Another childhood favorite of mine has made it onto my menu plan again. It was time to take the time to “Fix” my Tamale Casserole. My mom called it “Tamale Pie” but it in no way resembles pie to me so I renamed it years ago.
This casserole has a polenta feeling to it. Boiling the cornmeal into the meat mixture achieves that texture.
I treat this as a one-dish meal and so the serving size for me is HUGE. But I have served it with other things like a side salad and 1/2 a serving of Tamale Casserole.
My husband doesn’t care for the olives in this. So I will leave them all the way out of the whole casserole. That takes the Orange container completely out of the container count and will give me the opportunity to use a salad dressing with my side salad.
What clean ingredients go into this Tamale Casserole?
One of the reasons my mom liked this casserole is that it would STRETCH her budget! I can pull a package of ground beef out of the freezer to thaw all day and have a really quick dish put together in 20 min and then baked for 20-25.
I measure my ground beef in my Red Portion Fix container. That way I am 100% sure of how to count it. I have some more container hacks and tips in THIS POST.
Everything else comes out of the pantry or fridge. I make sure to buy “no salt” or “low-sodium” versions of canned goods.
Diced tomatoes
whole kernel corn
large olives
onions
beef broth
cornmeal
cheddar cheese
I use garlic powder in this Tamale Casserole but you could always use fresh if it is your preference. The rest of the spices are just basic ones you should have on hand.
Tamale Casserole
Ingredients
- 1½ lbs lean ground beef
- 1 can diced tomatoes, low sodium
- 1 cup whole kernel corn, low sodium , no salt added
- 1 cup onions, chopped
- 1 can large olives, sliced (about 40)
- 1 can low sodium beef broth, or 1 ¾ cup
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt and pepper
- ½ cup cornmeal
- 1⅓ cup cheddar cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°
- Cook beef in an oven-safe skillet and drain off the grease.
- Stir in the tomatoes, corn, onions, olives, broth, and spices, and simmer for about 15 minutes.
- Slowly stir in the cornmeal and cook on medium until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir often to prevent sticking.
- Top the mixture with cheese and bake for 20-25 minutes or till all bubbly and the cheese is golden.
- Let stand for 5 min to let it firm up. Serve warm.
Portion Fix/21 Day Fix Container Counts for 1/4 pan: 1R, ½G, 1Y, 1O, 1B
What do I serve with this?
Well, like I said I usually make this a one-dish meal, and when I do that I only make a dessert to go with it!
One of my favorite desserts are these delicious Banana Bon Bons. Recipe HERE.
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