Easy Tamale Pie Recipe with Ground Beef and Cheese
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This easy Tamale Pie recipe combines seasoned ground beef, tomatoes, green chiles, sweet corn, and melted cheddar cheese all over savory grits. It’s a simple, comforting casserole that’s packed with bold flavor and perfect for busy weeknight dinners.
If you love classic comfort food with a Tex-Mex twist, this cheesy ground beef Tamale Pie is an easy family dinner you’ll make again and again.
Tamale Pie Recipe
I love tamales, but don’t love the all-day process of making them. This casserole recipe has all the familiar tamale flavors but is quick and easy to make. It’s also a great recipe to use up pantry staples.
Why you’ll ❤️ this recipe.
Easy one-dish dinner that’s perfect for busy weeknights.
Made with simple pantry ingredients.
Loaded with seasoned ground beef, corn, and cheddar cheese.
The savory grits topping gives this recipe a unique Southern twist.
Family-friendly comfort food everyone loves.
Great for meal prep and leftovers.
Budget-friendly dinner recipe.
Freezer-friendly for make-ahead meals.
Tamale Pie Recipe
I’ve seen various recipes for Tamale Pie. Some use cornbread as a base with the meat on top. As well, some recipes have the meat on the bottom with a cornbread top crust. My recipe has grits as the base. It’s topped with Mexican seasoned beef and then cheese.
This tamale casserole is good served with cilantro, sour cream, sliced avocados, and a generous squeeze of lime juice.
Southern Tamale Pie FAQ
Tamale Pie is a casserole made with a flavorful meat filling and a corn-based topping inspired by traditional tamales.
Yes. Assemble the casserole up to 24 hours in advance and refrigerate until ready to bake.
Absolutely. Wrap tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Reheat in the oven until the ground beef reaches 160F.
Yes, you can make cornbread and pour the batter covers the other ingredients. Bake until the cornbread is golden brown. However, the grits create a unique texture that sets this recipe apart from traditional Tamale Pie recipes.
What can I serve with Tamale Pie with Grits?
A simple green salad, Mexican rice, black beans, or roasted vegetables pair perfectly with Tamale Pie.
If you enjoy easy Tex-Mex dinners, you’ll also love my Taco Casserole and Ground Beef Casseroles.
TIPS AND SUBSTITUTIONS
- I used lean ground beef. You can substitute ground turkey or chicken. As well, you can use chorizo sausage which will be very flavorful! Furthermore, you can omit ground beef and use black beans instead.
- For even quicker cooking time and a delightful presentation, bake your pies in individual servings. Small ramekins or skillets would be great.
- You can use quick-cooking or regular grits. The only difference is the granulation. Quick-cooking grits are ground finer and cook faster. Read the package and cook according to the package directions.
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Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary based on the products used.
I updated Southern Tamale Pie from an earlier version. I made new photos and simplified the recipe instructions.
Tamale Pie
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Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup grits cooked according to package instructions
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon fresh parsley
- ½ pound ground beef
- 2 Tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 10 ounce can tomatoes and green chiles
- 8 ounce can tomato sauce
- 7 ounce can corn drained
- ¾ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cooking grits with salt according to the package directions½ cup grits, ⅛ teaspoon salt
- Spray an 8×8 inch casserole dish with non-stick spray and spoon the cooked grits evenly into the dish.
- Cook beef and drain. Add the soy sauce, tomatoes and green chilies, tomato sauce, corn, chili powder, and cumin to the beef. Stir to combine.½ pound ground beef, 2 Tablespoons low sodium soy sauce, 10 ounce can tomatoes and green chiles, 8 ounce can tomato sauce, 7 ounce can corn, ¾ teaspoon chili powder, ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- Simmer 10 minutes then spoon over grits. Top with cheese. (At this point you can refrigerate or freeze and bake later.)1 cup cheddar cheese
- Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until hot and bubbly and cheese is melted. Garnish with parsley.1 Tablespoon fresh parsley
Nutrition
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I laid in bed last night wondering if I could use grits and if it would work wrapping in husk, I saw this recipe I’m gonna add some refried beans in the meat mixture and see how it turns out. This sounds delicious
I think about some kind of food/recipe every night. I’m glad I’m not the only one 😉
The best tamales for yeaes were made by the Johnson Tamale Co. in Colorado. I can’t find them anywhere now, but they were made with grits instead of Maseca. Delicious. They used a paper wrap instead of corn husks. It was like crepe paper, if that’s any help.
I have not seen or taste tamale before but thought that your pie version of tamale looks delicious.
This is my first visiting your blog and love to follow your cheerful and all your delicious cooking. Following you now at blogger, Twitter, Pinterest 😀
Zoe
Oh you know you are in Mississippi when grits are the base!! My girlfriend and I made tamales once and it was a 2 day ordeal! This definitely looks easier!
I can't wait to try this – and I love that it has grits!! YUM-O 🙂