Skillet Tamale Pie + Video
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This Tamale Pie recipe is hearty, savory, and filled with a variety of satisfying seasonings such as cumin, chili powder, and garlic. Made with sweet and crumbly Jiffy mix cornbread, this easy recipe is the best skillet tamale pie I’ve ever had! Cheesy ground beef is cooked with a little bit of spice for a one-pan meal that is fitting for those busy weeknights when you’re looking for simplicity and flavor!
Ready in under an hour, this one-pot meal is the best tamale pie made in a skillet with sweet cornbread. In my household, whenever we get a craving for Southern and Southwestern cuisine, we make this comforting recipe. Serve this skillet meal with your favorite enchilada sauce for an extra level of flavor. Cilantro, olives, avocado, and jalapeños are what we typically serve with this recipe.
This tamale pie casserole is easy to make and perfect for when you are wanting to get dinner on the table as soon as possible. It will be hard to say no to seconds to this recipe because it is just THAT good. Flavors of corn and green chiles create the perfect sweet and spicy balance for this skillet pie.
Serve this recipe with authentic refried beans, pico de gallo, and your favorite queso and chips for a well-rounded dinner that is full of authentic flavors. If you love tamales, then you will love this skillet pie recipe!
Where did Tamale Pie Originate?
Tamale pie originated in North America in the state of Texas and it is believed that the original recipe has been around since World War 1!
Ingredients for the Best Tamale Pie Recipe
Jiffy Mix: I like to use the standard size of Jiffy Muffin Mix for this recipe. This tamale pie turns out so moist, savory, and sweet!
Egg: You will need one large egg to bind the cornbread together.
Sour Cream: Any type of sour cream will work for this recipe.
Corn: Creamed corn is used for this tamale pie to produce moist flavors that are sweet and textural.
Ground Beef: Savory lean ground beef is the key ingredient for this recipe. The combination of seasoning and beef yields perfection!
Onion: One chopped onion is all you will need for this easy dinner recipe. Yellow, white, or sweet varieties will do!
Seasoning: The seasoning you will need will be cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper. This variety creates the best tamale flavors!
Green Chiles: I like to use canned green chiles because they are convenient and easy.
Enchilada Sauce: You can either make your own enchilada sauce or buy your favorite storebought version. The choice is up to you!
Cheese: I like to use Cheddar Jack cheese because of its savory flavors, but you can use any kind of Monterey cheese.
Optional: Cilantro, olives, avocado, jalapeño–use these as the toppings and garnishments.
Find the complete measurements and instructions at the bottom of this post in the printable recipe card.
How to Make The Best Old School Tamale Pie
How to Make The Best Old School Tamale PieSavory, aromatic, and filled with the perfect amount of seasoning, this cheesy recipe is the ultimate dish for whenever you’re craving savory and sweet. You will love how this recipe comes together in only one pan!
I like to make this recipe in a cast-iron skillet. It can also be prepared in either an 8×8 or a 9×9 inch casserole dish.
Step One
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Brown the ground beef with onion, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. When the meat mixture is about halfway done, add in the minced garlic and green chilies, cook until the meat is no longer pink. Drain any excess grease from the meat, remove meat from skillet, and set aside.
Step Two
Combine the Jiffy mix, egg, sour cream, and creamed corn.
Step Three
Spread the cornbread into the greased cast iron skillet.
Bake the cornbread mix for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Step Four
Poke holes in the cornbread. Pour a little bit of the enchilada sauce over the top, making sure it gets inside the holes.
Top the pie evenly with the meat mixture. Cover with shredded cheese.
Step Five
Finally, Bake the tamale pie for 20 minutes until the edges are bubbly.
Step Seven
Serve hot from the skillet with enchilada sauce, avocado, cilantro, black olives, and jalapeño if desired.
Love it? Pin it!
Are you a fan of this recipe? Save it for later by pinning it to your Pinterest board! You’ll want to make sure you have this recipe for later!
How do you Reheat Tamale Pie?
You can either warm individual pies of the tamale pie in the microwave for one to two minutes or bake in the oven at around 325 degrees Fahrenheit for around 20 minutes or until heated thoroughly.
What to serve with Tamale Pie?
You can serve refried beans, rice, nachos, and so much more with this delicious tamale pie recipe. You will want to keep this recipe around just for the side dishes!
Are Tamales Mexican?
Although tamale recipes are found all throughout Latin and South America, they really originated in Mexico. We love authentic Mexican tamales, and this tamale pie lets us get those flavors in a quick weeknight skillet meal.
Other Mexican Recipes You May Love
I could eat Mexican food every day. There is nothing about it that I tire of.
- Pico de Gallo Recipe (pictured above)
- Mexican Bean Salad
- Mexican Brownies
- Copy Cat Taco Bell Mexican Pizza
- Layered Bean Dip
- Sheet Pan Fajitas
- Walking Taco Casserole
Let’s cook up some skillet tamale pie! 
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Tamale Pie
Ingredients
- 1 box Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup creamed corn
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 small onion chopped
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 4 ounce can diced green chiles, drained
- 1 10 ounce can red enchilada sauce (I have a recipe for homemade on my site – you can use it or canned is fine)
- 8 ounces Cheddar Jack Cheese shredded
- Garnish with fresh cilantro sliced black olives and fresh jalapeño
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a cast iron skillet, brown ground beef with onion, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. When the meat mixture is about halfway done, add in the minced garlic and green chilies, cook until the meat is no longer pink. Drain any excess grease from the meat, remove meat from skillet, and it set aside.
- Combine Jiffy mix, egg, sour cream and creamed corn and pour into greased cast iron skillet.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and set aside. Using the handle of a wooden spoon, poke holes in the cornbread. Pour ½ cup of enchilada sauce over the top, making sure it gets inside the holes. (keep the remaining sauce for serving)
- Top evenly with the meat mixture.
- Cover with shredded cheese.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and edges are bubbly.
- Serve with remaining enchilada sauce, fresh cilantro, sliced black olives, avocado and jalapeño if desired.
This was a hit for dinner last night. Loved all the flavors and was simple to make. Keeper!
Happy you enjoyed it!
The tamale pie looks so flavorful and delicious! A perfect dinner recipe.
Tamale pie is a perennial favorite at our house! (And you just can’t beat cast iron!)
This was amazing and just as good as my late Mother’s recipe. Thanks for sharing it. I will make it again and again.
Love all the flavors in this delicious and satisfying dish! Easily, a new favorite recipe; my whole family loved it!
Michaela, can this be made with refried beans instead of ground beef? Thanks. Kathy Wilson
For sure!!
This needs to happen in my house asap! Looks so good. 🙂
Who could say no to that, it looks lush!
I found the perfect use for my homemade enchilada sauce!!! This sounds so good.
I want to make this tonight but I do not have any Jiffy cornbread mix. Can I make it with homemade cornbread? Would I need to change the cornbread recipe in any way?
Thx!
I would imagine that homemade would work? The cornbread mix is prepared with sour cream and creamed corn. Maybe try your homemade recipe like that?