Fiesta Gluten Free Tamale Pie

 Making a tamale pie is a great way to use up leftover chili.  That's what I usually end up doing with it.  I also find this is a great recipe for a busy Saturday.  


But if you don't have any chili, here is a good recipe that I have used several times.  This recipe comes from my church cookbook called Come & Dine which I have been using for over 13 years. 

Fiesta Gluten Free Tamale Pie

1. Prepare vegetables:
(1)  Dice 1 medium onion
(2)  Dice 1 green pepper

(3)  Mince 1-2 cloves of garlic
(4)  Chop 3 T cilantro (I like to add this to my Mexican dishes for extra zip.)

2.  Prepare meat sauce:
(1)  Put 1 pound of lean ground beef into a skillet and cook over medium high heat.
(2)  Then add the onion and green pepper and cook for 3-4 minutes.  Then add the garlic and cook 3 seconds.
(3)  Stir in 1 15-oz can of tomato sauce and1 15-oz can of diced tomatoes. (The recipe calls for just 28 oz of diced tomatoes, but I like using some tomato sauce too, so you can do what you would like.)
(4)  Add seasonings;  2 T of chili powder,  2 t salt, 1/2 t black pepper, (I like to add a bit of salt and pepper to this)  1/2 t oregano, 1 t cumin, 1 t brown sugar (I usually add to cut some of the acidity), and chopped cilantro.
(5)  Taste and make any adjustments in flavor.
(6)  Reduce heat and let simmer 10-15 minutes.
(7)  Stir in 1 1/2 cups of frozen/canned corn and 1 15-oz can of kidney beans.
(8)  Stir in 1 cup of sliced olives.  See step 4 assembling the tamale pie.

3.  Make cornmeal topping - In a bowl put:   This topping comes out great.  It may seem a little thin and runny but it creates a beautiful and delicious crust.
(1)  Lightly beat 2 eggs 
(2)  Stir in 1 cup of milk and 1 cup of organic cornmeal. 

4.  Assemble tamale pie - Put the following into a 9 x 13 pan:
(1)  Pour the meat sauce mixture into the bottom of the pan and even it out in the pan.
(2)  Spoon the cornmeal mixture evenly over the top.
(3)  Grate cheddar cheese over the top of that.

5.  Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes or until done.

Other Mexican recipes on this blog:

Mexican Casseroles
Texas Style Gluten Free Stacked Enchiladas  (From my Come & Dine cookbook)
Acapulco Delight - A great Mexican Enchilada (From my Heritage School Cookbook)
Michelle's Favorite Vegetarian Enchiladas   (From my daughter)
Kathy's Baked Chili & Chips Casserole  (From my church cookbook, Come & Dine)
Gluten Free Mexican Quinoa Casserole  (From an Internet search)
Fiesta Gluten Free Tamale Pie   (From my church cookbook, Come & Dine)
Authentic Chicken Enchiladas Verde  (From a church friend)
Rebecca's Favorite Chicken & Chile Enchiladas  (From a church friend)
Delores's Chicken & Tortilla Casserole (Made Gluten Free)  (From my church cookbook, Come & Dine)

Tacos, Chimichangas  & Etc.
Rachel Ray's Recipe for the Best Fish Tacos   (From Food Network)
Fantastic Baked Chimichangas  (From my Syre School Cookbook)
Authentic Chicken Flautas  (My hispanic friend Abbie taught me how to make these!)

Delicious Chicken Fajitas  (A mix of many recipes)
Fabulous Vegetarian Gluten Free Fajitas   (From an Internet search)
Easy Gluten Free Baked Taquitos  (From a newspaper clip)

Beans & Rice
The Best Homemade Refried Beans  (From an Internet search)
Texas Pinto Beans & Rice  (From my Texas airport cookbook)

Mexican Chicken & Beef
Anna's Pollo Guisado (Mexican Braised Chicken)  (From a church friend in Phoenix)
Fantastic Gluten Free Carne Asada!  (From an Internet search--a combination of sites)
Belizean Chicken, Black Beans & Rice, and Belizean Coleslaw  (From my daughter's family)

Soups
Mexican Chicken Soup- A Great Remedy for Colds & Flu  (I got this over 25 years ago from a Mexican cookbook)
Bethany's Crowd Pleasing Tortilla Soup  (From a friend in Califiornia)
Southwest Turkey Soup   (From my Syre School Cookbook)

Salads
Baja Salad with Black Beans & Quinoa  (My own version of something I ate in Seattle)
Mexican Salmon & Mango Salad  (Modification of a Betty Crocker recipe)