Easy Tamale Bake

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.

Watch how to make this below!

Easy Tamale Bake

Easy Tamale Bake - a quick and easy meal made from ground beef, spices, corn and beans all topped with a cornbread batter that's baked and ready in minutes.

4.11 from 38 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: American, Tex Mex, Western

Keyword: beef tamale, cornbread tamale, simple tamale recipe

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 418kcal

Author: Kevin Is Cooking

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.

Notes

1. 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

Calories: 418kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 102mg | Sodium: 827mg | Potassium: 706mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1640IU | Vitamin C: 31.3mg | Calcium: 198mg | Iron: 3.8mg

Have you made this recipe? Let me know on InstagramTag @KevinIsCooking and hashtag me #keviniscooking!