This easy tamale pie is a Tex-Mex casserole that has been a favorite of families everywhere for decades. It's budget friendly comfort food for busy moms and dads.
Table of Contents
- 🗝️ Key takeaways: why this recipe is your new favorite
- 🧾 Gather your ingredients: what you'll need
- 📖 Make it your own: yummy variations
- 🔪 Step-by-step guide: instructions for success
- 🍴Must have tools: essential equipment
- 🥫 Leftover love: how to store beef tamale casserole
- Marye's Tip o' the day
- 💭 Insider tips: things to know
- Budget-friendly ways to make it stretch
- 👩🍳 Let's answer those questions: FAQs
- 📚 More Southern comfort: related recipes you'll love
- 🍽️ Perfect pairings: what to serve with tamale pie
- 🍽️ No waste: creative ways to repurpose
- 📞 Wrapping it up: the last word
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
Save this recipe by clicking on the ❤️ heart on the right-hand side of the screen or in the recipe card.
🗝️ Key takeaways: why this recipe is your new favorite
- Inexpensive, easy to make, and delicious? Yes, please!
- Perfect for sharing, taking to potlucks, and big family dinners. It's a nice twist on Taco Tuesday, too.
- The cornmeal crust does NOT bake into cornbread! It is a cooked cornmeal mush that is very like the steamed cornmeal that tamales are wrapped in.
My recipe for tamale casserole is an adaption of a recipe from a local Women's League cookbook that was published early in the 1940s. This classic dish will please your wallet as much as it pleases your tastebuds.
My favorite part of this great recipe is the cornmeal layers which is very similar to the cornmeal crust on a classic tamale. When you put it all together with tons of gooey cheese... well... it's a happy thing, you know?
It's a comforting casserole that's perfect for chilly Fall days.
🧾 Gather your ingredients: what you'll need
This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
📖 Make it your own: yummy variations
- If you'd like to make a vegetarian tamale pie version double up on the beans and leave out the beef.
- Ranch-style beans (copycat recipe) are beans in a seasoned sauce. If you can't find them pinto beans or black beans are fine but you'll want to taste it and add seasoning.
- Not a fan of red meat? You can use shredded chicken or ground turkey instead of the ground beef in this recipe.
- Use ground venison ( or other game meat), or pork in place of the ground beef.
- Make it stretch: add ⅓ cup quick quick-cooking oatmeal with the meat while you are browning it. It sounds weird but it's an old Depression trick.
- I love to add green pepper to this.
- If you are out of cheddar cheese, you can use Mexican blend cheese, Pepper Jack, or Monterey Jack cheese.
🔪 Step-by-step guide: instructions for success
This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page. Click on the image to see it full size.
Saute the celery and onion in a large skillet until tender.
Add the garlic, tomatoes, corn and beans, and let it all simmer together.
Cook beef in melted butter in a heavy pan on medium-high heat. Season.
Mix tomato mixture all together, adding cilantro.
Blend one cup of water with the cornmeal.
Stir.
Boil the rest of the water in a saucepan. Add in the blended cornmeal, cook and stir until it is thick and creamy.
Spoon half of the cornmeal mixture into a prepared baking dish to create the cornbread base.
Add beef
Add tomato mixture
Add cheese
Top with cooked cornmeal and more cheese
🤫 Marye's secret for zhuzhing it up -
Top with a dollop of sour cream for perfect presentation!
zhuzh: verb. To make something more interesting or attractive
🍴Must have tools: essential equipment
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🥫 Leftover love: how to store beef tamale casserole
This beef tamale casserole can be prepped and stored straight in the dish to be baked for a later date. Just cover the casserole dish with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and pop it in your fridge.
Once cooked, you can store it in your fridge for 3-5 days in an airtight container. Or, freeze for up to 3 months.
Marye's Tip o' the day
You can substitute cooked chicken, turkey, or pork for the ground beef in this recipe. Or, try leftover pot roast that's been shredded!
💭 Insider tips: things to know
- I use a deep casserole dish. If you use a regular 13x9 inch pan you probably will want to cut the tomato mixture by half or make 2 casseroles.
- I add a lot of fresh cilantro. I am one of those people that LOVES cilantro! If you don't love it then feel free to cut back or leave it out completely.
- Feel free to add extra chiles! YUM!
- Add a dollop of sour cream on top of the cornmeal crust when you serve this. In fact, you can add any of your favorite taco toppings to top off this dish.
- Maximize your leftovers with this cornbread tamale casserole. You could use any leftover meat in your fridge for the meat mixture.
- Cooked potatoes and rice are also a great addition.
- You can easily use another variety of beans if you prefer.
Budget-friendly ways to make it stretch
There are many ways to stretch this recipe. Here are some of my favorites
- Use a mixture of beans
- Use all beans instead of meat
- Add ⅓ cup quick cooking oatmeal in with the meat while you are browning it. It sounds weird but it's an old Depression trick.
- Add potatoes that have been cooked and diced
- Mix in cooked rice
- Mix in cooked cauliflower
👩🍳 Let's answer those questions: FAQs
Have other questions? Ask me in the comments!
Just like traditional tamales, any kind of hot sauce goes great with this easy recipe. You can also use green chili enchilada sauce, red enchilada sauce or even a salsa verde - the possibilities are endless.
Absolutely! You can still get that authentic flavor of a tamale by using a box of cornbread mix in place of cornmeal or top with biscuits!
As long as it is oven safe, and fits your ingredients, you can even bake this casserole in a pie dish to make tamale pie!
⏲️ Marye's time saving hacks -
Assemble this up to 2 days ahead of time and bake when you're ready to eat!
📚 More Southern comfort: related recipes you'll love
- Ranch Chicken has chicken, tomatoes with chiles, and onion are mixed with a creamy, rich sauce and layered in a casserole dish with corn tortillas and a generous amount of cheese. This casserole freezes well, travels well, and disappears fast – you can’t really ask for more than that.
- Baked Mac and Cheese with a buttery crumb topping is legendary comfort food when each spoonful is an old-fashioned delight of creamy sauce, tender macaroni, a scatter of crispy breadcrumbs, and a forest of gooey cheese strings stretching from casserole to serving spoon.
- Bacon Cheeseburger Macaroni Skillet dinner goes together in less than 30 minutes so it’s a great weeknight meal that the whole family will love.
🍽️ Perfect pairings: what to serve with tamale pie
Southern cucumber salad adds a nice crunch to this meal. Any crunchy green salad will work!
Mexican hot chocolate cupcakes are the perfect sweet ending!
🍽️ No waste: creative ways to repurpose
Chop up leftovers and use to make stuffed bell peppers.
📞 Wrapping it up: the last word
I love this easy tamale pie recipe.
Keep in mind this is NOT a cornbread topping. It's a cooked cornmeal topping and has the texture of the cornmeal around tamales.
This version comes out of a 1940 Women’s Club cookbook and was submitted by a lady from Seymour, Texas so you know it’s the real deal. It’s a family favorite here.
So, this dish. The meat is spicy with all of that cumin and chile Tex-Mex flavor. The beans and vegetables add texture as well as flavor. It will warm up the chilliest day!
Next time try this taco spaghetti or this authentic King Ranch casserole.
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.
If you love this recipe please comment below and give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Tamale Pie Casserole
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Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 3 cups celery, diced
- 2 cups onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, ,crushed
- 28 ounces tomatoes, diced
- 20 ounces tomatoes and chiles, 2 cans of Rotel
- 2 cups corn, thawed if frozen
- 15 ounces Ranch style beans, or pinto beans
- ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1-½ pounds lean ground beef
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon ground chipotle
- 5 cups water
- 1-½ cups cornmeal
- 1-½ cups Cheddar cheese, grated, divided use
Instructions
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425F.
- Grease a 13x9-inch baking dish or spray with cooking spray.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet and saute the celery and onion until tender, about 10 minutes.
- Add the garlic, tomatoes, corn, and beans – simmer for 20 minutes.
- Stir in the cilantro if desired.
- Melt the butter in a heavy pan, add beef, and cook until done.
- Add the chili powder, salt, pepper, and chipotle.
- Remove from heat.
- Blend 1 cup of water with the cornmeal.
- Bring the remaining water to a boil in a saucepan.
- Stir in the cornmeal and cook, stirring constantly, until very thick. Be careful because it may bubble and pop out of the pan and burn you if you’re not careful.
- Spread half of the cornmeal mixture on the bottom of the baking dish.
- Add the meat and spread to cover.
- Top with the tomato mixture.
- Top with 1 cup of the Cheddar cheese.
- Cover with the remaining cornmeal mixture.
- Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
- Bake for 25 minutes.
- Let stand about 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- I add a lot of cilantro. I am one of those people that LOVES cilantro! If you don't love it then feel free to cut back or leave it out completely.
- Feel free to add extra chiles! YUM!
- Add a dollop of sour cream on top of the cornbread crust when you serve this. In fact, you can add any of your favorite taco toppings to top off this dish.
- Maximize your leftovers with this cornbread tamale casserole. You could use any leftover meat in your fridge for the meat mixture.
- You can easily use another variety of beans if you prefer.
- This can be made up to 2 days ahead of time.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
First published May 16, 2017. Last updated October 1, 2024, for updated images and more helpful tips.
Ginger says
The bottom layer of the cornmeal didn’t cook very well. We cooked it for probably 40 minutes and it was still gummy. Like cornmeal pudding. The rest of it was very good though.
Trudy says
Sounds good, but you need to review your recipe, it is missing something, at #6 melted instead of done?
You repeat your numbers on the list of things to do,from10 on. e.g. 10. 10.
I usually add a beaten egg to the Cornmeal w/water to give some glue/substance. I don't cook it, just spread it on top of the meat mixture, it sinks then floats up to the top as it cooks creating a Crust. In Colorado 65 years ago I started making 'Tamale Pie' when I was a kid, cooked in a wood-stove Oven. I will give this a try with my own twists to it. You need to fix your recipe.
Marye says
it was a typo and it's fixed now.
pam says
Just tried this. The filling was great. The cornmeal mixture was nothing like the picture. The picture looked like cornbread but the mixture was too loose and never firmed up. Maybe I didn't cook it long enough but it was tender and done.
Mixture does pop up big time too - was prepared but not enough.
Will probably try it again with a cornbread top.
Thanks for the recipe.
Marye Audet says
The topping is not cornbread, it's not meant to be. It's a tamale. It may be that you didn't cook the cornmeal long enough.
Renee says
Mine was soupy.
Too much water with the cornmeal.
Good flavor but rather than tamale pie I had a bowl of flavorful corn meal mush. 🥺
Marye says
The topping is not cornbread. It is the exact same moist cornmeal mash that tamales are wrapped in so it is quite moist. You MUST cook the cornmeal and water mixture as directed until it is quite thick - about the consistency of sour cream. It may take longer for some people but it will get there.
Brenda Piccolo says
Do you cook this ground meat or does it go in raw !!! Thank you
Marye Audet says
it should be cooked. 🙂
George says
you left out cooking the meat, I take it you mix with the spices?
or do you add the soice with the cornmeal?
Marye Audet says
cook it with the spices.