Cornbread Tamale Pie

This is a recipe that I have had in my recipe book for many, many years. I first received this recipe from my cousin Anne back in the 90’s. She would make this every time I visited her as a child. I kindly asked her for the recipe, and now, over 30 years later, I still make it, and we still love it. I typically make this in the fall and winter because it is a hearty, cozy, and comforting meal. It is easy to make and full of flavor. Although it is full-on “the end of summer” here and blazin’ hot, I turned on my oven and whipped up this delicious dinner. Now you can serve this however you want, and typically I serve this with a side salad, but when it calls for it, I will cook up my stewed green beans to go along with it.

This dish can be made in one pan if you have a stove-to-oven-safe pan like a cast iron or something similar, or you can make it in a skillet and place it in a baking dish. Whichever you want to do, it will do the trick. The base of this dish is a “Chili” base and a cornbread topping. They both work so well together. One thing I will say is that if you want the base thicker, then cook it longer. If you want the base less thick, then do not cook it as long. The cornbread will soak up some of the liquid in the base. This makes the cornbread so good.

So let’s get started.

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. Ground beef
1 Onion – Diced
1/2 Bell pepper – Diced
2 Cloves Garlic – minced
1 Tbsp. Tomato paste
1 (15oz) Can Black beans – drained and rinsed
1 (15oz) Can Corn – drained and rinsed
1 (8oz) Can Tomato sauce
1/2 C. Beef broth
1 Tbsp. Chili powder
1 Tsp. Cumin
1/2 Tsp. Smoked paprika ( regular paprika works well)
1/2 Tsp. Dried Oregano
Salt and pepper – to taste

TOPPING:

3/4 C. Cornmeal
1/4 C. Flour
1 Tsp. Sugar
1 1/2 Tsp. Baking powder
1/2 Tsp. Salt
1 Egg
1/2 C. Buttermilk ( more if needed to make a batter)
2 Tbsp. Butter – melted and cooled

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 425* and butter or lightly spray a 9-inch baking dish. Set aside.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, add the ground beef, onion, and bell pepper. Season with salt and pepper. Break apart with a spoon and cook until the ground beef is cooked through and the vegetables are tender. This should take about 10 to 12 minutes. Drain any excess grease if necessary.
3. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds or until fragrant. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
4. Add the black beans, corn, tomato sauce, beef broth, chili powder, cumin, paprika, and oregano. Season with a bit more salt and pepper. Go light with the salt because you can always add more later. Mix well. Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered for 8-10 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent burning. Cook until the mixture has thickened to your liking.
5. Meanwhile, in another bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
6. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk, and melted butter. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir together until just combined. Do not overmix.
7. Transfer the beef mixture into the prepared dish. Spread out evenly. Spoon over the cornmeal mixture and gently spread it over the beef mixture to the edges.
8. Bake at 425* for 20-25 minutes or until the cornbread mixture is golden brown and cooked through.
9. Remove from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
10. Serve as desired.

NOTES:

• You can add 1/2 Cup of shredded cheddar cheese on top of the cornbread for the last 5 minutes of baking.
• If you do not want to add cheddar cheese to the top, you can add the cheese to the cornmeal batter.
• If you want the base to be a bit spicy, then add in some chipotles in adobo. If chipotles aren’t your thing, then add in red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper. You can even leave it as is and add a bit of hot sauce on top of your serving.
• Serve with any side dish that you like or prefer.