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, I have two question for you. First do you see any reason that I could not freeze these and make my own “Amy’s” frozen dinners? Two I loved the sound of your eggy corn bread and was wondering if that would work on top of this casserole. You know a little sweet with the spice.
Love, love your blog. Thank-you for all you do
Suzie
I haven’t tried either, but they both sound like fun experiments!
this looks like a perfect comfort dish – would love to try it!
Dear Katie,
You advertise this blog as, and I quote, “A Healthy Dessert Blog.”
Why, then, do you present readers with recipes for food such as “copycat Amy’s Mexican tamale pie?” Correct me if I’m wrong, but, I suspect this is a main dish. Please alter your blog name or stick to the theme.
Best,
Heavensta
Heavensta,
I am glad that this recipe “Amy’s Kitchen Mexican Tamale Pie” was listed under “A Healthy Dessert Blog.” I never would have accidently stumbled across it.
Heavensta,
You have got to be kidding me… Just because Katie’s main focus is desserts does not mean she is restricted to it. It’s HER blog, she can put whatever she wants on it. If you don’t like it, don’t look.
Katie,
Thanks for presenting us with a VARIETY of dishes. After all, we can’t eat desserts for every meal. 🙂
How can you sign your comment “best”?
“Snarkily yours” would have been more accurate.
Thank you so much! I am on a budget and Amy’s stuff is getting too expensive. I usually do not eat what my husband eats “he is a meat-eater” or food I prepare for family get-togethers. This dish I can afford to fix for everyone, as a main dish for myself and a side dish for everyone else. May I add a suggestion–I will be using Spike in addition to the rest of the spices in this recipe.
Katie,
I made these Mexican Tamale pies today in cupcake liners and a separate pan and they came out AMAZING! I never made polenta before and thought that it was a great addition to the bean mixture. I love that they are filling without meat and super easy to make. I look forward to making more of your non-dessert recipes (I disagree with the above comment, after-all it is your blog).
I think another great recipe you could make is Mexican Soup containing these similar ingredients, such as homemade tortilla soup.
Have a great week!
Sincerely,
Michelle
I love your mini pies idea!
I agree with the girls above. I was delighted to see your Amy’s knockoff. Just as some of the other ladies have commented that Amy’s is expensive, I use it some, because I am the only vegan in the house. Please continue to explore more into the Amy’s. I would love to be able to make my own of her meals. Thank-you for all the work you put into this blog.
Suzie
Hi Katie,
When making this recipe, the direction call for 2 2/3 cup water w/1 cup cornmeal for the topping. This was very runny. Did I miss something?
Thanks for all your delicious recipes!
Make sure to just keep cooking the polenta until it thickens. It will be runny at first, but eventually the water will be absorbed and it will be thick and fluffy.
That was delicious! We just made this recipe for dinner tonight and set the contents in a casserole dish, sliced polenta and distributed the discs of polenta across the top. Mmm…served with avocado and cilantro. We’ll make this again and the kids liked it too.
Hi Katie! I love all of your recipes and reading the blog posts that go along with them, you never fail to make me laugh! I made your deep-dish cookie pie for myself and my non-vegan brother yesterday and didn’t tell him beans were in it, he told me it was the best cookie he’d ever had! I told him after of course and he was shocked, the pie was gone by the end of the night! Anyways lol, this recipe here looks amazing! I haven’t tried this Amy’s dinner from the store, but now I won’t need to, can’t wait to try it! Do you take requests??? I would loveee a copycat recipe for Amy’s Mattar Tofu 🙂 Thanks for all you do!
Just foung your blog and I LOVE that you added Tamale Pie’s onto your “Dessert blog” !
Mexican food is TOTALLY my kind of dessert <3