Tamale Pie Recipe
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This scrumptious tamale pie recipe includes taco-spiced beef, fluffy cornbread, and melted cheese and french fried onions on top. It tastes as good as it sounds.
There’s a sweet story to tell about this tamale pie recipe. I met my friend Debbie during the aftermath of the April 2011 tornadoes. I was recovering and so were many families. We met at a local church and when she saw that I was recovering too, dear Debbie wanted to bring over some food to help keep me off my feet.
Tamale pie is one of her go-to recipes. As soon as I took the lid off and got a whiff of the cheese, spicy beef, and those french fried onions I had to ask for the recipe. She was gracious enough to share it and I’m tickled to death to share it with you.
Oh mercy, is this ever good! It’s like a cross between a Mexican casserole and a cornbread casserole. You get all those delicious Mexican flavors on the bottom, with a fluffy cornbread topping. Fortunately, this is so easy to make for supper as well. It’s easy to see why this comfort food main dish is now a firm family favorite in my household.
I feel a cooking session coming on…
Recipe Ingredients
- Ground beef
- Rotel
- Taco seasoning
- Corn
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- French fried onions
- Corn muffin mix
- The fixings for the corn muffin mix (eggs and milk)
How To Make Tamale Pie
First, brown your ground beef and then drain it.
Then add in the taco seasoning…
Corn…
Rotel tomatoes…
And 1/2 of the french fried onions.
Stir up your ground beef mixture.
Spread this into the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish.
Don’t dig into the pie yet, it’s about to get even better thanks to that .
Now, you need to make the cornbread mixture.
Add the Jiffy corn muffin mix to a mixing bowl and mix according to package directions.
This usually includes milk…
And a couple of eggs.
Mix those ingredients together.
Then spread the over the top of the ground beef mixture in the baking dish.
Bake that at 400 for about 20 minutes, or until the cornbread is golden brown.
Top with shredded cheese and remaining french fried onions and return to oven until cheese is melted.
Your tamale pie should look like this fresh out of the oven. YUM!
Serve with sour cream and guacamole if you like and ENJOY!
Storage
- You can store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. It’s best to reheat in the oven to make the top nice and crispy again.
- This tamale pie recipe also freezes really well. Just make sure it is sealed in an airtight container and you can feel good making a large batch and freezing some for later. I find that it usually stays good for 2 to 3 months. Just take it out of the freezer the night before to let it thaw out before you go ahead and warm it up for some good eatin’.
Recipe Notes
- You can add some black beans or even a kidney can in place of some of the beef. This way, you get more fiber and it’s a little easier on your pocketbook.
- Another option is to substitute the lean ground beef for ground turkey, ground chicken, or even rotisserie chicken or cooked and shredded chicken breast.
- Feel free to substitute the cheddar cheese for Monterey Jack cheese or a Mexican cheese blend.
- You can also substitute the whole kernel for if you prefer or have it on hand already.
- Here are some additions you can add to this tamale pie recipe:
- A can of black olives, drained.
- A cup of chopped bell pepper and a cup of chopped yellow onion. Saute them in the skillet with the ground beef.
- 1 teaspoon of for added heat.
You may also enjoy these ground beef recipes:
Ground Beef Stew (with a secret!)
Instant Pot Beef Barbacoa Tacos
Beef Tater Tot Casserole Recipe
Stuffed Peppers With Ground Turkey or Beef
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
- 1 packet taco seasoning
- 1 can whole kernel corn drained
- 1 can original Rotel tomatoes
- 3 cups french fried onions
- 2 boxes corn muffin mix and ingredients to make it according to pkg directions
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- In a large skillet, cook the ground beef until done, breaking up as you do so with a wooden spoon or whatever you grab out of the kitchen drawer first. Drain off the grease.1 1/2 pounds ground beef
- Stir in the taco seasoning, corn, Rotel tomatoes (juice and all), and half of the french fried onions. Spread into the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish.1 packet taco seasoning, 1 can whole kernel corn, 1 can original Rotel tomatoes, 3 cups french fried onions
- Prepare the Jiffy cornbread mix according to package directions all in one mixing bowl. Spread the cornbread batter on top of the meat mixture.2 boxes corn muffin mix
- Bake, uncovered, at 400 for 20 minutes or until the cornbread topping is golden. Top with shredded cheese and remaining french fried onions. Return to oven until cheese is melted. Serve with sour cream.3 cups french fried onions, 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Notes
Nutrition
“Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.”
~Dalai Lama
~Submitted by Jenny. Submit yours by clicking here.
Thank you for sharing! I’m always looking for new entrees that I can make for my parents to help my mom out. This looks perfect and my mom will just have to warm it up in the oven.
How sweet of you Kathy!! I hope she enjoys it!!
Had this for supper tonight and we loved it! I didn’t have any french fried onions (and was too lazy to go to the store) so I’m anxious to make it again with them. Also, all I had on hand was the “hot” Rotel tomatoes and it sure gave it a kick…but we like spicy food so that was ok….yummy! Thanks, Debbie and Christy!! 🙂
I am so glad to hear that you liked it Tracy!!
I made this for the first time today with a recipe from my sister-in-law who lives in North Dakota. I did not have the French fried onions and I forgot to put in the taco seasoning and the cheese but it was way delicious! Thank you so much for the recipe. Oh and I used my own cornbread recipe I love to make my own cornbread. Thanks again! Marie in Iowa
I love reading everyone’s variations of the recipe. The original calls for chopped bell peppers but we don’t like them so I always leave them out. I didn’t realize Rotel wasn’t available everywhere! It is a staple in my house! I am sure fresh homemade salsa would be an excellent alternative and I would love to get my hands on some of those homemade French fried onions! BTW I always leave a hole in the middle of the cornbread because it can bubble over! It was my pleasure, although a little intimidating, to cook this for Christy but what an honor that she wanted to share it! Debbie Tidwell
It would be helpful if you’d explain some of the ingredients. Never heard of Ro-tel before. Took several months to discover what it was. It’s not for sale (as far as I know) here in the middle of NY State.
In the past I’ve tried to avoid using Rotel because folks from other places didn’t know what it was, and I got hundreds of comments saying “why don’t you just use RoTel?” lol.
I try to be helpful but please keep in mind that I have lived in Alabama all my life and have never had the fun of shopping in a grocery store in New York. We should work out a grocery exchange program 😉
A substitute for Rotel would be a 12 ounce can of diced tomatoes and a 4 ounce can of chopped green chiles. 🙂
Does the Rotel/Canned Tomatos have to be drained first? I don’t want to mess this one up with too much tomato juice… Thanks!
Those poor people that don’t know what RoTel is.
Janice, I know what you mean! Rotelle is a staple in every Southern Kitchen!
For some reason I tried to print the recipe and it won’t print it!! My husband can’t figure it out!!
I’m so sorry Donna! I double checked my coding (I have to hand code each recipe to print) and there weren’t any errors. I also tried it on my end and it worked. Maybe you have some type of blocking whosiewhatsit on?
I just copyed it off and it worked ok
Thanks for letting me know Donna, I will look into it on my end.
Cheese is melting….. Looks yummy!
I hope you enjoy Janice!!
My husband and grandkids are going to love this when I make it. And by the way… got home from work a few minutes ago and there was my Hamilton Beach Food Processor that I won. Thank you! Thank you! Can’t wait to start using my new processor.
I am so glad to hear that it arrived safely!! And I hope everyone enjoys the recipe!!