Tamale Pie

In my house when I buy hamburger, If it gets put in the freezer in the chunk form - the only thing we use it for is to brown it because making patties from frozen burger is nasty - they fall apart. So when I called home and asked my daughter to go find something to thaw out for dinner, tonight she pulled out some burger, the first thing that came to my mind was burritos, no - didn't sound good, spaghetti, - nope not hitting the spot tonight, enchilada casserole, maybe - Tamale pie, winner!!! This is a dish my mom use to make, that we all enjoyed, I have make this in a Dutch Oven as well as a 9x13 pan, outside as well as the oven. This is a very versatile dish - you can half if for a small group, double it for a large one.  I hope you enjoy this as much as my family does. 

Tamale Pie

2 Tbsp olive oil                   

2 C chopped onions

2 C green peppers            

2 lb. Ground Beef

2 clove minced garlic       

2 Tbsp Sugar           

2 tsp salt                                

Dash of pepper

4 (8oz) tomato sauce       

2 cans corn

2 cans chopped olives     

Chili powder… to taste (2-6 tsp.)

3-4 C Colby Jack cheese

Sauté onion and peppers in olive oil. Add meat. Brown. Add next 8 ingredients. Simmer 20 to 25 minutes till thick.  Top with cheese and corn meal topper. 

Corn Meal Topper

1 ½ C Corn meal

4 C cold water

1 tsp salt

2 Tbsp butter

Stir corn meal and salt in cold water. Stir while cooking or it will become lumpy. Add butter. Bring to a boil. Will look like a thick mush. Spoon over the top of mixture. Bake at 375° till topping is slightly browned.

Spread the Corn Meal Topper over the meat mixture that has been topped with cheese.

I added a little cheese to the top and baked at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes.

Have fun Cookin'

Cyndi