If a Mexican and a Southerner got in the kitchen to cook side by side, this is the kind of food that I think they would make: comforting, spicy, and generous enough to feed an army of friends or family. Tamale pie is like corn bread and chili in one—and it’s really satisfying. Kids love this dish, but you might want to omit the chipotle chile if making it for young taste buds!
Read Related: Mexican Comfort Food: The Dumpling
CHIPOTLE TAMALE PIE
Serves: 6
Ingredients
1 TBSP unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 TBSP olive oil
¾ lb ground turkey (preferably white meat) or lean ground beef
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, ribbed, and diced
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 TSP ground cumin
1 15 oz can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 8 oz can diced tomatoes
1 to 2 canned chipotle chiles en adobo, seeded and minced, plus 1 teaspoon adobo sauce
1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
1⁄2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 8.5 oz package corn bread mix (plus ingredients needed to make the corn bread batter)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F. Grease an 8 inch square baking dish with the butter and set it aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the ground turkey, onion, bell pepper, and garlic, season with salt and pepper, and cook until the turkey is no longer pink and is cooked through, about 8 minutes. Drain off any excess fat and sprinkle the meat mixture with the cumin.
- Add the beans, tomatoes, chiles, and adobo sauce to the skillet and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until heated through and slightly thickened, 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cheese and cilantro.
- Spread the turkey mixture in the prepared baking dish, pressing down on it with the back of a spoon to make an even, compact layer.
- Prepare the corn bread mix according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Spread the corn bread batter over the turkey mixture and bake until the corn bread is golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Let the tamale pie stand for 5 minutes before cutting into squares and serving.
This recipe was originally published in Simply Delicioso by Ingrid Hoffman (Random House).
