Almost everyone I know has a tamale pie recipe. This easy Tex-Mex casserole has been a favorite of families everywhere for decades – providing a budget friendly comfort food to busy home cooks. Be sure to read the section on how to stretch this recipe to make it even more budget friendly.
Shopping list
My recipe 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.
- Olive oil
- Celery
- Garlic
- Onion
- Diced tomatoes
- Corn
- Ranch style or pinto beans
- Cilantro
- Butter
- Chili powder
- Lean ground beef
- Salt
- Pepper
- Ground chipotle powder
- Cornmeal
- Cheddar cheese
Tips
- 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.
- You can use cooked chicken or shredded cooked beef instead of the ground beef in this recipe. You could even use leftover pork – I don’t think fish would work but I haven’t tried it.
- If you’d like to make a vegetarian tamale pie version double up on the beans and leave out the beef.
- Ranch style beans are beans in a seasoned sauce. If you can’t find them pinto beans are fine but you’ll want to taste it and add seasoning.
- If you like spicy food you can use all Ro*Tel tomatoes instead of diced tomatoes.
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 1/3 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
Related recipes
I have plenty more budget friendly recipes like this one! You may also like…
- King 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.
Kaffeeklatch
I love this tamale pie recipe. It’s filling, it’s cheap, it’s easy to make, and most of all it’s delicious. You can assemble it a couple of days ahead of time and bake when you need it or you can make it and freeze for later.
It’s not fancy – it’s one of those meals that gets thrown together and put on the table confidently because you know it’s going to disappear fast
It’s another one of those that I like to take to potlucks and when someone at church needs a meal.
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. My favorite part is the cornmeal crust 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?
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 give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Tamale Pie
Print Add to CollectionIngredients
Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 3 cups celery, diced
- 2 cups onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, ,crushed
- 28 ounces tomatoes, diced
- 14 ounces tomatoes and chiles, diced
- 2 cups corn, thawed if frozen
- 15 ounces Ranch style beans, or pinto beans
- 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1-1/2 pounds lean ground beef
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon ground chipotle
- 5 cups water
- 1-1/2 cups cornmeal
- 1-1/2 cups Cheddar cheese, grated, divided use
Instructions
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425F.
- Grease a 13×9-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 and cook until done.
- Add the chili powder, salt, pepper, and chipotle.
- Remove from heat.
- Blend 1 cup of water with the cornmeal.
- 10. Bring the remaining water to a boil in a saucepan.
- 11. 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.
- 12. Spread half of the cornmeal mixture on the bottom of the baking dish.
- 13. Add the meat and spread to cover.
- 14. Top with the tomato mixture.
- 15. Top with 1 cup of the Cheddar cheese.
- 16. Cover with the remaining cornmeal mixture.
- 17. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
- 18. Bake for 25 minutes.
- 19. Let stand about 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- This can be made up to 2 days head of time.
- This freezes well.
- 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.
- You can use cooked chicken or shredded cooked beef instead of the ground beef in this recipe. You could even use leftover pork – I don’t think fish would work but I haven’t tried it.
- If you’d like to make a vegetarian tamale pie version double up on the beans and leave out the beef.
- Ranch style beans are beans in a seasoned sauce. If you can’t find them pinto beans are fine but you’ll want to taste it and add seasoning.
- If you like spicy food you can use all Ro*Tel tomatoes instead of diced tomatoes.
- Use a mixture of beans
- Use all beans instead of meat
- Add 1/3 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
Nutrition
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We’ll never share your email or send you spam. Pinkie swear.First published May 16, 2017. Last updated March 17, 2020 for better readability and user experience.
pam
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
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.
Brenda Piccolo
Do you cook this ground meat or does it go in raw !!! Thank you
Marye Audet
it should be cooked. 🙂
George
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
cook it with the spices.