vegetable tamale pie

$8.05 recipe / $1.00 serving
by Beth - Budget Bytes
4.77 from 17 votes
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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 in skillet

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Vegetable Tamale Pie

4.77 from 17 votes
This vegetable tamale pie is super hearty and delicious with a jalapeno cornbread topping.
Servings 8
Prep 30 minutes
Cook 25 minutes
Total 55 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.32)
  • 1 yellow onion ($0.48)
  • 2 cloves garlic ( $0.16)
  • 1 sweet potato ($0.69)
  • 1 15oz. black beans ($0.56)
  • 1/2 bunch green onions ($0.25)
  • 1 poblano pepper ($0.84)
  • 1 jalapeño ($0.12)
  • 1 10z. can red enchilada sauce ($1.53)
  • 1/2 Tbsp chili powder ($0.07)
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin ($0.03)
  • 1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)

CORNBREAD TOPPING

  • 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 cooking oil ($0.21)
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar, optional ($1.00)
  • 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro (optional) ($0.43)
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Instructions 

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Preheat the oven to 425ºF. 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, 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.
  • To build the tamale pie, pour the vegetable mixture into a deep pie dish, cast iron skillet, or 8×8 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.

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Nutrition

Serving: 1ServingCalories: 461.09kcalCarbohydrates: 59.8gProtein: 14.2gFat: 19.23gSodium: 1049.08mgFiber: 8.71g
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Plate with a slice of Vegetable Tamale Pie

Step By Step Photos

onions and garlic in olive oil in skillet
Start by cooking those onions and garlic in olive oil.

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

whole poblano pepper ready to chop up
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.

all veggies added to skillet with other ingredients
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!

close up of a can of enchilada sauce
Next add the enchilada sauce and then heat everything through.

seasoning added to skillet of other ingredients
The enchilada sauce didn’t quite provide enough flavor for me, so I also added a little chili powder, cumin, and salt.

dry ingredients for cornbread topping in mixing bowl
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.

wet ingredients added to dry ingredients in mixing bowl
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.

combined wet and dry ingredients mixed up
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.

veggie mixture poured into bottom of skillet
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 8×8 inch casserole dish. My skillet is about 10 inches across.

corn bread topping poured over top of veggies in skillet
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.

Top view of baked tamale pie
And then it looks, smells, and tastes absolutely delicious! I cut mine into 8 pieces and had 8 very satisfying meals.

Top view of Vegetable Tamale Pie in skillet
Slice of Vegetable Tamale Pie on plate
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Comments

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  1. I can’t believe this recipe only has 16 reviews. I’ve been making it, unaltered, for…a decade? It’s perfection, one of the best dishes on this site. Make it now.

  2. This is so cozy and satisfying in the winter! I was getting tired of soup and wanted something a little heartier, and this was perfect. I added a zucchini and some corn, and made the BB enchilada sauce instead of using a can. Topped with some diced avocado and I had six very delicious meals.

  3. Absolutely delicious! I didn’t read the notes to put it in a larger dish until it was a bit too late (not a huge deal, I put my 8×8 dish on a baking sheet to catch the sauce that bubbled out) and I used cayenne instead of chili powder so it was a bit spicier and I loved it!

  4. Made this in a 9-inch cake pan and the liquid from the filling escaped! Will try a larger pan in the future.

    Skipped the recommended peppers but added two small carrots, a few stalks of celery, and some leftover frozen corn, just for additional veggies. Used most of a budget bytes batch of homemade enchilada sauce for this — saved the rest for a future use. Would definitely consider bell pepper instead of the poblano in the future.

  5. I used a half batch of the red enchilada sauce recipe instead of canned, and didn’t add cheese to the cornbread, but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. So good!

    I used a 12 inch cast iron skillet which was VERY full when sautéing the veggies, so I wouldn’t recommend going smaller. This was my main dish so I cut into six servings. 

  6. I forgot to buy a sweet potato for this, but I made it anyways, and it was still really good. Though the cornbread has to be cooked for 15 minutes longer. That could be because I used a Dutch oven, though.

  7. Made it with 2 tsp baking powder and 2 tsp of sugar and it came out fine. I also used frozen peppers and frozen corn to bulk it up a bit because I didn’t have fresh peppers or much onion. Super tasty and very easy!