Tamale Pie Recipe (Vegetarian!)

Tamale pie with cornbread on the bottom, and Beyond Beef sauce on top. The tamale pie is topped with melted cheese, cilantro, tomatoes, avocado, enchilada sauce and jalapeño slices.

4.67 from 6 votes

This Vegetarian Tamale Pie starts with dressed up boxed cornbread mix, and then topped with Tex-Mex spiced Beyond Beef, cheese and whatever toppings you like. (Inspired by the Skillet Tamale Pie on An Affair From the Heart blog.)

Prep Time30

Cook Time20

Total Time50

Course: Vegetarian Dinner, vegetarian main

Cuisine: Southwestern, Tex-Mex

Keyword: tamale casserole, tamale pie, vegetarian tamale pie

Servings:

Calories: 504.7kcal

Author: Susan Pridmore

Ingredients

Cornbread

1 box Jiffy Corn Muffin mix vegetarian version without the lard
1 large egg
½ cup sour cream
½ cup creamed corn
¼ cup whole milk (ONLY FOR HIGH ALTITUDE BAKERS)

Tamale Pie Filling

1 pound Beyond Beef
1 ½ cups diced onion about 1 small onion
4 ounces can diced green chiles, drained or 1 jalapeño or serrano chile finely diced
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon kosher salt or ¼ teaspoon table salt
10 ounce can red enchilada sauce or make your own
4 ounces shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Garnishes

cilantro, pickled jalapeño slices, avocado, diced tomatoes, additional enchilada sauce

Instructions

Cornbread

Preheat oven to 400˚F and butter a ceramic baking dish.
In a mixing bowl, combine the Cornbread ingredients. Mix well with a wooden spoon, and spread into a 9½"ceramic pie plate or 9" X 9" baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown and firm to the touch.
High Altitude Tip: Add 5 minutes onto the baking time.

Tamale Pie

While the cornbread bakes, break up the Beyond Beef in a large skillet. Add the onion and pepper. Sauté until the "meat" begins to brown (about 15 minutes), and then add the spices.
Continue to cook for another few minutes until the "meat" is crumbly and browned. Stir in ¼ cup of the enchilada sauce.
When the cornbread is done, remove from oven and poke holes all over the surface, about halfway down its thickness, using the round end of a wooden spoon.
Pour ½ cup of the enchilada sauce over the cornbread so that it runs across the surface and into the holes. Spoon the "meat" sauce over the surface of the cornbread. Top with cheese. Bake another 15 minutes until the cheese is melted and the edges are a little crispy.
Bake another 15 minutes until the cheese is melted and the edges are a little crispy.
Serve warm with garnishes.

Notes

INGREDIENT NOTES

Jiffy Corn Muffin mix - the original Jiffy Corn Muffin mix contains lard, but Jiffy does have a vegetarian version without the lard. You can also use Whole Food's 365 brand of corn muffin mix, but you'll only need half of the container. This product is also vegetarian.
Sour Cream - both full fat and light versions work fine.
Creamed Corn - don't skip this! It give some nice added moisture and texture to the cornbread.
Vegetarian Meat Substitutes - the choices continue to expand. I use Beyond Beef, but feel free to use crumbled Impossible Burgers, tempeh, or even legumes such lightly smashed chickpeas, pinto beans or black beans.
Peppers - for more heat, use poblano or serrano peppers. For moderate heat, use jalapeño. For no heat, use red bell pepper or skip entirely. Need to simplify? Swap in a small can of green chiles.
Enchilada Sauce - use your favorite or make your own.
Cheese - Jack cheese is my favorite in this recipe, but cheddar will work fine too. Need to simplify? Purchase pre-grated Jack, cheddar or Mexican cheese mix. It doesn't melt quite as well, but it's fine in this recipe.

Nutrition