This Easy Tamale Bake is definitely one of those quick, throw it together meals and can be made all in one pan, the type of dinner, or lunch for that matter, that satisfies.
Easy Tamale Bake
What I love about this is that it’s very flavorful, very filling and the contrast in textures are quite appealing. The baked, cornbread topping adds that “tamale” feel to it and the ground beef, corn and other seasonings, vegetables and beans make this so hearty.
How to make my Easy Tamale Bake
So let’s start off by preheating that oven to 375° F. Cook the ground beef, onion, garlic and bell pepper in a large skillet until meat is lightly browned. Drain excess oil if needed.
Stir in tomato sauce, beans, corn, salt, chili powder, cumin, chipotle powder and black pepper. Simmer 10 minutes or until thick.
Pour all of this into a greased 9×9” baking dish and then top with cheddar cheese.
Feel free to use Jiffy cornbread mix here to make this easy, but my Homemade Cornbread recipe is fantastic. When using Jiffy, mix the cornbread mix, egg and milk in a small bowl. Pour this over meat mixture and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown on top and toothpick comes out clean when inserted into cornbread.
Serve warm and top with cilantro (optional).
If you like, try my Easy Chicken Tamale Pie that uses ground chicken and a salsa verde. Enjoy!
This recipe first appeared on Kevin Is Cooking on August 2015 and has been updated with a new video.
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Easy Tamale Bake
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef (80/20)
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 bell pepper chopped small
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 8 oz tomato sauce
- 1 cup corn (fresh or frozen)
- 8 oz kidney beans or black beans (drained)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese shredded
Cornbread Topping:
- 8.5 oz Jiffy Cornbread mix (See Note 1)
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° F.
- Brown the ground beef, onion, garlic and bell pepper in a large skillet until meat is lightly browned. Drain excess oil if needed. Stir in tomato sauce, corn, beans, salt, chili powder, cumin, chipotle powder and black pepper.
- Simmer 10 minutes or until thick. Pour into a greased 9x9” baking dish, top with cheese.
- Mix the cornbread mix, egg an milk in a small bowl. Pour over meat mixture and bake for 20 minutes.
Video
Notes
- Feel free to use Jiffy cornbread mix here to make this easy, but my Homemade Cornbread recipe is fantastic. If using Jiffy - Mix the cornbread mix, egg and milk in a small bowl. Pour this over meat mixture and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown on top and toothpick comes out clean when inserted into cornbread.
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice.
Nutrition
I make this recipe at least once a month. And I have used pinto beans. Takes great. Pamm
Has anyone substituted pinto beans in this dish?
I am sure that would be just fine! Let me know if you do! I would love to hear!
Hi Kevin , can I substitute ground beef with ground turkey ? If so , can you suggest any changes in ingredients or seasonings ? Thanks !
I would just change to the ground turkey and follow the rest of the ingredients! Let me know how it turns out!