They are almost too cute to eat.
Almost, but not quite.
And when you see how easy these little pies are to prepare, you might give up buying frozen meals for good.
They take just THREE simple steps, the first of which is to simply throw a bunch of cans into a pot and wait. Not much harder than microwaving a frozen meal, is it?
The perfect comfort food for a chilly Fall night.
Katie’s Mexican Tamale Pies
(makes 4-5 pies)
- 1 can (15oz) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 can (15oz) diced tomatoes
- 1 small zucchini, cut into tiny pieces (optional)
- 1 can (15oz) corn, drained (or 1 3/4 cup fresh or frozen)
- 1 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp each: onion and garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- optional: hot sauce or red pepper flakes (for a spicier version)
- for the topping: 1 cup cornmeal, 1/2 tsp salt, 2 cups water, and optional 2 tsp oil. Or you could probably just use instant polenta and slice it on top.
Combine first 8 ingredients in a small pot and cook on low-medium for 40 minutes, stirring very occasionally as it bubbles. (If you prefer, you can even make this in a crockpot!) Meanwhile, if using the homemade polenta topping, combine all other ingredients and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. As soon as it starts to boil, lower the heat to a simmer and stir constantly until it thickens. Preheat the oven to 350 F and portion the bean mixture into oven-proof dishes or aluminum pans (as shown in the picture directly below these instructions). Top with polenta, smooth the tops, and bake 45 minutes. I also set the oven to “broil” for a few minutes at the end, to achieve more of a crust on top. You can either eat in the dish, or go around the sides and pop the pies out. (Note: if you sub fresh corn and/or unsalted tomatoes, you’ll probably want to add a little extra salt.)
View Tamale Pie Nutrition Facts
Above, before being covered with the cornmeal topping.
Link of the Day:
Katie, that was just amazing…blew me away. A meal that I will do over and over again. Thank you for creating this amazing dish. The only thing different I did to it was add some onions, orange pepper and a clove of galic…had to use up what was in the fridge. TWO thumbs up on this!!!!
ummm I think I lost my message to you…here we go again.
Katie, I have just made this dish…and OMG that is just amazing, it blew me away. I loved it, it is a dish I will make again and again. Thank you for sharing this little amazing full of flavor dish. The only thing I did different was I added a small onion, a half orange pepper that I wanted to use up and a clove of garlic. DELICIOUS!!!!
DELICIOUS! So easy to prepare. Turned out great! I didn’t have ramekins, so I just made it in a casserole dish. Thanks for this recipe Katie!
All four of my kids ages 4-13 liked this -yay! Talk about a frugal dinner. I made in muffin cups. Subbed chopped red pepper for the zucchini. 🙂
I was wondering if these recipes freeze well? Is there any that you would not recommend freezing? Love all the recipes and want to make some ahead of time, specifically the Mexican tamales, sweet potato chili and the quinoa bites. I would appreciate a response as I plan to make them all this weekend! Thanks!
Judging by answers to previous comments, it looks like the answer is yes. There are many recipes on this site that freeze well, and the chili is also one of them.
Just thought you’d like to know- I subbed corn flour (maseca) in equal amounts as the cornmeal, and it turned out excellent. Just baked it for about ten or so minutes less.
So: I am making this right now….and my polenta is REALLY watery……1 c. of corn meal and 2 2/3 C of water is so thin…..I am wondering if those 2 measurements are reversed in your recipe accidentally…….don’t know if you will see this or not……your post is 2 yrs old! Thanks!
No problem at all! Just keep stirring and it will get thick. The water evaporates, I promise! I’ve made polenta like this many many times, not just in CCK’s recipe but in general. Just be patient and it will be rewarded 🙂
Making this for the second time tonight! I love these. They are so easy to make and quite delicious.
Thank you so much for the recipe. made it last night in vegan for me and vegetarian for my meat eating French husband. He didn’t even complain, and even said thank you. I loved it! Will be keeping this recipe if I may! Very nice, easy and filling too. Who knew guilt free food could taste so good?! I’ll have to eve up the rest of your website. Thank you!
Excellent website. I suggest that it would be nice to know the size of casserole pan and aluminum pans called for in this and similar recipes.
The thickness of casserole ingredients in the pan depends on the surface area of the dish or pan.
Depth of pans is also a factor to accommodate the maximum fill level of any casserole.
Thanks for this recipe. 🙂