Tamale Pie
Comforting, filling, and oh so flavorful, this tamale pie recipe is everything you want in a weeknight dinner and more! A slightly sweet cornbread topping bakes over a cheesy, spicy ground beef filling cooked with bell peppers, onions, and tomatoes. This easy-to-make tamale pie packs in all the tamale flavor with much less work.
A few years ago, when my husband and I were flipping through one of his mom’s old cookbooks, I saw a recipe for tamale pie, and I was more than excited to make it. Astonishingly enough, I have never had, much less heard of, tamale pie before we happened upon that page. I’m living in a serious shell. What could I possibly not love about a chili-like filling baked with a layer of cornbread on top?! It’s quite possibly the most genius dish ever invented. Cornbread is the perfect accompaniment to chili, which makes this recipe all the more perfect.
I first attempted the recipe that we found in the cookbook, but the top cornbread layer ended up a complete disaster. After looking through many variations, I never came across a recipe that sounded like the one, so I started building my own based on my favorite flavors and ingredients. The result is one absolutely phenomenal dinner. You just can’t beat all of the bright and bold flavors in the beef filling, topped off with a thick layer of cornbread. Genius and delicious.
The Background
Tamale Pie is a comfort-food casserole with all of the flavor of a tamale minus the difficulty. Tamales are made from a masa dough and filled with delicious, savory fillings that are often wrapped and steamed in corn husks or banana leaves. This process is often time-consuming and labor-intensive.
This tamale pie recipe is like a deconstructed tamale. The flavorful beef filling bakes under a delicious cornbread topping for a casserole that has been around since the early 1900s.
How to Make It
Let’s break this recipe down into two main parts; the beef filling and the cornbread topping.
Filling Ingredients
- Onion+ Peppers: Finely chopped onion, green bell peppers, and seeded and minced jalapeño peppers make the vegetable base.
- Ground Beef: Browned, crumbled, and cooked through.
- Corn kernels: You can easily use fresh, frozen, or even canned corn in this recipe.
- Tomatoes: Diced canned tomatoes make for an easy pantry-staple ingredient. If you don’t like big chunks of tomato, look for “petite diced” tomatoes.
- Tomato paste: Adds a deep, rich tomato base to the filling.
- Spices: I use a blend of chili powder, ground cumin, and salt to add a kick of flavor.
- Sliced black olive: Optional, if you love ’em, add them! If you’re a fellow olive hater, you can totally leave them out.
- Shredded cheese: I like to use Monterrey jack cheese in the filling but you can also easily swap it for cheddar.
How to Make the Beef Filling
- Preheat the oven to 400°F
- Cook onion mixture: In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm the oil until hot. Add onion, green bell pepper, and jalapeños, and cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- Cook ground beef: Reduce heat to medium and add ground beef to the pan. Cook until browned, stirring occasionally to break up the meat, about 5-10 minutes.
- Add remaining ingredients: Once the meat is browned, add the onion mixture back to the pan. Stir in corn, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, and salt.
- Simmer the filling: Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to low. Simmer 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand while preparing cornbread topping.
Cornbread Topping
What you’ll need for the cornbread topping:
- Cornmeal + flour: Gives the cornbread structure as well as a corn flavor.
- Sugar: Sweetens the cornbread just a touch.
- Baking soda + baking powder: Allows the cornbread to rise during the baking time.
- Salt: Flavor!
- Buttermilk: Adds a little tang and color to the cornbread during baking.
- Unsalted Butter: Adds flavor and helps bind the cornbread together.
- Eggs: Binds the batter together.
To make the cornbread batter topping for tamale pie:
- Mix dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Mix wet ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together buttermilk, eggs, and melted butter.
- Gently mix together: Add the buttermilk mixture to the dry ingredients and use a rubber spatula to gently mix together, taking care not to over-mix the cornbread.
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Assembling It
Now that you have your beef filling and the cornbread batter, let’s put this tamale pie casserole together.
- Add final mix-ins to the beef mixture: Stir olives (if using) and shredded cheese into the beef mixture and pour into a 9×13-inch baking dish, smoothing the top.
- Top with cornbread: Pour the cornbread batter over the beef filling, using a spatula to spread an even layer.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool: Allow the pie to rest for 15 minutes before serving.
Topping Options
The beauty of this tamale pie recipe is that you can really make it your own and go all-out with the toppings. Here are a few ways you can serve up this dish.
- Sour cream
- Guacamole or avocado slices
- Extra olives
- Restaurant-style salsa or salsa verde
- Chopped cilantro or green onion
Make it a Meal
While this casserole can easily stand alone as a stick to your ribs, comfort-food dish, here are a few sides to serve with it to make it a full meal:
Storing and Freezing
This comforting tamale pie is a great make-ahead meal. Here are a few ways you can make the casserole in advance to save some time on busy weeknights.
- Storing: Keep your baked tamale pie in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freezing baked tamale pie: If you baked the dish all the way through, allow it to cool completely before storing and freezing in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat in the oven.
- Freezing unbaked pie: Follow the recipe through the assembly and instead of baking freeze uncovered for about an hour to allow the cornbread topping to freeze. Then wrap in plastic wrap and top with foil. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you are ready to bake, thaw overnight in the refrigerator and follow baking instructions.
Other Tex-Mex Inspired Recipes
- Classic Beef Chili
- Creamy Mexican Corn Salad
- Slow Cooker Spicy Beef Queso Dip
- Warm Black Bean Dip
- Chipotle Chicken Recipe
Grab your fork and come hungry, this filling and flavorful tamale pie recipe is a comforting casserole everyone will enjoy. Top with sour cream, guacamole, or a little salsa for a delicious dinner you’ll keep coming back to!
If you make this recipe and love it, remember to stop back and give it a 5-star rating - it helps others find the recipe! ❤️️
Tamale Pie
Ingredients
For the Filling:
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
- 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and minced
- 1½ pounds (680.39 g) ground beef
- 1½ cups (246 g) corn kernels, fresh or frozen
- 14.5 ounces (411.07 g) canned diced tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 4 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ cup (67.5 g) sliced black olives, optional*
- 4 ounces (113.4 g) Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (about 1 cup shredded)
For the Cornbread Topping:
- 1 cup (156 g) cornmeal
- ¾ cup (90 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1½ teaspoons (1.5 teaspoons) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) salt
- 1½ cups (360 ml) buttermilk
- 6 tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter, melted
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Making the Filling: In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm the oil until hot. Add the onion, green pepper and jalapeños, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the ground beef to the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally to break up the meat, until browned, 5 to 10 minutes. Once the meat is browned, add the onion mixture back to the pan. Stir in the corn, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, chili powder, cumin and salt. Stir well to ensure that the spices and the tomato paste are evenly distributed. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand while preparing the cornbread topping.
- Make the Cornbread Topping: In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, and melted butter. Add the buttermilk mixture to the dry ingredients and use a rubber spatula to gently mix it together, taking care not to overmix the cornbread batter.
- Assemble & Bake the Pie: Stir the olives (if using) and shredded cheese into the beef mixture and pour it into a 9×13-inch baking dish, smoothing the top. Pour the cornbread batter over the filling, using a spatula to spread it into an even layer. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the pie to rest for 15 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Storing: Keep your baked tamale pie in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Freezing baked tamale pie: If you baked the dish all the way through, allow to cool completely before storing and freezing in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat in the oven.
- Freezing unbaked pie: Follow the recipe through the assembly and instead of baking freeze uncovered for about an hour to allow the cornbread topping to freeze. Then wrap in plastic wrap and top with foil. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you are ready to bake, thaw overnight in the refrigerator and follow baking instructions.
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
Photography by Lauren Grant.
I made this tonight. Delicious…and I even messed up. I didn’t drain the tomatoes and forgot the cheese and it was still super yummy!
I tripled this recipe to feed 20 folks. I have not made Tamale Pie in 40 years and had forgotten the ingredients. I used the food processor to chop the peppers and onions. Worth the cleanup. Olives were a great addition. Seasonings were perfect and the dish was s hit!
Have you tried the cornbread on the botton?
Or half the cornbreadn botton and the other half on top.
This is very good. Never liked tamale pie before this recipe. The cornbread topping is excellent.
I tweak the filling a little. Use diced green chilies, added more cheese and garlic. It’s a fun recipe to get creative. Might try incorporating a green veggie next time.
Hi Tanya, I haven’t tried that, sounds so good though! Thanks for the review and for sharing your modifications!
Instead of 1-1/2 lbs of ground beef, I used one pound of 80/20 and 1/2 pound of chorizo. Cut back cumin to 3 teaspoons and used 1/2 small can mild diced chiles instead of jalapenos to accommodate family taste buds.
Turned out great!
This is great! It takes some work but it is well worth it. Used cann chilies because I don’t like high spice. This is perfect! 🖒💟👏
I have made this recipe twice now. Tastes great and the family really likes it.
I make this often for my husband and me. I make the full recipe for the filling, pour half of that into a baking dish, top with half-recipe of the cornbread, and bake, reserving the rest of the filling in the freezer. That way I never have too much leftover and the cornbread topping is always fresh. Of the dishes I have made for my husband over forty plus years, this has to be one of his favorites.
This is the 3rd recipe I have tried for tamale pie and this chili base is the winner!
Tried this casserole and would rate it fabulous. I had picky eaters over for dinner and there was barely enough left for my husband’s lunch for work. Of course, being me, I can’t leave anything alone without my touch. I added toasted ground cumin and ground ancho chili powder to the cornbread mix. I also put a little cheese on top of the meat and then on top of the cornbread. In the future when I make tacos, I am going to double or triple the meat and freeze packs of it so I can thaw them and make this quick casserole. I also used really good authentic stone ground cornmeal, which always makes a difference. Good job on this recipe. KUDOS TO YOU!
This Tamale Pie Recipe is wonderful with or with out the Olives. I have made this recipe several times both ways and it is always accepted. Thanks to this recipe. When I am told this taste great I refer the person to this site ( https://apex-male.info/tamale-pie-recipe%3C/a%3E%29 Lots of great recipes waiting to be tried.
Has anyone tried freezing this as a make ahead meal? Would you freeze after assembly or bake, cool and freeze?
Do you know if you can use Masa Harina instead of Corn Meal? I know that Masa is for tortillas and CM is for corn bread, but I think I’m going to give it a try. I’ll come back and let you know how it goes. Thanks for the recipe.
I found this on Pinterest a couple weeks ago and finally made it last night. I accidentally read 4 TBSP cumin instead of 4 tsp cumin, so it was a bit heavy on the cumin … as you can imagine … yet still yummy!!! The only other tweak was poblano pepper instead of green bell pepper and half the cheese. I did put olives. My, really delish! Lovely flavour combination. Thanks for a great recipe.
Very tasty! I prepared this dish for my family for Christmas Eve. Will make it again!
Ok. Since I made the Guinness Beef Stew last week and was amazed, thought I’d try this next. This was very yummy and flavorful. A little bit of heat but nothing overwhelming. I did use 2 large jalapenos. I’m a sucker for cornbread and this was so good on top. Nice and thick. I used Bob’s Red Mill brand cornmeal which I liked the texture of. I thought the ground meat filling would be dry since there wasn’t much liquid but was surprised when it wasn’t. I did leave out the olives since hubby is an olive hater. I served this with roasted butternut squash with browned butter and freshly grated nutmeg. Fall, yummy goodness with 5 star taste at 2 star price.
This was just the recipe I was looking for… in particular for the topping. I like to also use half ground turkey and beef… and add black beans into the base… Thank you for this!!
Is this mildly spicy or very spicy? I’d love to try it but I don’t want to end up with something too spicy that some family members won’t be able to eat. I would cut out some of the peppers if it’s a very spicy dish but if it’s mild, then it should be fine
I would definitely say this is only mildly spicy.
Thanks!!!! I definitely want to try this next week
I made this and it is the best cornbread topping recipe i have tried for tamale pie. It is the most like the one in ‘The Joy of Cooking’ which I used to make 20 years ago. Many of the recipes on the web result in a dry or heavy crust, but this one is light and fluffy inside, and crunchy on the outside – delicious!
This was delicious! I was having the same experience — so many tamale pie recipes and none of them looked just right. Until I found yours! I only had a pound of ground beef, so I added a can of pinto beans. Worked out great. The toddler loved the filling (funny little dude doesn’t much go for bread) and the grown-ups loved the whole thing. Thank you!
This is the BEST recipe and now on the cold days my boyfriend only wants me to make this! Everything is great and I had added 1 can of kidney beans which made it that much better. Also to make it easier on myself I used 1 cornbread mix from a box!
This looks delicious. I can’t wait to try it.
Quick Question–Do you think that this can be made a day before it will be served or do you think the cornbread will get soggy? Looks fabulous!
Hi Grace, I did eat this as leftovers and while it was still good, it definitely wasn’t the same as fresh baked.
Thanks for having a “real” recipe as far as the corn bread part goes as I looked for other recipes and was so disappointed to see them giving boxed mixes for the corn bread instead of a recipe. Most boxed mixes have a recipe already on the box. What is the point. what a relief to see your recipe. I’m making it tonight.
I just made the Tamale Pie yesterday for a potluck dinner. It was a success! Everyone loved it!
This recipe looks great! quick question, i have a package of Martha White mexican corn bread in the cupboard, you think if i prepared that according to package and put that on top of the filling instead that would work out ok?
thanks
Hi Jasmine, Definitely, just make sure that it’s for a 9×13-inch pan. If it’s only for an 8 or 9-inch square pan, you’ll need to double it.
I love your version of Tamale Pie. Yours is so much lighter than the Tamale Pie I grew up with – and your is very flavorful. I grew up on tamale pie made from masa and lard (ugh-heavy, heavy). I will try this as soon as I can turn on my oven. (115 degrees here on the AZ desert) Can’t wait to try this.
LOVE, LOVE. Simply delicious. All of my favourite ingredients put together nicely. The polenta topping is a great substitute to any rice or other starch. Will be made again and again now. Many thanks for the post.
Call me crazy, but I made this dish for one reason only – I had an open jar of tomato paste that I had to use quickly (that, and the combination of ingredients sounded promising). And for once, I almost didn’t tinker with the recipe… the key word being “almost”. One thing I’d like to tell anyone attempting to tackle this recipe is: don’t be afraid of the spices! At first I was taken aback: two TABLESPOONS of chili powder? But the truth is, ground meat takes to spiciness well, and the topping is very mild, so don’t hesitate and bring on the chili! I did, however, cut the amount of salt down to 1/2 of a teaspoon. All in all, it was a great dish – hearty, filling, full of flavours, not too salty, and with a perfect spicy kick. Thanks for posting this!
I loved it. I made a few adjustments. I did not have any jalapenos, so I added a small can of diced green chilies. I thought that the jalapenos would have been too hot for the kids to eat. Great recipe.
Oh my goodness Michelle, this looks absolutely divine (and I am also more than a little tired of this heat and ready for fall!). I too tried a recipe from a cookbook for tamale pie that didn’t live up to my expectations, so I can’t wait to try yours! Yum!