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This one pot Tamale Pie is easy and delicious, made with ground beef, corn, enchilada sauce, and spices, topped with a tamale inspired masa topping. It's a cozy skillet dinner my family loves.
Why is Tamale Pie SO GOOD?! This is the cozy casserole I crave.
I'm obsessed with the flavors in tamale pie, and the complete comfort-of-a-dinner that it is. Plus you know I love a recipe that cooks in one pan!
This isn't your average tamale pie (no box of jiffy mix, here!). We use the good stuff to make a legit and EASY corn topping that bakes up like a soft cornbread over the saucy beef filling. My kids love this so much they take it as leftovers in their thermos for school lunch. It's flavorful and delicious and always on my mind when the cooler weather starts rolling in.
Try more of my one pan meals, like Pad Thai, Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas, Greek Chicken and Potatoes, Slow Cooker Lasagna, and Creamy Chicken and Gnocchi!
How to make Tamale Pie:
Cook the Beef: Brown the ground beef in a deep skillet with a meat chopper, then add the diced onion and sauté a few minutes.
Make the Filling: Stir in the enchilada sauce, corn, chiles, chili powder, coriander, and cumin, and cook 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in the cheese.
Add Topping and Bake: Mix the masa topping and pour over the meat mixture, then bake at 400 degrees F for 40 minutes. Cool slightly and serve with avocado and sour cream, if desired.
Tamale Pie
Equipment
Ingredients
Meat Filling:
- 1 ½ lbs lean ground beef
- 1 yellow onion, , finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 10 oz can red enchilada sauce, , or homemade
- 1 can creamed corn
- 8 oz can diced green chiles
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese
Masa Topping:
- 1 1/2 cups Masa Harina, (corn flour)
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup melted butter
- 1/2 cup shredded cheese
Optional Topping Ideas:
- avocado, sour cream, cilantro, hot sauce
Instructions
- Filling: Cook ground beef in a deep 12-inch skillet* or cast iron pan, crumbling it into small pieces as it cooks, until browned. Add diced onion, season with salt and pepper, and sauté for 3 minutes.1 ½ lbs lean ground beef, 1 yellow onion, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Add enchilada sauce, corn, chiles, chili powder, coriander, and cumin and cook for 5-10 minutes. Taste and add additional spices (chili powder, cumin, salt or pepper), as desired. Stir in cheese.10 oz can red enchilada sauce, 1 can creamed corn, 8 oz can diced green chiles, 1 teaspoon chili powder, ½ teaspoon ground coriander, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, 1 ½ cups shredded cheese
- Make Topping: Mix the corn flour, baking powder and salt together. Stir in the chicken broth, milk, butter and cheese. Pour evenly over the top of meat mixture.1 ½ cups Masa Harina, 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ¾ cup low-sodium chicken broth, 1 cup milk, ½ cup melted butter, ½ cup shredded cheese
- Bake 400 degrees F for 40 min. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
- Serve topped with avocado and sour cream, if desired.avocado, sour cream, cilantro, hot sauce
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I originally shared this recipe March 2023. Updated September 2026.
Kids wouldn’t try it but they are in a very picky phase. The adults loved it though. And I think the kids will in a couple of years.
Oh, sweet HEAVENS, this is good!! I think next time I’ll try for a bit of spice (like the tamales I grew up eating), but this had excellent flavor and is an every-person-in-the-fam pleaser!
Since this recipe was launched I made it already 3 times. My kids and husband ask for it. I add a little more veggies like shredded carrots and some beans and it is always a winner. Thank you for sharing this!
This has become an instant family favorite and we’re having it again this week because we can’t get enough! I used the Jiffy topping for simplicity sake and it came together so quickly and easily. Every kid has seconds which is a major win!
Ah now come on Jiffy !!!!
I tried this recipe last night and it was delicious! Not often do all four kids and both parents love a new dish! My son just had his braces tightened and thankfully this was soft enough not to hurt his teeth. I added a can of beans to make it stretch a little more but there was plenty for my big eaters. I loved trying a recipe that was unique. The flavors were wonderful, especially with your homemade enchilada sauce (I halved it for this recipe). I’ll definitely make this again. Thank you!
Also added a bell pepper
this was amazing!! I def gotta keep this one!!
Definitely satisfied my tamale craving with such a simple recipe. I made it twice this month! The first time I followed the recipe as written except I didn’t have coriander. The second time I tried vegetarian style with 2 cans black beans and bell pepper. I also cut the butter in half for the masa topping. It wasn’t as rich, but we still liked it enough that I will cut it in half next time too. Adding this one to my recipe collection!!
I liked it more than my husband. I used the masa flour topping. We thought it was a little too thick. We also topped it with fresh grilled jalapeños, sour cream and Avacados. The ground beef mixture was good. I’d like to try it again adding black beans. I’m addition I’d like to use chipotle chili in adobo sauce to give it a zing.
So delicious! My only problem was that I realized after starting to make it that my cast iron pan is a 10 inch, not a 12 inch. Unfortunately that meant that it bubbled over in the oven and made a bit of a mess. But it was delicious! I would definitely make it again once I get a bigger pan!
Delicious and easy! A keeper, will definitely make again. Worth the hunt to find some of the ingredients locally! It overflowed my 9×9 pan, so next time, will either split with a loaf pan again or add more veggies to scale up to 9×13.