Easy Skillet Tamale Pie Recipe (Gluten-Free Option)
This savory Tamale Pie Recipe mimics traditional tamales in casserole (or pie) form! Featuring a meaty filling with beans, corn, chiles, aromatics, and enchilada sauce topped with a cheesy, fluffy cornbread crust. This easy recipe is comfort food at its absolute finest– and perfect for busy weeknights!
What is Tamale Pie?
Tamale pie casserole is a comforting casserole dish that features all the flavors of traditional tamales in pie form. It has a savory filling made from seasoned ground beef, chicken, or pork, combined with onions, garlic, seasonings, broth, and tomato or enchilada sauce. It’s then topped with a cornbread or masa (corn dough) batter and baked until the topping is golden and firm, creating a layered dish with a soft, flavorful base and a slightly crunchy, cornbread-like top.
This easy recipe is a great way to enjoy tamale flavors without the hard work of wrapping tamales in corn husks.
Why You’ll Love This Easy Tamale Pie Recipe
This dish is kind of like a tamale – but without all the work – and a chili-enchilada mash-up! This Tamale Pie Recipe is the perfect dish to serve for Halloween night, for game days, or for a crowd on any night.
It is so flexible too (see the notes on the bottom to make it vegan) and so easy. It reheats well and freezes well too. Just serve with a salad or a non-starchy vegetable and you have a complete meal!
For more, try these Mexican-inspired recipes: Mexican Lasagna Recipe, Make Black Beans from Scratch, Mexican Cobb Salad, or Restaurant Style Spanish Rice.
Ingredient Notes
Base
- extra-virgin olive oil
- meat of choice: You can do ground chicken, lean ground beef, ground turkey, or ground pork.
- sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- yellow onion or red onion
- poblano pepper
- jalapeño
- garlic cloves
- chili powder
- ground cumin
- small can of red enchilada sauce
- chicken stock or vegetable stock
- cooked beans of choice (black beans, pinto beans, etc.)
- and/or fresh corn or frozen corn kernels
Cornbread Topping
- masa harina
- all-purpose flour: Or a good gluten-free flour blend, like King Arthur or Bob’s Red Mill.
- aluminum-free baking powder
- sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- large egg + egg white
- whole milk or plain, unsweetened soy milk
- chicken broth or vegetable stock
- shredded cheddar cheese: You could also do Monterey Jack or another favorite shredded cheese.
- sliced pickled or regular jalapeños
- Optional: Hot sauce and sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, for serving
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Prepare the chili: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. In a 12-inch cast iron skillet (or another large skillet that is oven-safe), heat the olive oil until it simmers. Add the ground meat and season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium-high heat, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until just starting to brown but not cooked through- about 5 minutes.
- Add the onions, poblanos, jalapeños, garlic, and a pinch each of salt and pepper to the skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are just softened and the meat is cooked through- 6 to 8 minutes. Add the chili powder and cumin and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the enchilada sauce and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Simmer, over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the beans and/or corn kernels and remove from heat.
- Meanwhile, prepare the cornbread mixture: In a large bowl, whisk the masa harina with the flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper. In another medium bowl, beat the eggs with the milk and chicken broth. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and whisk the batter until smooth. Fold in 1/4 cup of the cheese.
- Dollop the cornbread batter over the chili meat mixture and gently spread it into an even layer. It will seem like a very thin layer of cornbread, but it will rise in the oven. Scatter the pickled or regular jalapeños over the batter, then sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese on top. Bake the tamale pie until bubbling and the cornbread is risen and lightly golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it sit for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with hot sauce and sour cream.
Expert Tips
- Masa is the traditional dough used to make corn tortillas. It’s made from dried corn that has been nixtamalized, which is a process in which dried corn kernels are soaked and cooked in an alkaline solution to loosen the hulls and make the corn softer for grinding. Masa harina, on the other hand, is a flour that is made from dried masa dough. Masa harina is commonly used to make corn tortillas, too, but it’s also used to make tamales, tamal de cazuela, pupusas and arepas.
- Make it vegan: swap ground vegan protein for meat like Beyond Meat or cooked lentils. Swap flax egg (2 Tablespoons flax meal + 6 Tablespoons warm water) for egg in the batter. Use vegan cheese or omit it. Serve with dairy-free sour cream or avocado.
- For best results, I encourage you to use a cast-iron skillet so you only need one pan for this meal. If you don’t have an oven-safe skillet, you can transfer the meat mixture to a baking dish and top with the cornbread batter, then bake.
Serving & Storage Tips
You can serve this delicious tamale pie recipe with any of your favorite toppings like hot sauce, sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, black olives, additional cheese or green chiles, and more!
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in a skillet or the microwave and serve with desired toppings.
To freeze, let the casserole cool completely, then store in an airtight, freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, reheat, and serve!
More Easy Casserole Recipes
- Turkey Bolognese Spaghetti Squash Casserole
- Roasted Vegetable and Black Bean Enchiladas Verdes (Casserole Version)
- Cheesy Broccoli Casserole Recipe
- Deconstructed Stuffed Cabbage Casserole
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Tamale Pie Recipe
This savory Tamale Pie Recipe mimics traditional tamales in casserole (or pie) form! Featuring a meaty filling with beans, corn, chiles, aromatics, and enchilada sauce topped with a cheesy, fluffy cornbread crust. This easy recipe is comfort food at its absolute finest– and perfect for busy weeknights!
Base
- 2 Tablespoons unrefined extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 pounds ground meat of choice (chicken, turkey, or pork)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 medium yellow or red onion (finely chopped)
- 1 poblano pepper (stemmed, seeded and chopped)
- 1 jalapeño (stemmed, seeded and minced)
- 3 garlic cloves (minced)
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- One 10-ounce can red enchilada sauce
- 1 cup chicken stock or vegetable stock
- 1 cup cooked beans of choice and/or fresh or frozen corn kernels
Cornbread Topping
- Heaping ¾ cup masa harina
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour or a good GF flour blend (like King Arthur or Bob’s Red Mill)
- 1 Tablespoon aluminum-free baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large egg + 1 egg white
- ½ cup whole milk or plain (unsweetened soy milk)
- ½ cup chicken or vegetable stock
- ½ cup shredded cheddar (divided or vegan cheese or omit)
- ½ cup sliced pickled or regular jalapeños
- Optional: Hot sauce and sour cream or plain Greek yogurt (for serving)
- Prepare the chili: Preheat the oven to 425 F degrees. In a 12-inch cast-iron skillet, heat the olive oil until it shimmers. Add the ground meat and season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium-high heat, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until just starting to brown but not cooked through, about 5 minutes.
- Add the onions, poblanos, jalapeños, garlic and a pinch each of salt and pepper to the skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are just softened and the meat is cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the chili powder and cumin and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the enchilada sauce and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Simmer, over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the beans and/or corn kernels and remove from heat.
- Meanwhile, prepare the cornbread: In a medium bowl, whisk the masa harina with the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper. In another medium bowl, beat the eggs with the milk and chicken broth. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and whisk the batter until smooth. Fold in 1/4 cup of the cheese.
- Dollop the cornbread batter over the chili and gently spread into an even layer. It will seem like a very thin layer of cornbread, but it will rise in the oven. Scatter the pickled or regular jalapeños over the batter, then sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese on top. Bake the tamale pie until bubbling and the cornbread is risen, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it sit for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with hot sauce and sour cream.
Expert Tips
- Masa is the traditional dough used to make corn tortillas. It’s made from dried corn that has been nixtamalized, which is a process in which dried corn kernels are soaked and cooked in an alkaline solution to loosen the hulls and make the corn softer for grinding. Masa harina, on the other hand, is a flour that is made from dried masa dough. Masa harina is commonly used to make corn tortillas, too, but it’s also used to make tamales, tamal de cazuela, pupusas and arepas.
- Make it vegan: swap ground vegan protein for meat like Beyond Meat or cooked lentils. Swap flax egg (2 Tablespoons flax meal + 4 Tablespoons warm water) for egg in the batter. Use vegan cheese or omit it. Serve with dairy-free sour cream or avocado.
- For best results, I encourage you to use a cast-iron skillet so you only need one pan for this meal. If you don’t have an oven-safe skillet, you can transfer the meat mixture to a baking dish and top with the cornbread batter, then bake.
Serving & Storage Tips
You can serve this delicious tamale pie with any of your favorite toppings like hot sauce, sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, black olives, additional cheese or green chiles, and more!
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in a skillet or the microwave and serve with desired toppings.
To freeze, let the casserole cool completely, then store in an airtight, freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, reheat, and serve!
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