This tamale pie has it all: a saucy and spicy ground beef layer topped with cheesy green chile cornbread, with more melty cheese to go around! Topped with a little honey drizzle for an epically sweet touch, this tamale pie is about as good as it gets when it comes to filling comfort food.
Some links in this post may be affiliate links. Should you click through to that product and make a purchase, 40 Aprons will receive a small compensation, at no additional cost to you. Anything mentioned here is referred solely based on my experience and satisfaction with the company and/or product, and not because of any potential commission. I’ll identify any affiliate links when they appear within the post!
What Makes This Recipe So Good
Enchilada sauce – Full of seasonings and flavor, this rich, tomato-y sauce gives this tamale pie taste like a bite of Mexico.
Green chiles – These chiles are smoky and flavorful and combine perfectly with the seasoned beef and sweet cornbread.
Cornbread – Sweet and full of corn flavor with bites of cheese and chiles, this is the ultimate crust for your pie.
How To Make Tamale Pie
The full recipe & ingredients list are below, but here you’ll find a quick overview for making this recipe perfectly, along with useful tips and info!
Preheat the oven to 350º F. Cook the beef in a cast iron skillet on the stove until it’s starting to brown and release juice.
Stir in the taco seasoning and bell pepper and cook until they’re soft.
Add the enchilada sauce, some of the green chiles, and the corn, and stir. Remove from the heat and sprinkle with some cheddar cheese.
Stir together the dry ingredients for the cornbread. Make a little hole in the center of the mixture and add the oil and honey. Stir and then add the milk and eggs, stirring to totally combine. Then stir in the rest of the ingredients.
Spoon the cornbread mixture evenly over the beef.
Bake until the topping is golden brown. Cool for a few minutes and then drizzle with honey and garnish.
Top Tips For Making
- To make this recipe even easier, use a box of cornbread mix for the crust. Just stir in the chiles, corn, and cheese.
- You can swap out the ground beef for ground turkey or even ground seitan for a vegetarian tamale pie.
- This tamale pie is perfect for making ahead of time and freezing. Bake the pie per the instructions, then let it cool before wrapping in aluminum foil or plastic wrap and freezing. You can keep your pie in the freezer for up to 2 months!
More Comfort Food Recipes
- Cottage Cheese Alfredo
- Best Ever Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie
- Mom’s Best Tuna Noodle Casserole
- Dreamy Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
Hey – you’ve made it this far, and now we’re best friends! If you make this recipe, I’d love for you to give it a star rating ★ below. Make sure you follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook, too!
Tamale Pie
Ingredients
- 2 4.5-ounce cans chopped green chiles like Old El Paso, divided
- 1 ½ cups corn divided
- 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese divided
For the Filling
- 1 pound lean ground beef at least 80%
- 1 cup medium red enchilada sauce like Old El Paso
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- 1 packet taco seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the Crust
- 1 cup gluten-free all purpose flour or all-purpose flour, if not gluten free
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- pinch salt
- ¾ cup milk
- 6 tablespoons avocado oil or vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
To Serve
- 6 ounces honey for drizzling
- avocado for garnish, optional
- jalapeños for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. In 10-inch ovenproof skillet, cook beef over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef is starting to brown and release juices.
- Stir in taco seasoning and bell pepper. Cook until softened.
- Stir in enchilada sauce, 1 can of the green chiles, and 1 cup corn. Remove from heat.
- Sprinkle with 1 cup of the cheddar cheese.
- In a large bowl, stir together the flour, cornmeal, salt, and baking powder. Make a hole in the center of the dry ingredients. Add the oil and honey and stir well. Add milk and eggs and stir to combine. Stir in remaining 1 can green chiles, 1/2 cup corn, and remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Spoon batter evenly over beef mixture.
- Bake 30-35 minutes or until topping is golden brown. Cool 5 minutes. Drizzle with honey, garnish, and serve.
Notes
- Crust options: Use a box of cornbread mix for the crust. Just stir in the chiles, corn, and cheese.
- Ingredient options:Â Ground beef can be swapped for ground turkey or even ground seitan for a vegetarian tamale pie.
- Freezing: Bake the pie per the instructions, then let it cool before wrapping in aluminum foil or plastic wrap and freezing. Can be frozen up to 2 months.
Nutrition
Cheryl Malik is the recipe developer, writer, and photographer behind the healthy, flavorful, family friendly recipes at 40 Aprons. She’s been a blogger for 10+ years and is known for her delicious recipes and detailed recipe instructions. Cheryl is a mom of three who lives in Memphis, TN.
Chelsea says
I made this for dinner last night and it was SO good. The cornbread on top is to die for. There is a much bigger ratio of cornbread to meat so next time I think I’ll halve the cornbread recipe. Definitely adding this into our rotation!
Cheryl Malik says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Chelsea! Thank you for the compliments 🙂
Emily says
This was really good! I would have preferred more filling to less cornbread, so next time I will experiment with adjusting the filling up 1.5x and doing a 1/2 recipe of the cornbread, I think. I used Hatch green chiles instead of the canned green chiles and the flavor was fantastic. Thanks!
sabrina says
What a fun way to make a tamale and cornbread even better, ground beef yes and enhilada sauce plus green chile puts it over, thank you!