Cornbread Tamale Pie
This recipe came to The Times in a 2006 magazine article about the 75th anniversary edition of The Joy of Cooking, the soup-to-nuts cookbook found on practically every home cook's shelf since its first publication in 1931. Like many of the book's beloved recipes, this dish is a crowd-pleasing, homespun classic that is incredibly simple to put together. First, make a quick chili of beef, black beans, corn, green pepper and onion seasoned with chile power and cumin. Spread that in a baking dish, top with a simple cornbread batter and pop it into the oven. In about a half hour: tamale pie.
Servings: 6
Ingredients
For the Filling
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 1 cup rinsed and drained canned black beans
- 1 cup corn drained, canned or frozen (thawed if frozen)
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 1 cup beef or chicken broth
- ½ cup diced green bell pepper optional
- 1 tablespoon chile powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt plus more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper plus more to taste
For the Crust
- Cooking oil spray for greasing pan
- ¾ cup cornmeal
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 egg
- ⅓ cup milk
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Instructions
For the Filling
- In a large skillet, saute the beef and onion over medium-high heat until the meat is brown and the onion translucent, about 10 minutes. Then add the beans, corn, tomato sauce, broth, bell pepper (if using), chili powder, cumin, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes. Set aside.
For the Crust
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and a teaspoon of salt. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, milk and oil until combined. Whisk the milk mixture into the flour mixture until combined.
To Bake
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Grease a 3-quart high-sided casserole dish with cooking spray.
- Spread the meat mixture into the casserole dish and cover with the corn bread topping. The topping will disappear into the meat mixture but will rise during baking and form a layer of corn bread.
- Bake until the corn bread is brown, 20 to 25 minutes.
- Serve with hot sauce, a dollop of sour cream and a few slices of avocado.
Notes
If you’re trying to eat less red meat, ground turkey or chicken would make a fine substitute for the beef.