Tamale Pie

This is my one rock-solid, go-to recipe. It's easy, fast, and always good. I've made it so many times that my recipe is so far removed from the original that it's not really worth mentioning. I use ground beef, but you could use ground turkey or a couple of cans of beans, and I change the recipe almost every time I make it depending on what I have in the pantry/fridge/freezer. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 onion (red, white, or whatever color of your choosing) chopped
• or 1 small bunch of chopped green onions
• 1 can black beans or kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• Tonight I am using 1 chopped yellow bell pepper instead
• 2 tsp or more ground cumin (I like a lot)
• chili powder to taste - I use a good sprinkle
• I've also used ground cayenne and/or ground adobo in the absence of chili powder
• A little ground chipotle may also make a great option
• 1 jar of spaghetti sauce 
• Tonight we are out of spaghetti sauce, so I'm hoping that 1 14.5oz can of diced tomatoes, 1 8oz can of tomato sauce, and 1/2 a 6oz can of tomato paste work as a good substitute. Btw, my mom always says the Italian brands of canned tomatoes are best, and I completely agree.
• 1/2 c shredded cheese! (I skip this since Dan is currently dairy-free)
• I use whatever we have, but monterey jack always rocks, as does colby jack, and of course good ole cheddar
• 1 box Jiffy corn bread mix
• 1 egg, beaten with a fork
• 1/4 - 1/3 c milk (or soy milk)
• 1 4oz can diced green chilies, optional
• honey, optional
• sour cream, optional

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350-375˚F.

Brown the ground beef. Move beef to the side and cook the onions. Once cooked, add beans, chopped bell pepper, or additional ingredient of your choice and cook as necessary.

Add cumin, chili powder and other spices, mix well. Add spaghetti sauce or tomato-y substitute. Let mixture simmer for a while, roughly 10-20 minutes or until the sauce thickens a little bit.

In a separate bowl, combine corn bread muffin mix, egg, and milk. Mix in diced chilies if you're using them. Mix well and let sit for at least 5 minutes.

Put the meat/sauce in a casserole dish. (I believe mine is roughly 3 qts, but don't quote me on that.) If you're using cheese, sprinkle on top of meat. Then dollop the cornbread mix on top of that, and spread with a spoon to cover the meat.

Place in oven and bake somewhere between 30 and 60 minutes. (I give this range because in Illinois it never took all that long to cook, but for whatever reason, here in Albuquerque I can never get the cornbread mixture to cook all the way through in less than an hour.) Halfway through cooking I drizzle honey on top. You could also put the cheese on top in case you forget to put it under the cornbread, like I have done on at least one occasion.

The pie is done when the cornbread is cooked all the way through. Serve with honey and sour cream!

The Verdict: A Keeper

This recipe is a keeper that I will be making pretty much until we die. Yes, it's that good and that easy.