Tamale Pie

This recipe has been adapted from one my mom made when I was growing up.  The original recipe has no diced tomatoes and uses kidney beans.  The only beans my husband will eat are black beans, so we changed that and added the tomatoes.  

For my picky kids, I blend some of the filling and make them their own mini tamale pie. They like the crust so blending the tomato/veggie/bean filling works pretty well.

Tamale Pie 

Filling:

2 Tbsp Butter

1/2 Onion, chopped

1/2 Green Pepper, chopped

1 14oz can Tomato Sauce

1 14 oz can Diced Tomatoes, drained

1 tsp Chili Powder

1/2 tsp Oregano

1/2 tsp Cumin

1 can Black Beans, rinsed (or equivalent if you cook your own) 

Melt butter in a large-ish skillet (I use a 10" cast iron skillet) and cook onion and green pepper for 10 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Stir in remaining ingredients.  Set aside.

Crust:

1 cup Cornmeal

2 tsp Sugar, or use Agave or a few drops of Liquid Stevia
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
1 Egg, beaten
1/3 cup Milk or Buttermilk
2 Tbsp Butter, melted or softened to room temp
1 10 oz pkg Corn, thawed

Don't skip thawing frozen corn because it will make your crust soggy.  I dump it into a colander and rinse under hot water until thawed. 

Mix crust ingredients together and press into a greased 9" pie plate.  Pour in the filling and bake at 350* for 20 minutes. 

Sprinkle shredded cheese on top, bake 5 more minutes, then let stand 5 minutes before serving. 

Garnish with chopped green onions and sour cream, if desired.

So, so good.  This also reheats very well for lunch the next day.

 

  

My slice held together pretty well, but...

my husband just dumped his on the plate.