goofed on the recipe, by adding a 15 oz can of Enchilada sauce, the hubs and I both like it. I did double the spices after tasting and before putting on the topping. That was the only deliberate change, lol. I will definitely be making this again.
I’m glad to hear that you and your husband enjoyed the tamale pie even with the unintentional addition of enchilada sauce! Sometimes accidents can lead to delicious discoveries. Doubling the spices is a great idea and it’s always good to make a recipe your own. I hope you make it again soon!
We absolutely loved this recipe! I added a can of black beans (drained) and used my own corn bread recipe (I didn’t have masa harina on hand). Also added 1 t garlic powder and upped the chili powder and cumin to 2t (we like things spicy!) This is a keeper and the filling is so smooth because of the cheese. Thanks so much for giving me a new recipe!
Thank you for trying out the tamale pie recipe! I’m so glad to hear that you and your family enjoyed it. The addition of black beans and garlic powder sounds delicious, and it’s great to know that your own cornbread recipe worked well as a substitute. Experimenting with spices is always a fun way to make a recipe your own. Thank you for sharing your experience and I’m thrilled to hear that this recipe is now a keeper in your household!
Really liked the recipe. We had homemade enchilada sauce that we added along with a can of black beans and green onions. The topping was more savory than boxed cornbread and also added some more green onions to the topping before baking. Garnished with sour cream, pickled jalapenos and cilantro.
Thanks for sharing your experience with the recipe! It’s great to hear that you enjoyed it and also added your own personal touch by using homemade enchilada sauce and adding black beans and green onions. Your toppings of sour cream, pickled jalapenos, and cilantro sound like a delicious addition as well. It’s always wonderful to see people take a recipe and make it their own. Thank you for trying it out and sharing your feedback!
Made this for dinner last night and we both loved it. Easy to make and such good flavor! Thanks! A fun recipe we can make together again.
I made the enchilada sauce from scratch and this was delicious. Thanks for the recipe!
So glad you took a few extra minutes to make the enchilada sauce from scratch!! I absolutely LOVE TBFS homemade enchilada sauce and will never go back to canned sauce again. Thanks for coming back to comment!
It was excellent
I absolutely love this recipe, and so does my husband. So quick, easy, and delivery!
I did use packages cornmeal mix, And will try it with Mexican Cornbread mix next time. Thanks for this amazing, tasty recipe.
Oh I do love your recipes – especially from scratch!! Going to try this as a substitution for the real tamales, which we do not get in Germany! No masa either!
This looks very good. I love seeing your recipes.