Tamale Pie
A smoky, chili-spiced beef, bean and corn filling baked under a tender cheddar cornbread crust in a cast-iron skillet. Hearty, cozy and weeknight easy.
By Marisol Vance, Founder & Head of Recipe Development
Published November 19, 2025
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 50 min
- Total
- 1 hr 10 min
- Servings
- 8
- Level
- Easy
Tamale pie captures the spirit of tamales, spiced filling wrapped in corn, without any of the wrapping or steaming. A savory beef, pinto bean and fire-roasted tomato chili simmers right in a cast-iron skillet, then gets topped with a buttermilk cornbread batter and baked until golden.
Cheese shows up twice: stirred into the filling so it turns rich and melty, and scattered over the top so the crust bakes up crisp and cheesy at the edges. The cornbread soaks up just enough of the juices to taste like masa while staying fluffy on top.
Serve big scoops with sour cream, sliced scallions, pickled jalapenos and a green salad for a satisfying one-pan dinner.
- Cheddar cornbread crust
- One-skillet dinner
- Hearty and kid-friendly
Ingredients
Directions
Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
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