Chipotle Tamale Pie
Why I Love This Recipe
OK, I know, tamale pie!? Think of this like fancy tamale pie. I was skeptical about trying this recipe, but it was really good and I don't really like tamale pie. I did the recipe with two chipotle chiles, and it was spicy so the kids couldn't have any. You may want to half the amount. Make sure you use cornbread mix instead of corn muffin mix, unless you want sweet "masa". I did make this in an 8 X 8 and it was full to the top. You may want to use a bigger pan.
Ingredients You'll Need
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb ground beef or ground turkey
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp ground cumin
1 (15 oz) can Bush's pinto beans with bacon, drained and rinsed
1 (8 oz) can diced tomatoes
1/2 c water
2 chipotle chiles, plus 1 tsp adobo sauce, from can of chipotle in adobo
1 c grated cheddar
1/2 c chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 (8.5 oz) pkg cornbread mix
1 egg
1/3 c milk
Directions
Preheat oven to 400.
Grease an 8 inch baking dish.
Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, green peppers, and garlic and heat until they are tender. Add the ground beef and cook until meat is no longer pink. Drain off any excess fat. Sprinkle meat mixture with cumin.
Remove any big chunks of bacon from the can of beans and then add the beans, tomatoes, chilies, water, and adobo sauce to the skillet and continue cooking until heated through and slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove pan from the heat and stir in the cheese and cilantro.
Spread meat mixture in the prepared dish, pressing down on it with your spoon to make it level and compact.
Combine cornbread mix with the milk and egg and spread over the top of the meat mixture and bake until the cornbread is golden brown, about 20-25 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes before cutting into squares and serving.
