Tamale pie lightly seasoned, tomatoey ground beef with a cornbread topping is easy to prepare and makes a satisfying supper. But in many recipes, the filling either tastes bland and one-dimensional or turns heavy. As for the cornbread topping, it’s usually from a mix and tastes like it. We wanted a tamale pie with a rich, well-seasoned filling and a cornbread topping with real corn flavor. We found that 85 percent lean ground beef gave us a good balance of richness and flavor. We started by browning onion and jalapeño and then added the beef, cooking it until it was no longer pink. For seasoning, we used a generous amount of chili powder along with extra cumin and some minced garlic, which we added to the aromatics in the Dutch oven to “bloom,” or intensify, their flavors. The addition of canned black beans and frozen corn was a simple way to make our pie heartier, and canned crushed tomatoes contributed additional flavor and texture. Monterey Jack cheese stirred into the mixture enriched the filling and also helped thicken it. And to finish our pie, we made a simple buttermilk-enhanced cornbread batter, which we spread over the filling and baked. The rich and lightly sweet cornbread beautifully complemented the slightly spicy filling. Serve with lime wedges.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 onion, chopped fine
- 1 jalapeño chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced
- Salt and pepper
- 1½ pounds 85 percent lean ground beef
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed
- 1½ cups frozen corn
- 8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (2 cups)
- ¼ cup minced fresh cilantro
- 1½ cups (7½ ounces) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (5 ounces) cornmeal
- ¼ cup (1¾ ounces) sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
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For the Filling
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion, jalapeño, and 1 teaspoon salt and cook until softened and lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Add ground beef, breaking up meat with wooden spoon, and cook until no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Stir in chili powder, garlic, and cumin and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes, scraping up any browned bits. Off heat, stir in beans, corn, Monterey Jack, and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and spread evenly into 13 by 9-inch baking dish. For the Cornbread
- Whisk flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in large bowl. In separate bowl, whisk buttermilk, melted butter, and eggs together until butter forms small clumps. Stir buttermilk mixture into flour mixture with rubber spatula until combined. Spread batter evenly over filling, spreading it right to edges of dish.
- Bake until filling is bubbly and crust is baked through and golden, about 45 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.
