Do you want evidence that this recipe is good? How about the fact that I've been eating it for lunch AND dinner for the past three days straight, and I still wanted a piece for breakfast this morning. Seriously.

There are a million and two ways to make tamale pie, some being more like actual tamales than others. This one is not so much like a real tamale, but it's amazing all the same. I decided to go with a cornbread crust instead of polenta because A) I'm in love with corn bread and B) I wanted something that could soak up yumminess from the bottom of the pan. It definitely worked.

I originally intended to make this a beef tamale pie, but I bullied myself into doing a vegetarian mix because I felt like I needed more beans and vegetables in my life. If you did want to do beef (or chicken or pork), simply switch it out for the sweet potatoes, beans, and peppers... or add them all in there together! It's very flexible.

P.S. I know the ingredients list looks long, but it's really quite simple to make. Promise!

Vegetable Tamale Pie

Total Recipe cost: $8.05
Servings Per Recipe: 8
Cost per serving: $1.00
Prep time: 30 min. Cook time: 25 min. Total: 55 min.

FILLING INGREDIENTS		COST
2 Tbsp	olive oil	$0.32
1 small	yellow onion	$0.48
2 cloves	garlic	$0.16
1 small	sweet potato	$0.69
2 cups (or 1 can)	black beans	$0.56
1/2 bunch	green onions	$0.25
1 medium	poblano pepper	$0.84
1 medium	jalapeno pepper	$0.12
1 (10 oz.) can	red enchilada sauce	$1.53
1/2 Tbsp	chili powder	$0.07
1/2 tsp	cumin	$0.03
1/2 tsp	salt	$0.02
CORNBREAD TOPPING INGREDIENTS		COST
1 cup	yellow cornmeal	$0.24
1 cup	all-purpose flour	$0.15
1/4 cup	sugar	$0.04
4 tsp	baking powder	$0.12
1/2 tsp	salt	$0.02
1 cup	milk	$0.62
1 large	egg	$0.25
1/4 cup	vegetable oil	$0.21
1 cup	shredded cheddar (optional)	$1.00
1/2 bunch	cilantro (optional)	$0.43
TOTAL		$8.05

STEP 1: Chop the onion and mince the garlic. Cook in a large skillet with olive oil over medium heat. While onion and garlic are cooking, peel and dice the sweet potato. Add the diced sweet potato to the skillet and continue cooking.

STEP 2: Remove the seeds from the poblano and jalapeno peppers, dice both, and add to the skillet. Also add the black beans (drained and rinsed), enchilada sauce, and sliced green onions. Stir and heat through. Taste the mixture and add the chili powder, cumin, and salt. Adjust to your liking.

STEP 3: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. To make the cornbread topping, combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl (flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt, and baking powder). Stir until evenly combined. Next, add the wet ingredients (milk, egg, vegetable oil, shredded cheese, and roughly chopped cilantro leaves). Stir these ingredients into the dry ingredients just until everything has become wet and the mixture looks even. Slightly beating the egg before adding it helps make this easier.

STEP 3: To build the tamale pie, pour the vegetable mixture into a deep pie dish, cast iron skillet, or 8x8 inch casserole dish. Next, pour the cornbread mixture over top and smooth it out evenly. Bake the pie in the preheated 425 degree oven for about 25 minutes or until the top of the cornbread is golden brown.

Step By Step Photos

Start by cooking those onions and garlic in olive oil.


While those are cooking, peel and dice your sweet potato. Add it to the skillet.


For those who are unfamiliar with poblano peppers, this is what they look like. Large, dark green, and a kind of like a deflated balloon. They have a very unique flavor. If they're not available in your area, you can substitute with other vegetables or beans to make up for the volume.


Remove the seeds from the poblano and chop it up. Do the same with the jalapeno. Add both to the skillet, along with sliced green onions and black beans (drained and rinsed). I used black beans that I had cooked from dry, which is why they're so inexpensive on the ingredient list. Freezing them after cooking makes them just as convenient as canned beans!


Next add the enchilada sauce and then heat everything through.


The enchilada sauce didn't quite provide enough flavor for me, so I also added a little chili powder, cumin, and salt.


Next it's time to make the cornbread topping. In a large bowl combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Stir until they're well combined. Oh, also begin preheating your oven at this point - 425 degrees.


Then add the wet ingredients (milk, oil, egg, cheddar, roughly chopped cilantro). I like to slightly beat the egg before adding it because it helps it incorporate easier. The cheese and cilantro are completely optional.


When stirring the wet ingredients into the dry, only stir just until all of the mixture has moistened and everything looks even (about ten stirs). You want to try to avoid over stirring.


Next, pour the vegetable mixture into the bottom of your baking dish. I used my cast iron skillet because I knew it would make for some nice pictures, but you can also use a deep pie dish or an 8x8 inch casserole dish. My skillet is about 10 inches across.


Pour the cornbread topping over the vegetables and smooth it out. Make sure the oven has finished preheating, and then bake for about 25 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Begin checking it at 18-20 minutes because every oven is a little different.


And then it looks, smells, and tastes absolutely delicious! I cut mine into 8 pieces and had 8 very satisfying meals.