tamale pie

Sorry my blog is boring.

Here's one of my favorite recipes.

TAMALE PIE

2 cans of beans (black bean, pinto bean, kidney bean) try to pick 2 different varieties
1 pepper, chopped (I prefer red but green works too if you're on a budget) You can also do 1/2 green pepper and 1/2 red pepper if you want, this adds some color
1/2 or 1 onion, chopped
1 4 oz can of diced grean chile peppers, undrained
1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced (or some garlic powder)
6 oz vegetable juice (1 small can of V8 or Wal-Mart brand)
1 box of Jiffy corn muffin mix, 1 egg, 1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded cheese (cheddar, pepper jack, or whatever you happen to have in your fridge)
dash cumin
dash chili powder
dash cilantro

Preheat oven to 400* and grease a glass pie pan (or other glass dish that's about the same size, about 2 quarts)

Sautee the pepper, onion, and garlic in 1 tbs oil until tender. Stir in beans, vegetalble juice, chile peppers, chili powder and cumin. Heat through. Spoon into prepared dish.

Prepare corn muffin mix according to package directions, add cheese and cilantro. Stir until just combined. Spoon cornbread evenly over the top of the bean mixture. Bake uncovered at 400* for 20-25 minutes until golden.


I based this recipe from one I found in the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook. I love it because you can mix and match what items you have (like different varieties of beans, peppers, cheese, and clean dishes) and it comes out great. I'm always changing up what I use and probably have never made it the same way twice. Plus you get a whole pie/casserole dish worth of dinner for only a couple bucks worth of ingredients. The best part? It tastes AMAZING when you heat it up later in the week for leftovers!