This easy tamale casserole recipe is simple to make and is the epitome of comfort food. The cheese, cornbread, and other delicious ingredients will make you want seconds! It’s that good. And because I cook for just two people here, we always have leftovers. I’m all about leftovers:)
And the other really cool thing is that you can make this in just one pan. That makes cleaning up after dinner super easy. It’s also inexpensive, and that works out for me! I’m using two pans, but only because I don’t have one that works on the stove top burner and the stove that’s big enough.
What Ingredients Will I Need?
Most of the ingredients you’ll probably already have in your kitchen.
You’re going to need:
- Olive oil
- One onion
- 1/2 green bell pepper
- 1/2 red bell pepper
- 4 cloves of minced garlic
- salt and pepper
- 1 pound of ground meat
- 1 small can of green chiles
- Frozen corn (you can use canned if that’s what you have in your kitchen).
- Black beans, or you can use pinto beans
- Chili seasoning
- Cumin
- Cheddar cheese
- Tomato sauce
- Cornbread mix (or you can make it yourself)
- 1 egg
- Milk
- Parsley for garnish.
Homemade cornbread is easy peasy to make, but if you’re in a hurry, which I am frequently, use Jiffy cornbread mix with this tamale beef casserole or another brand that you prefer. There honestly isn’t a huge difference because once it’s mixed with the other ingredients, you’ll be in comfort food heaven. For tonight, I’m going to use Jiffy cornbread mix.
This Tex-Mex recipe is like kid food but for adults, too.
Can I freeze the easy tamale casserole?
Yes, you can freeze it! I’m all about that freezer, so it’s stocked with leftovers. Just use an airtight container, and the easy tamale casserole will keep in the freezer for two to three months.
Toppings and Substitutions
This tamale casserole is very versatile. You can easily make a chicken tamale casserole if you’re not in the mood for ground beef. If you use ground beef, I’d make it an 80/20 or a 90/10.
You can also substitute the ground beef with pork or ground turkey. As for the chicken tamale casserole, you can shred the chicken for that. Chicken tamale casserole is delicious. And the ingredients in a chicken tamale pie mix so well together. When you rotate your meals, you can switch from ground beef to chicken tamale pie.
For toppings, you can use sour cream and just place a dollop over the cornbread on top of the casserole. Salsa Verde and guacamole are both excellent ideas for topping off the cornbread casserole. Alternatively, you can go the vegetarian route with this casserole.
Sour cream, though, is my favorite to top the cornbread casserole. So, I’m going for sour cream tonight.
If you wanted to save time, you could substitute fire-roasted tomatoes and seasonings with enchilada sauce. I prefer it homemade, but enchilada sauce is good in a pinch and mixes well with the ground beef. To enchilada sauce or not enchilada sauce, that is the question. OK, I’ll shut up about enchilada sauce which isn’t even required in this tamale casserole recipe.
What Sides Go Well with This Tamale Beef Casserole?
You can serve this beef casserole with avocado slices, a green salad, cole slaw, Mexican street corn, and refried beans. I’m going to make this beef casserole tamale pie tonight with refried beans and a nice salad. And don’t forget to top your tamale beef casserole with sour cream on top of the cornbread.
I’m crazy about casseroles. They come in handy when you bring food to a friend’s get-together or eat at home, and put the rest of your beef tamale casserole in the freezer so you can feast on leftovers one night when you don’t feel up to cooking.
Let’s do this. I’m craving some of this tamale pie.
Serves: 6
Prep: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Total: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1/2 of green bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 of red bell pepper, diced
- 4 cloves of garlic
- A pinch of salt and pepper
- 1 pound of ground beef
- 1 8-ounce can of black beans (you can use pinto beans or kidney beans instead)
- 8-ounce can of tomato sauce
- 1 cup of defrosted frozen corn
- 1 teaspoon of cumin
- And a tablespoon of chili powder
- 1 cup of cheddar cheese
For the topping:
- Cornbread mix
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup of milk
Instructions:
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees
- Heat the olive oil. When it’s hot, add the diced onion, red pepper, green pepper, and salt and pepper. When they’re cooked and the onion is translucent, add the garlic. Stir.
- Add in the ground meat. Break it up into smaller pieces while you’re stirring. When the ground beef is cooked, throw out any excess oil/grease.
- Stir in the tomato sauce, corn, black beans, cumin, and chili powder. Simmer for a few minutes.
- Grease a baking pan, put the mixture inside, then cover it with cheddar cheese.
- Now, mix your cornbread mix, milk, and egg, then carefully lay it over the cheese and beef mixture.
- Cook in the oven uncovered for about 20 minutes until the cornbread is golden brown.
- Garnish with parsley, and serve with a dollop of sour cream on each serving if you like.
Enjoy!
Easy Tamale Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion medium, diced
- .5 red bell pepper diced
- .5 green bell pepper diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon Salt and pepper
- 1 pound ground beef
- 8 ounce black beans canned
- 8 ounce tomato sauce canned
- 1 cup corn defrosted
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- 1 cornbread mix
- .5 cup milk
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
- Heat the olive oil. When it's hot, add the diced onion, red pepper, green pepper, and salt and pepper. When they're cooked and the onion is translucent, add the garlic. Stir.
- Add in the ground meat. Break it up into smaller pieces while you're stirring. When the ground beef is cooked, throw out any excess oil/grease.
- Stir in the tomato sauce, corn, black beans, cumin, and chili powder. Simmer for a few minutes.
- Grease a baking pan, put the mixture inside, then cover it with cheddar cheese.
- Mix your cornbread mix, milk, and egg, then carefully lay it over the cheese and beef mixture.
- Cook in the oven uncovered for about 20 minutes until the cornbread is golden brown.
- Garnish with parsley, and serve with a dollop of sour cream on each serving if you like.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition
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I can’t wait to try this recipe! It looks delicous.