One thing I was quite fond of as child as much as cookbooks was of course, food. Specific dishes stand out in my mind that I loved. And I really have no idea when I had tamale pie, or how it tasted, but that is one meal that stands out in my mind-and my mouth-that was full of meaty flavor and a soft corn crust.

I swear the one I loved had more of a tamale appeal, with masa harina to smooth out the texture and hold the corn flavor. So when I recreated this Upside Down Tamale Pie, I switched it up with masa harina to hold in that corn flavor-and get rid of the gluten for my Jesse bear.

The crust-oh so flavorful with a sweet corn taste. And the filling-loaded with tomatoes and meaty goodness. All topped with a savory green chile sauce and melting cheddar cheese.

This was one good tamale pie!

Upside Down Tamale Pie

Tamale Base
2/3 cup masa harina (corn flour)
1/2 cup yellow corn meal
3 Tb sugar
1 Tb baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tb vegetable oil
1/3 cup milk
1 egg
1 can cream style corn

Ground Beef Topping
1 lb ground beef
1/2 white onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
4-6 tomatoes, chopped
1 10oz can green enchilada sauce
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Begin by preheating the oven to 400F.

Whisk together the masa harina and corn meal, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir in the vegetable oil, milk and egg and mix well.

Stir in the cream style corn.

Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray and pour in the tamale base.
Bake for 25 minutes or until set.

Meanwhile in a large skillet, over medium heat, brown the ground beef with the onion, bell pepper and garlic.

Drain the beef if there is more than 1 Tb of grease in the pan. Otherwise, add the chopped tomatoes. We like a lot!

Cook the beef mixture until the tomatoes are tender.

When the tamale base is done remove the corn bread from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 350F.

Poke holes generously in the tamale base with a fork or the back of a wooden spoon. Pour the enchilada sauce over the top.

Pour the meat mixture over the sauced up tamale base.

Cover and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove the lid and sprinkle with the shredded cheese.

Bake 5-10 minutes more until bubbly and cheese is melted.

Remove from oven and cool 10 minutes before serving.

Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro and sour cream if desired.

Now we know you want to scarf this down, but don’t forget the cooling! The roof of your mouth may hate you for it. 🙂

Now don’t you wish this had smellovision?

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Upside Down Tamale Pie

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 60 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes

Number of servings: 6

Per Serving 625 calories

Fat 36 g

Carbs 47 g

Protein 30 g

6

Weight Watchers PointsPlus®: 17

*Nutritional value may vary depending upon which ingredients are used.

*PointsPlus® calculated by Famished Fish and in no way endorsed by Weight Watchers International, Inc.

Ingredients

For the Tamale Base

• 2/3 cup masa harina (corn flour)
• 1/2 cup yellow corn meal
• 3 Tb sugar
• 1 Tb baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 Tb vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1 can cream style corn

For the Ground Beef Topping

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/2 white onion, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 4-6 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 10oz can green enchilada sauce
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Instructions

1. Begin by preheating the oven to 400F.
2. Whisk together the masa harina and corn meal, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir in the vegetable oil, milk and egg and mix well. Stir in the cream style corn. Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray and pour in the tamale base. Bake for 25 minutes or until set.
3. Meanwhile in a large skillet, over medium heat, brown the ground beef with the onion, bell pepper and garlic. Drain the beef if there is more than 1 Tb of grease in the pan. Otherwise, add the chopped tomatoes. Cook the beef mixture until the tomatoes are tender.
4. When the tamale base is done remove it from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 350F. Poke holes generously in the tamale base with a fork or the back of a wooden spoon. Pour the enchilada sauce over the top.
5. Pour the meat mixture over the sauced up tamale base. Cover and bake for 20 minutes.
6. Remove the lid and sprinkle with the shredded cheese.
7. Bake 5-10 minutes more until bubbly and cheese is melted. Remove from oven and cool 10 minutes before serving.
8. Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro and sour cream if desired.