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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.
Total Time1 hour
Servings: 6
Author: Recipe from Joy of Cooking; Adapted by Jennifer Steinhauer; Recipe restructured by Bryan Higgs

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.