This beef tamale casserole is one of those simple, cozy dinners you'll want to add to your regular rotation. It's easy to throw together with pantry staples, comes out perfectly every time, and has that comforting mix of savory beef, cheesy topping, and a soft, slightly sweet cornbread base that everyone at the table will love.
Tamale casserole is one of those TexMex comfort meals that never goes out of style, and for good reason. It's hearty, flavorful, and comes together with minimal effort. It's perfect for busy weeknights when you want something satisfying on the table fast. What I love about this dish is how incredibly flexible it is. You can easily adjust the spice level, mix in extra veggies, or pile on your favorite toppings to make it exactly how your family likes it.
This version uses a simple boxed cornbread mix as the base, which makes prep even easier without sacrificing flavor. I like to make it in a cast iron skillet so it goes straight from stovetop to oven (and it looks pretty on the table, too). Serve it up with sour cream, salsa, fresh cilantro, or whatever toppings you love. Enjoy!
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Equipment
For this recipe you will need:
- Cutting board and sharp knife
- Mixing bowl and whisk: I love these glass nesting mixing bowls from Pyrex and this balloon whisk from Oxo is my favorite.
- Cheese Grater (optional): I always recommend freshly shredding your cheese for the best flavor and texture and I love my Oxo cheese grater. However, in a pinch you can always use pre shredded cheese.
- Cast Iron Skillet: I love making this tamale pie in my Le Creuset cast iron skillet because it's so convenient to transfer it straight from the stove to the oven.
If you don't have a cast iron or oven safe skillet you can also cook up the beef and veggies in any other skillet and then then transfer to a round or square 9 inch pan before baking.
Ingredients
The ingredients you need for this recipe are:
- Small onion: Any white or yellow onion will work. You can also substitute with green onions in a pinch.
- Olive oil
- Small/medium red bell pepper: Feel free to substitute with yellow or orange if you'd like. You can use a green bell pepper if you wish but it will have a slightly less sweet, more bitter flavor.
- Ground beef: Fat is flavor so I prefer using a 85/15 fat ratio. But you can use a leaner ground beef if preferred.
- Garlic clove: I know it's tempting to used jarred garlic (and you totally can in a pinch) but I highly recommend using freshly minced garlic for the best flavor.
- Package of taco seasoning: I love using Siete Foods Taco Seasoning for this recipe but feel free to use your favorite brand.
- Canned, diced tomatoes
- Canned corn
- Diced green chiles: I typically just use a standard 4 oz can of green chiles for this recipe but if it's Hatch chile season and you can get them fresh feel free to roast some of your own!
- Cornbread Mix: I tend to use
Toppings (Optional)
I love serving this Tamale Casserole with some sour cream, salsa and a slice of jalapeno. It's also great with avocado, extra shredded cheese, hot sauce and sliced radishes. The sky's the limit!
Step by Step Instructions
Time needed: 40 minutes
- Make the cornbread batter.
Mix up the cornbread according to package instructions and add in 1 cup of shredded cheese. Set aside.
- Make the ground beef filling.
Cook onions, bell pepper, garlic and ground beef until browned. Stir in taco mix, green chilies and tomatoes. Bring to a boil then add in corn and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes until thickened.
- Bake the Tamale Casserole.
Remove the ground beef and vegetable mixture from the heat. Pour on the cornbread batter and spread evenly over the top.
Then bake at 400 degrees F for 20-25 minutes until the cornbread is cooked through.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! If you'd like a leaner take on this tamale pie feel free to substitute with ground turkey or ground chicken.
Cornbread mixes are annoyingly one of those items that don't come in a consistent sizes. The nice thing about this recipe is that it's customizable based on what you have on hand.
I like using the Sprouts brand of cornbread mix. You can also get 12 oz sizes in Krusteaz, Pamela's, Old School Brand, Paula Deen's, Teays Valley and more.
If you like a less bread-y version of this recipe you can always use Jiffy which comes in 8.5 oz. Or for a more cornbread heavy recipe feel free to use a 15 oz box.
You can easily make this recipe gluten free by using a gluten free cornbread mix. King Arthur Baking Company's gluten free cornbread is one of my favorites!
Absolutely. Once baked and cooled, you can freeze individual portions or the whole casserole. Just thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in the oven or microwave when ready to serve.
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Made this Beef Tamale Casserole recipe? Let me know what you think in the comments!
Recipe
Beef Tamale Casserole
Equipment
- 10 inch cast iron skillet
- mixing bowl and whisk
- Cheese grater optional
- Cutting board and knife
Ingredients
For the cornbread topping
- 1 12 oz box cornbread mix can substitute with an 8.5 oz box (such as Jiffy) if desired
- milk use amount listed on cornbread package
- butter use amount listed on cornbread package
- egg use amount listed on cornbread package
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
For the ground beef filling
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 packet of taco seasoning I recommend Siete Food
- 1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes do not drain
- 1 4 oz can of diced green chiles do not drain
- 1 15.25 oz can of corn, drained
- salt and pepper
Toppings (optional)
- sour cream
- salsa
- sliced jalapenos
- sliced avocado
- hot sauce
- sliced radishes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, mix the cornbread ingredients according to the package instructions. Add 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese and stir to combine. Set aside.
- Drizzle a little olive oil in a 9-10 inch cast iron skillet and heat over medium high heat. Add in diced onions, bell pepper, garlic and ground beef. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and cook until the meat is cooked through. Then stir in taco mix, diced tomatoes and green chiles. Bring to a boil then add in the corn and reduce to a simmer. Cook on low heat for about 5 minutes until thickened. Taste and add additional salt and pepper as needed.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and pour the cornbread mixture over the top, spreading out in an even layer over the filling. Place in the oven and cook at 400 degrees F for 20-25 until the cornbread is cooked through and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before serving. Serve with sour cream and salsa or any other toppings you desire. Enjoy!
Mary
Yummy tamale pie! Or casserole. My mom always put sliced black olives in her tamale pie so I had to do it. This is really delicious.
Covita
I love this Tamale pie. The corn bread gives a nice texture- My family enjoyed. 5 star ?
Helen at the Lazy Gastronome
I love this recipe. There are a lot of tamale pie recipes out there and this is one of the best!
Patricia H Baronne
This tamale pie was a hit with my family. Very good. Will be making it again. I substituted the can of tomatoes for a can of original Rotel.
jamjarkitchen
Hi Patricia - Rotel works great for this recipe. So glad y'all enjoyed it!
andrea
love this tamale casserole so much! perfect for meal prepping!
Jean
This was super easy to make and turned out delicious. Thank you for the recipe.
Glenda from Kansas
Huge success with my family. I got lots of raves at the table. Will be making this again I used a gluten free jiffy mix for topping and it was perfect
jamjarkitchen
Hi Glenda - So glad that y'all liked the recipe!