This simple tamale pie is decidedly not a pie (it has that—and solely that—in widespread with Boston cream pie). Neither is it remotely near genuine Mexican tamales. Largely attributed to Southwestern or Tex-Mex cooking, tamale pie is a rebellious mash-up of chili (on the underside) and cornbread (on high).
The extra literal amongst us might make the cornbread with masa harina and even go as far as topping the chili with canned tamales, however in the long run, easy is finest: Create a quick-cooking chili topped with tender, golden-brown cornbread. If that is your first rodeo with this basic consolation meals, you could be stunned how shortly the recipe turns into a weeknight household favourite.
The addition of a $2 can of beans lets you use 50% much less floor meat within the chili (we name for floor beef however floor pork or dark-meat floor turkey works too), protecting the dish economical with out compromising taste. Utilizing rooster bouillon paste slightly than boxed broth is one other budget-friendly trick; it’s dense and concentrated and may reconstitute to no matter power you want. Conjuring the topping from scratch shouldn’t be way more troublesome than utilizing a boxed cornbread combine, and it depends on pantry staples. We do advocate shredding your personal cheese right here; pre-shredded cheese has components that stop clumping, making its texture lower than splendid for baking.
When you don’t have an oven-safe skillet, make the chili on the stovetop after which switch to a 13×9″ baking dish and dollop on the cornbread topping earlier than sliding it into the oven. All advised, it is a low cost, cozy, cheerful dinner that’s terrific when the climate turns chilly.
