Beef and Cheese Tamale Pie
Mark Boughton Photography / styling by Teresa Blackburn
- Yield: 10 servings
Ingredients
- Filling:
- 1large onion, chopped
- 1 1/2pounds lean ground beef
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1/2teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 1/2teaspoons ground cumin
- 1teaspoon salt
- 2tablespoons chili powder
- 1 (14-ounce) canned stewed tomatoes
- 2cups corn kernels, fresh or frozen
- 1/2cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 1/2cups grated pepper Jack cheese, divided
- 1 1/2cups grated sharp Cheddar cheese, divided
- Cornmeal Batter:
- 3cups lower-sodium chicken broth
- 1teaspoon salt
- 2cups yellow cornmeal
- 2cups cold water
- 1cup low-fat plain yogurt
- Toppings:
- 1/3cup low-fat plain yogurt
- 3tablespoons heavy or light cream
- 1/2cup canned diced tomatoes, drained
- Sour cream (optional)
- 1 (6-ounce) can pitted black olives (optional)
Instructions
- To prepare beef filling, combine onion, ground beef, garlic, oregano, cumin, salt and chili powder in a large skillet; saute until beef is browned.
- Add tomatoes and corn and heat through. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro.
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 13-by-9-inch casserole dish.
- To prepare cornmeal batter, combine chicken broth and salt in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Whisk together cornmeal and cold water until smooth. While broth is boiling, add cornmeal mixture all at once, whisking constantly. Stir over medium heat until thick and boiling. Cook 3 to 5 minutes or until the consistency of mashed potatoes. Stir in yogurt and cook 3 to 5 minutes, stirring often.
- Spread about two-thirds of the cornmeal batter in casserole. Add beef filling. Top with 1 cup pepper Jack and 1 cup Cheddar cheese. Spoon on remaining cornmeal batter and smooth with a spatula.
- To make the toppings, stir yogurt and cream together in a small bowl. Spoon lines of yogurt mixture and diced tomatoes across top. Sprinkle remaining cheeses over top.
- Place casserole dish on top of a large baking sheet. Bake 30 minutes; cover with foil and bake 30 minutes longer. Let stand 20 minutes before serving. Serve with sour cream and black olives.
Recipe by Jim Fobel.