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.
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looks great katie
Where can I buy the little tins? any idea?
Most grocery stores, in the baking aisle.
Hi Katie – by chance, do you know what size your little pans were? If I make that mixture up, I would like to be able to portion it the same way you did here, so whatever measurements your tins were, I’d love to know. Thanks!
I’ve been to a couple grocery stores & can’t find them! Weird. They only have the larger pie sizes.
These look adorable!! I used to buy frozen meals but I found myself rarely eating them so I stopped buying them.
Rogue tomato! Rogue tomato alert! This recipe looks fantastic and I can’t wait to try it. And that tomato wants a piece!
Frozen dinners have saved me in a pinch. But then I realized–why not make my *own* frozen dinners? So I have, in the past, bought containers that make dinners more portable & easy to store in the freezer (much like having the feel of a frozen dinner, but without the cost). Has saved a ton of money, & makes life a bit easier to have meals ready to go (other than heating up).
That said, nothing like a fresh salad (which can’t be frozen). If I can add a few fresh ingredients as a garnish or side, to compliment a frozen dinner, I won’t complain 🙂
Hi there, I’m new to your blog and I think it’s wonderful what you do, your desserts look amazing but I have yet to try your recipes…I’m not into single servings with a family of 4. Your tamale pie caught my eye and I have to say I’m disappointed in your choice of using single use foil baking pans for this dish. Yes, you’re promoting better health for your followers, whom I hope are continually inspired by your recipes but you are losing something when you don’t consider the implications on the environment when promoting the use of disposable cookware. Perhaps next time you could lead by example and encourage your followers to use muffin tins, small casserole dishes, ramekins, or making it in a large casserole dish and portioning/freezing in individual reusable containers so not to waste the lovely casserole as well as considering the impact of sending the one time use dishes to our overflowing landfills.
Hi just sayin,
I actually re-use my tin foil pans many times over. They are easy to clean, and there’s no need to throw them away after one use. 🙂 The environment–and doing my part to protect it as much as possible–is very important to me.
All that being said, I also wrote into the recipe that one could use any oven-safe dish.
The use of the little tins is fantastic as a way to have a freezer meal ready to go to a sick friend or an elderly neighbor. Takes the pressure off of them to have to return your dish. Thanks for posting this idea, Katie!
And, the tin dishes can be recycled, so, once you are done using them many times over, you can recycle them! 🙂
This looks delicious! I occasionally buy some frozen meals, but they can be expensive, so I don’t get them very often. One of my favorites is Amy’s tamale pie. I’m so excited to be able to make my own now! I might even make extra to keep in the freezer for nights when I don’t feel like cooking.
I buy them here and there. I like Amy’s or Kashi, but only use them when I’m in a super hurry or have nothing else in my house to eat. These look delish and my kids would love that they each get their own individual pie.
Katie, I eat these EVERYDAY for lunch and I was just thinking to myself…Geez, I wish I could make these at home, it would be SO MUCH CHEAPER! Thank you so much, you just made my month!
Between full time school and work, yes, frozen meals are totally my savior. I try to do things like make chili and portion them out and freeze them, to go along with the Amy’s gf bean and rice burrito, and whatever other frozen meals I find (but I swear I have like 10 of those in my freezer). But they add up, cost wise. And plus no matter how good they may be, you get bored of burritos after a while. 😛
Can’t wait to try this! 🙂