This Beef Tamale Pie is the ultimate comfort food: a soft cornbread crust is topped with saucy, seasoned beef and ooey-gooey cheese! This easy weeknight meal will have everyone coming back for seconds.
What is tamale pie?
Tamale pie is a cornbread-esque casserole that’s been drizzled with enchilada sauce and topped with a ground beef mixture and melty cheese. This dish became very popular during the early 1900s in the Southwest.
Tamale pie may be a loose term (because it’s not really a tamale or a pie), but it sure is delicious!
Why you’ll love it
- Quick and Easy. Using a few shortcuts like boxed cornbread, canned enchilada sauce, and store-bought taco seasoning makes this dish perfect for a busy weeknight.
- Kid-Approved. Ultra soft cornbread, taco meat, and gooey cheese. What kid doesn’t love that?!
- Versatile. Use green enchilada sauce instead of red or swap the beef for leftover carnitas, the choice is yours!
Ingredients
- Corn Muffin Mix – you’ll need 1 (8.5 oz) box. I used the classic Jiffy, so I can’t vouch if another flavor/brand is used. You could try making your own cornbread mix, but again, I can’t vouch for the results.
- Corn – you’ll need 1 (15 oz) can cream-style corn. I don’t recommend any substitutions here, like regular corn, because this adds incredible moisture to the cornbread base.
- Green Chiles – try canned jalapenos instead if you like spice!
- Sour Cream – use full-fat for the best flavor and texture, but low-fat or even greek yogurt may be used.
- Egg – eggs come in all different sizes, so be sure to use a large egg.
- Taco Seasoning – homemade taco seasoning or your favorite store-bought seasoning may be used!
- Ground Beef – I recommend using lean ground beef so the end result isn’t too greasy. If a fattier beef is used, be sure to drain the excess grease really well. Ground turkey or chicken may be used as well.
- Onion – yellow onion was used in the original recipe, but red or white onion will also be fine.
- Enchilada Sauce – you’ll need 1 (10 oz) can red enchilada sauce. Use mild, medium, or hot! Green enchilada sauce will also be delicious.
- Cheese – anything goes! I used pepper-jack, but monterey-jack, cheddar, a Mexican-blend, etc. may be used. I prefer shredding my own cheese, because it melts better.
How to make
- Whisk together the corn base: corn muffin mix, corn, green chiles, sour cream, egg, and 1/2 tablespoon taco seasoning, in a large bowl until smooth.
- Pour into a greased pie dish and bake at 400 degrees until the corn is barely set and golden brown.
- Make the meat: cook the beef, onion, and taco seasoning in a non-stick pan until the beef is no longer pink, then set aside.
- Pierce the surface of the baked corn liberally with a fork, pour the enchilada sauce evenly over the top, sprinkle with beef and cheese, then bake again until the cheese has melted and the corn base has finished cooking through.
Variations
- Swap the layers. If you like a more traditional, firmer cornbread texture you could try swapping the order of assembling. Place the cooked ground beef mixture in the bottom of the prepared pie dish, drizzle on the enchilada sauce, sprinkle with cheese, pour on the corn batter, then bake until the cornbread is cooked through.
- Add veggies. Cook up some diced bell peppers and garlic with the onions to boost the nutrients.
- Use another meat. Try my carnitas, carne asada, chicken, etc.
- Make it vegetarian. Use black beans or pinto beans to replace the ground beef.
Topping suggestions
This is great served plain, but can also be served with a variety of toppings:
- Cilantro Lime Sauce
- Pico de Gallo
- Pickled Red Onions
- Guacamole
- Sour Cream
- Hot Sauce
What to serve with tamale pie
Tamale pie is delicious served next to all your favorite Mexican and Tex-Mex dishes.
How to store
Leftovers will last in a sealed airtight container for 3-4 days in the fridge or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To enjoy again, thaw, if frozen, then bake or microwave until warm.
– Jennifer
Beef Tamale Pie
This Beef Tamale Pie is the ultimate comfort food: a soft cornbread crust is topped with saucy, seasoned beef and ooey-gooey cheese! This easy weeknight meal will have everyone coming back for seconds.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Yield: 8 people
Equipment for this recipe
(equipment shown are affiliate links)
Ingredients
- 1 (8.5 oz) box corn muffin mix I used Jiffy
- 1 (15 oz) can cream-style corn
- 1 (4 oz) can chopped green chiles not drained
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 large egg
- 1 (1.25 oz) packet taco seasoning divided
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- ½ yellow onion diced
- 1 (10 oz) can red enchilada sauce
- 1-2 cups shredded pepper-jack cheese or cheese of choice
Topping Suggestions
- Cilantro Lime Sauce
- Pico de Gallo
- Guacamole
- Pickled Red Onions
- Sour Cream
- Hot Sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and grease a ceramic pie dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Place corn muffin mix, corn, green chiles, sour cream, egg, and 1/2 tablespoon taco seasoning into a medium sized bowl and whisk until combined.
- Pour into the prepared pie dish and bake until the corn is barely set and golden brown, about 30-40 minutes (it’s ok if it’s not totally cooked all the way through yet).
- While the corn is baking, place ground beef, onion, and the remaining taco seasoning into a non-stick pan and cook, breaking up the meat as you go, until the beef is no longer pink and the onions are tender.
- Taste and re-season with salt, if necessary, then set aside.
- Remove the pie dish from the oven (keep the oven on), pierce the surface all over with a fork (it may crumble a bit and stick to the fork, that's ok), then pour the enchilada sauce evenly over the top.
- Spread the beef over the top, then sprinkle with the cheese.
- Bake for an additional 15-20 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the corn base has finished cooking through (it will still be very soft).
- Remove from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes before scooping and serving with toppings of choice!
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STORING
Room Temp:N/A
Refrigerator:3-4 Days
Freezer:3 Months
Reheat:Thaw, if frozen, then microwave or bake until warm
*Storage times may vary based on temperature and conditions
Notes
Nutritional information is for 1 cup cheese.
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Nutrition Information
Nutrition Facts
Beef Tamale Pie
Amount Per Serving (1 scoop)
Calories 360 Calories from Fat 126
% Daily Value*
Fat 14g22%
Saturated Fat 7g44%
Trans Fat 0.2g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 5g
Cholesterol 80mg27%
Sodium 1241mg54%
Potassium 366mg10%
Carbohydrates 38g13%
Fiber 4g17%
Sugar 12g13%
Protein 21g42%
Vitamin A 976IU20%
Vitamin C 10mg12%
Calcium 154mg15%
Iron 3mg17%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
*Note: Nutrition information is estimated and varies based on products used.
Keywords: beef and cornbread recipe, cornbread casserole, easy mexican dinner, ground beef dinner, ground beef recipe, mexican beef recipe, tamale casserole, tamale pie