Tamale Pie Recipe
Perfect Tamale Pie Recipe – Our spicy tamale pie feeds a crowd with big flavors, and is much easier to make than traditional tamales. Your family will love this gluten free tamale-inspired pot pie!
Why We Love This Gluten Free Tamale Pie Recipe
Tamale-making is a ridiculously daunting process. I have made tamales before, but it is not something that I make regularly because they take so long to make!
But you know what I have made again and again? This Perfect Tamale Pie Recipe. What I lovingly call my tamale pot pie recipe is not authentic in the least. However, it is:
- Quick to prepare
- Easy to assemble
- Gluten-free
- And offers the essence of good tamales.
You’ve got a masa (corn flour) coating, that bakes into a pillowy tamale-like top. You’ve got spiced meaty filling that balances out the sweetness of the corn topping and is perfectly savory. And the best part, is you’ve got fewer supplies involved, less cleanup, and much less cook time.
Tamale Pie Ingredients
This easy tamale recipe packs lots of flavor, but is wonderfully simple and quick to make with many ingredients you probably keep in your regular rotation.
Here’s what you need for the meat mixture filling:
- Ground beef
- Sweet onion – peeled and chopped
- Red bell pepper – seeded and chopped
- Garlic cloves – minced
- Frozen corn, thaw and drain
- Canned crushed tomatoes
- Canned chopped green chiles
- Cornstarch
- Chili powder
- Cumin
- Salt
- Shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Ingredients for the tamale cornbread topping:
- Cornflour – masa
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Chicken broth
- Melted butter
- Shredded cheddar cheese
How to Make Tamale Pie
This crowd-pleaser of a meal is ready in less than an hour, from start to finish. You’ve probably made similar pot pie-like dinners such as this in one skillet, and you will certainly want to make an easy tamale recipe as one of your go-to favorites!
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F, and spray one large cast iron skillet, or two 9″ pie pans with non-stick spray.
Brown ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat. Push to the side once crumbled and cooked through, and add chopped onion, bell pepper, and minced garlic. Cook for a few minutes until the onion has softened.
Add frozen corn, crushed tomatoes, green chiles, corn starch, seasonings, and shredded cheese. Stir well and turn off the heat.
Next, make the gluten-free cornbread batter by mixing the corn flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add in the chicken broth and melted butter, and whisk until smooth. Finally, stir in the shredded cheese.
Spoon the meat filling evenly between the two prepared pie pans, or leave it in a cast iron skillet. Pour the corn topping batter over the pies, using a spatula to spread it to the edges of the pans.
Bake for 30-45 minutes until slightly brown on the top and an inserted toothpick comes out of the tamale pie topping clean.
Serve hot with any of your favorite sides and toppings, like green onions and sour cream.
Get The Full (Printable) Recipe Below this Gluten Free Tamale Pie Recipe. Enjoy!
Tips & Tricks
- Add extra ingredients! You can add some additional filling ingredients like black beans, pinto beans or black olives!
- If you like it extra spicy, add in some diced jalapeño or a dash of cayenne pepper. You can also serve your portion of tamale pie with your favorite salsa or hot sauce!
- If you don’t have corn flour, you can also just cornmeal or corn muffin mix, but each will have a different texture.
- If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, you can make the meat mixture in a different kind of oven safe pan, or transfer it to an oven safe dish before baking with the corn masa mixture on top!
Serving Suggestions
Tamale pie is a complete meal on its own, but is delicious served with some side dishes and toppings to make it extra special! Here are some of my favorite things to serve with it:
- Guacamole
- Sour Cream
- Red Salsa or Green Salsa
- Cotiija Cheese
- Cilantro
- Creamy Chimichurri Sauce
- Refried Beans
- Chimichurri Tomato Salad
Frequently Asked Questions
How Long Do Leftovers Last?
You can keep these leftovers in the refrigerator either wrapped well with a layer of plastic wrap or in an airtight container for 3 to 4 day days. Leftovers do need to be stored in the fridge.
Can Tamale Pies Be Frozen?
Yes, this recipe is excellent for meal prepping! But NOTE: If you are making these tamale pot pies in advance to freeze, DO NOT bake beforehand. Pour the corn batter on top of the pies and place in the freezer uncovered for one hour to allow the topping to harden. Then, wrap well with plastic wrap and a layer of aluminum foil, and place back in the freezer for up to 3 months.
See the complete recipe below for reheating tips!
Could I Make This Recipe With Chicken or Turkey?
Absolutely! You can make the perfect tamale pies with different meant variations like ground turkey or ground chicken. Also, use precooked rotisserie chicken to cut back on cooking time for the first part of the recipe. Add it in before adding the corn topping.
Or, thoroughly sauté cut up bite-sized boneless and skinless chicken breast pieces before adding the other ingredients.
How Can I Make Vegan / Vegetarian Tamale Pot Pies?
This tamale-inspired recipe can easily be made vegetarian-friendly by swapping out your favorite legumes, such as cooked lentils or canned garbanzo beans, in place of the ground beef, and subbing vegetable broth.
To make this recipe vegan as well, use your preferred shredded cheese substitute and swap cooking oil in place of the melted butter to make the gluten free tamale pie topping.
Looking for More Easy Comfort Dinners? Be Sure to Also Try:
- One-Pot Shrimp Black Bean Rice Skillet
- King Ranch Chicken Casserole
- Chicken Broccoli Quinoa Skillet
- Stuffed Fiesta Cornbread Casserole
- Skinny Chicken Fajita Soup Recipe
- Baked Spaghetti Pie Recipe
Check the printable recipe card below for the prep time, cook time, and nutrition information including calories, carbohydrates, protein, cholesterol, sodium, potassium, fiber, vitamin c, and calcium percentages.
Perfect Tamale Pie Recipe
Ingredients
For the Filling:
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 sweet onion, peeled and chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 15 ounces crushed tomatoes (1 can)
- 4 ounces chopped green chiles (1 can)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons chile powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
For the Tamale Top:
- 2 1/4 cups corn flour (masa)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2+ cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup melted butter
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray two 9-inch pie pans, one 9 X 13 inch baking dish, or a 12-14 inch cast iron skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- Place a large saute pan (or cast iron skillet) over medium heat. Add the ground beef and break into small pieces with a wooden spoon. Brown the meat, then push it to the sides of the pan and add the chopped onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Cook until the onions have softened. Then mix in the frozen corn, crushed tomatoes, green chiles, cornstarch, chile powder, cumin, salt and cheese. Stir well and turn off the heat.
- Meanwhile, mix the corn flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Add in the chicken broth and butter. Whisk until smooth. Then stir in the cheese.
- Pour the meat filling into the prepared pans. (If you cooked the filling in a cast-iron skillet, you can leave it in the pan.) Pour (or scoop) the corn batter evenly over the top and spread to the edges of the pans. Bake for 30-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the corn batter comes out clean. Serve warm!
I know you say to freeze this before baking, to use for another day/meal. But will it be okay to freeze leftovers after baking?
Thank you so much!
Hi Chris,
Yes, you can freeze the leftovers for 3-6 months, if well wrapped.
Since when do tamales have ground beef, cheese and vegetables? This isn’t supposed to taste like an authentic tamale. If you make it right, the ONLY thing that actually tastes like a tamale is the topping.
Best. dinner. ever! Everyone loved it, even the picky eaters! Beautiful presentation and so delicious! Will definitely be a house favorite!!
I wanted the authentic “tamale” flavor – used lard with the masa instead of butter. Used ground beef and chorizo. Covered the topping with professional (not regular) plastic wrap before covering with foil so the topping would steam (tamale flavor). WONDERFUL flavor! Thank you for this great, tweakable recipe!
yummy recipe..
It was awesome I add spinach, green bell pepper and black beans boy it was delicious
This is such a great recipe! I’ve made it three times now and it’s so simple and tasty. My husband adores it. This time I did ground venison, a little homemade red Chile sauce, a can of tomatoes, and sliced up a bunch of mini peppers. Added spices to taste. Then for my masa topping I used olive oil and a spoon of chicken bouillon and just had hot water there to keep adding until it’s the right consistency. I added the cheese to the top of my meat mixture in the dish, then poured over the masa topping. So hearty and just tastes better the next day. Thank you!
I loved this recipe. My family and I enjoyed it very much. The only reason why I didn’t give a 5 star is that supposedly your suppose to “pour the corn flour mixture on top.” I even added extra chicken broth to thin it up. I didn’t know how much I could add without messing it up. I basically had to spread it on but I wouldn’t call it spreadable. It would be nice if the recipe could be updated to make it as it says it’s suppose to. Nonetheless the recipe is a keeper.
Hi Kathern,
It sounds like maybe your cornflour mixture sat around for a while before spreading it over the top of the filling. That would have made it firm up a bit.
I agree. It was definitely not spreadable and mine did not sit out for a while.
It was super good though! I’d definitely make again! Easy to adjust too!
I had the same issue even after adding an extra 1/2 cup. I stirred and spread with no gap in between so it’s really not a timing issue.
Love how easy this was to make, but still so flavorful! My family loved it.
Perfection indeed! Terrific flavor, great textured cornmeal topping – yum!
I love tamale pie! This recipe is awesome. Thanks for sharing. :)
I like your recipes. I follow your boards in Pinterest. Why have you turned off ‘pinning’ the recipes? I want the recipe in one of my categories not an entire board (where it is difficult to search)!
Hi Bob,
We haven’t turned anything off. Try refreshing your browser and let me know if you still can’t pin.
Why can’t I use the pin it button?
Somewhere in my house, I know I have a recipe that is similar to this, but I looked in all kinds of places and didn’t find it. I will have to make yours soon, because now I’m hungry for it. I also like tamales. A few years ago, my Latina neighbor gave us a bunch of tamales at Christmas time as a thank you for assistance with snow shoveling. They were delicious. It was nice being the recipient of such a nice treat! We haven’t gotten them in a while, though. Now our other neighbor works at a cheese packaging plant and they give us a big bag of various cheese treats at Christmas now!
I was really nervous about making this new Tamale pie recipe.. But it turned out great. The masa flour really made a difference .
Nummy, easy, people pleaser.
I made this with chorizo and black beans instead of the hamburger. I separated it into 2 casserole dishes – made one, froze the other. Both times it was well received. It was easy to pull the frozen one out and bake. I did let it thaw overnight in the frig rather than putting it directly in the oven.
I just love tamales and being able to make a masa topping like this on a casserole is certainly easier but just as tasty. I simply love corn anything.
I didn’t put cheese in the filling, and only some in the corn topping. Sometimes I feel the cheese flavor gets lost and then It’s just extra calories. If I had queso fresco or other type of Mexican cheese, that would probably be great.
I like the idea someone mentioned of putting corn in the tamale topping! Thanks for a great recipe.
What a wonderful recipe!
I made it as is and the flavor of the masa topping is soooo tamale! It didn’t need any extra moisture-
It was the true consistency of the batter used in making tamales.
It spread nicely.
I can’t wait for my daughter to come home from work and taste this casserole!
Definitely saving this!
Thank You!!!
Love this!! I intended to make tamales this winter with some leftover smoked brisket I had in the freezer, but really wanted the flavor now. So glad I found this recipe (many tamale pie recipes call for a box of jiffy corn muffin mix. Not the right flavor as it’s too sweet). I did use the smoked brisket instead of ground beef. I also used spicier chiles because we like the heat and beef stock instead of chicken stock. Thanks for this!