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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Made this tonight! Put it all in one pan, used a little chipotle in the beans and added shredded chicken (sorry vegs). I also whipped 1/2 cup egg whites into the cooked cornmeal, that made it nice and fluffy! (also extra protein) EVERYone loved it!! Thanks!
I just made this recipe, turned out amazing! I loved the polenta topping. Thanks for posting your amazing food. I’ve taken so much inspiration from your recipes and I’m so glad that I’ve found a great vegan recipe resource.
I live on Amy’s soups, tamale pies (add Herdez salsa and fresh tomatoes and a dab of veganaise)
and on Vegan heights Daniel’s choice deli items, stedda chicken salad, alfredo, mac’n cheese and lasagne. tofurkey itaian sausages.
I will try to make these pies myself, but in microwave dishes
Yum. I love the Amy’s ones. Can’t wait to try this!! I’ve been trying to make the Amy’s vegan mac n cheese one at home but they just don’t turn out the same.
Shut the front door!! This looks amazing, I’m glad you come up with this copycat. I have never been able to eat Amy’s Mexican Tamale Pie because of an allergy to a certain ingredient.
I love your blog! I have such a sweet tooth. So giving them up is just not an option. I love your healthy take on desserts. And I love easy recipes. Hello dinner!
Looking forward to the pancake recipe! These look yummo!
Katie, this looks delish but I’m thinking the measurement for the water vs the corn meal must be off. It says 1 cup corn meal with 2-2/3 cups water but that would make for some very runny corn meal topping. Is this the correct measurement?
The standard ratio of cornmeal to water is usually around 1 to 3 or 4 (so 1 cup water for 1/4 cup cornmeal). So this would actually even be a little thicker than normal.
I did it exactly as stated and it worked perfectly for me!
Wow, these look awesome! They’re so cute too. I don’t have those tins, do you think these would work in a muffin tin? I know I should just go out and buy them but I so want to make these tomorrow but don’t have them.
If you try, report back! 🙂
We made these for dinner last night, and they were a huge hit!