Cornbread Tamale Pie

Use a dutch oven for browning the meat and for cooking the pie - one less pan the wash.

This is a favorite dish in my house. I needed a dairy free alternative, so I substituted 1/3 cup water and an extra teaspoon of oil for the milk. Also, I think the salt in the cornbread perhaps should be 1/2 tsp - the recipe calls for 1 1/2 tsp salt, and if 1 tsp goes into the chili, that leaves 1/2 for the cornbread (which comes out a little salty if you add a whole tsp). I have also been know to throw a can of chopped green chiles into the meat, which is a nice addition.

This was a big hit, I will definitely make it again. Cornbread was perfect texture, spices in the meat and bean mixture not too spicy, just right.

I sprinkled grated cheddar on top of the meat-bean mixture before topping with the cornbread mixture. I also added some to the cornbread before baking.

Because the recipe calls for one cup of a few items, leaving me with leftover canned ingredients, I decided to double the recipe, which gave me an extra pie to freeze for another night. Perfect!

To those concerned re the leftover beans and corn....you can just throw the whole can in. The proportions aren't crucial.

I add a heaping teaspoon of dark bitter cocoa to the meat mixture...makes it extra good!

I took the advice of another person who made this dish and substituted salsa for the tomato sauce, making it perfectly spicy. I also used more of a real cornbread recipe by increasing the flour to one cup and the milk to about 2/3 cup or so. I would give this five stars for taste and ease of cooking. I gave it four stars because the cornmeal part of the recipe needed work.

I've made Joy of Cooking recipe several times, using meatless, soy-based crumbles in place of beef. Always satisfying. If I lack tomato sauce, I use an equivalent of diced tomatoes, or mix tomato paste and water. Water may also be used in place of broth.

I've learned over the last few years to read the comments BEFORE cooking the recipe the first time. I noted the comments about dry cornbread, and used a half recipe of my own recipe instead. I also added extra chile powder, and saluted the spices before adding the wet ingredients. My husband really enjoyed the final product. I would add a jalapeño next time, and there will be a next time.

I had to make dinner for 18, including man young men with big appetites. I tripled the recipe and baked it in two large dutch overs. HUGE hit, served with sour cream, cheddar cheese and pickled jalapenos.
I emptied all of the cans into the filling, and used 1 can of tomato sauce, one jar of medium salsa, and one can of tomate/chiles blend for the tomato sauce.
I made the filling the night before, and reheated. then topped with crust and baked. An easy, hearty , crowd pleasing dinner.

Add grated cheese to top of cornmeal

Delicious! Used ground dark turkey (1.3lb) and 2 Italian hot turkey links. Plus cocoa from another reviewer. The flavors were melded together fabulously. Plenty for 5 with leftovers. When my daughter walked in she remarked about the great smell. PS used Jiffy cornbread mix for the topping. Quick and easy.

M, as you deduced, letting "quick breads" batter sit will reduce rise in oven. Have everything ready, oven preheated to full baking temp, pan (pref. well-seasoned cast iron) can also preheat in the oven w/out oil or butter until you take it out and pour in the butter or oil, take 1 minute to add liquids to dry ingr. Do not over mix batter, put into hot oven right away. Once cooked place on a cooling rack after 5 minutes rest in pan. Reheat and you will still have great cornbread.

Hi Jennifer - we made this last night - delicious flavors and we would like to make it again, but the amount of cornbread on top seems off, there was barely enough cornbread batter to put a skim coat across the top of the meat mixture, and it dried out before it could completely cook. Can you check the proportions for me?

If you don’t care to make cornbread, cover the filling wit a layer of cheese, and sprinkle a generous amount of crushed corn chips, cover with cheese. Bake at 375 for 25 min.

I this whole recipe in a dutch oven. Love the idea of combining the chile and cornbread in one pot. This was not nearly spicy enough for me though. Next time I will use a poblano pepper instead of a bell pepper. Don't worry about measurements for beans and corn, I used whole cans and proportions were fine. Ground turkey instead of beef worked well too. I halfed the salt and it was seasoned enough - just needed more heat. Served with arugula, avocado and red onion salad. Excellent leftovers!