Easy Texas Tamale Pie with a Cornmeal and Cheese Topping
Sneak Peek: Dig into this Texas Tamale Pie with a Cornmeal and Cheese Topping. The pie includes a layer of ground beef, corn, tomato sauce, and beans with a layer of cornbread over the top.

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Do you love Tex-Mex food? If so, you’ll go crazy for this Texas Tamale Pie with a scratch cornmeal crust. Serve it with avocados or guacamole, chopped tomatoes, and chips if you want to go all out.
Five Reasons To Share This Tex-Mex Treat
- This recipe is a chili-flavored meat mixture with corn, beans, and black olives added. (It doesn’t taste much like a tamale.)
- A thin cornbread crust and cheese top off the deliciousness in the bottom layer.
- Canned beans are good enough.
- The cornbread topping is made from scratch for the freshest taste.
- The cornbread layer is thinner than many tamale pie recipes to keep it from robbing moisture from the meat layer.
Happy Cooks Speak Up
“I made a smaller version of this last night and it passed scrutiny with flying colours. Tasty and filling and not that difficult to make. I am adding this one to a my menu.”—STEPHEN
Ingredients and Substitutions

- GROUND BEEF: My ground beef of choice is an 85/15 blend. This ratio translates to only 15% fat, so I rarely have to drain it after browning.
- To add more flavor, substitute hot ground breakfast sausage for the beef. If you prefer, use ground turkey or ground chicken instead of beef.
- TOMATO SAUCE: I used to use tomato soup. However, I’ve found that using tomato sauce makes the whole casserole moister without changing its flavor.
- SEASONINGS: Adjust the seasonings to your tastes, especially the chili powder. I like to substitute smoky chipotle powder for some of the chili powder.
- OLIVES: The olives add personality and salt to the party in this casserole. Olive haters can leave them out.
- Substituting green olives for black olives will change the character of this recipe, so I don’t recommend it.
- CORN: Use fresh, frozen, or canned corn.
- BEANS: My favorite beans for this recipe are Ranch-Style beans, pinto beans, black beans, or kidney beans, in that order.
- CORNMEAL: Either yellow cornmeal or white cornmeal is fine.
- BUTTERMILK, SOUR CREAM, or MILK: You have choices. 100% buttermilk or yogurt, 50% sour cream and 50% milk, or 50 % buttermilk and 50% sour cream.
- CHEESE: The cheese is for sprinkling on top if you desire. A good melty cheese like Colby, Monterrey Jack, or Sharp Cheddar would work. I use a combination of whatever I can find in the fridge. If you aren’t a cheese lover, leave the cheese off.
How To Make this Easy Tamale Pie Recipe with a Cornmeal and Cheese Crust




How to Assemble the Cornmeal Layer







FAQ for Tamale Pie with a Cornmeal Crust
Chips, salsa, guacamole, avocados, and sour cream are all good. A green salad on the side completes the meal.
You can freeze the prepared meat layer for 1-3 months. Be sure to wrap it with plastic wrap or use an airtight container. When ready to serve this casserole, remove the frozen meat layer from the freezer. Heat the meat mixture until bubbly. Meanwhile, mix up the cornmeal layer and pour it over the top layer after it simmers. Bake according to the directions.
It can be. If you don’t like spicy foods, reduce the chili powder and red pepper.
Random Thoughts: Something about Tamale Pie hooks people into loving Tex-Mex food. If you are one of those people, look at my Memorable Green Chile Enchiladas or this Baked Chile Relleno Casserole with Ground Beef. Try these Texas Fiesta Bowls or White Queso and Corn Dip if you want party fare. One of my favorite comfort foods is this Thick Chicken Tortilla Soup.
Need help troubleshooting? Email me: Paula at saladinajar.com—photos welcome!
Paula Rhodes, owner
As a retired home economist, I created Saladinajar.com to share my belief that you don’t have to be a chef to find joy in creating homemade food worth sharing. Bread machines (used in an unconventional way), homemade yogurt, and quick microwave recipes are my specialty.