Cornbread Tamale Pie

It’s been all spaghetti, tacos, hamburgers, and pancakes over here. Which we love but honestly, we’re in a food rut and we’re in deep.

What’s meal time been like for you lately?

Since we’re focusing on personal restoration this month on the blog, I thought our weekly dinner menu could use a little restoration too. Which means pulling out the enormous stack of cookbooks I own and actually cooking something from them!

This recipe for cornbread tamale pie comes from The Joy of Cooking cookbook.

Filling
1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion
1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup drained canned or frozen corn
1 cup tomato sauce
1 cup water or beef or chicken broth
1/2 cup diced green bell peppers
1/1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Cornbread Topping
1/4 cup cornmeal
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour (or GF flour)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1 tablespoon olive oil

Sauté onions and ground beef in a skillet over medium-high heat. When the meat is browned and the onions are translucent (about 10 minutes) add beans, corn, tomato sauce, water or broth, green peppers, and spices. Simmer for 15 minutes and set aside.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Whisk cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a small bowl. In another bowl whisk egg, milk, and olive oil. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and whisk until well combined. Spread the meat mixture into a greased 3-quart casserole dish and cover with the cornbread topping. The topping might disappear into the meat mixture but will rise during baking and form a layer of cornbread. Bake until the bread is brown – about 20 to 25 minutes.

I like to cut this recipe in half and bake it in a pie dish. This recipe is easy to make substitutions in if you don’t have everything on hand. Don’t have tomato sauce? Use spaghetti sauce, salsa, or enchilada sauce. Skip the corn and green peppers — no biggie. Out of onions? Use a little onion powder. You can make the corn bread gluten free or use a boxed Jiffy cornbread mix. Seriously. Mix it up.

It’s great served with shredded cheese, chopped lettuce and tomatoes, and a little green chili enchilada sauce on the side.

Make ONE new recipe. If you’re feeling adventurous, try two. Changing up your food routine in the simplest of ways can have a big impact. It’ll jolt you out of the everyday-ho-hum-dinenr-rut. Tell me below what you might make!