Tasty Tamale Pie - Casserole

photo by Chicagoland Chef du

- Ready In:
- 1hr
- Ingredients:
- 12
- Serves:
-
6
ingredients
-
FILLING
- 1 lb lean ground beef, cooked and drained
- 1 small onion, fine dice
- 16 ounces bottled salsa, any heat preference I like medium
- 1⁄3 cup water
- 1 (7/8 ounce) packet taco seasoning, Chi Chi's Fiesta is my preference
- 3 ounces ripe black olives, chopped (optional)
-
CRUST
- 1 cup cornmeal, dry
- 12 ounces evaporated milk, I have used whole milk
- 4 ounces green chilies, canned, diced
- 1 cup monterey jack pepper cheese, divided, grated, sub. cheddar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 jalapeno, sliced
directions
- Preheat oven to 400°.
- Cook ground beef and onion in a large skillet until beef is browned, and onions tender, drain.
- Stir in salsa (can make smoother in texture in the food processor, if you desire), water and taco seasoning packet; bring to a boil until some of the water as boiled off and it is the sauce is saucy not thin and watery.
- Reduce heat to low and stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes. Add olives, if using, and stir.
- In a medium sauces pan: combine cornmeal, evaporated milk, green chilies, 1/2 C cheese and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly for 5-7 minutes or until thickened (to the consistency of thin oatmeal).
- In a 8x8 ungreased baking dish: Spoon in meat filling, then spread cornmeal on top of meat mixture.
- Bake for 25 minutes, sprinkle with remaining cheese and garnish w/ jalapenos. Bake an additional 5 minutes until cheese is melted.
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Reviews
-
Just finished making and eating this. I am feeding a horde so modified it slightly to accommodate not havng quite enough to double the recipe, and mostly all that entailed was adding a can of refried beans to the meat mix. Left out the jalapeños. I also used my own taco seasoning, recipe available on garden-of-eatin.com So in actuality, I made it almost exactly as written, and it's a solid 5 star. Definitely use a good salsa, a poor one would make the difference in a recipe like this!
-
I followed exactly except for more olives. The "crust" thickened really fast and was a little hard to spread, but tasted like a really good tamale. Next time I'll use HOT salsa & add an additional jalepeno or two and serve with sour cream. We had a ranch salad on the side and it was a perfect dinner! A definite keeper!
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Tweaks
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
Chicagoland Chef du
Hinsdale, Illinois
Hi there! Originally CHICAGOLAND CHEF DU JOUR, I like to think of myself as a fantastic home cook with a flair for the gourmet. I have gotten & shared many recipes since I became a member in 2007. Although I have not been active in a few years, I still return to look for recipes from some of my fave chefs. Thanks to all you have helped me over the years and thanks a bunch to any and all reviews.