Vegetable Tamale Pie

When Will suggested making this, I was hesitant because of the word "tamale." I always think of tamales as really hot and I wasn't sure that even with my newfound love of spicy food, that I was up for this. But I let Will put this recipe together and I'm glad I did. It ended up being as tasty as Budget Bytes had promised and we were able to make two smaller pies out of the recipe! This is a great meal if you won't have a lot of time (or energy) to cook during the week and want something prepared.

Our only oopsies was that because we split it into two pies, we had less cornbread part to go around and it wasn't as liquidy as the pictures on Budget Bytes. It still tasted good though! It also may have been due in part to the fact that I accidentally measured out cornstarch instead of cornmeal and had to scoop it all back into the container, leaving more residue than was necessary.

Vegetable Tamale Pie (adapted from Budget Bytes; serves 10)

Filling

2 tbsp olive oil

1 small yellow onion

2 garlic cloves

1 small sweet potato

2 cups black beans (one can)

1/2 bunch green onions

1 medium poblano pepper

1 medium jalapeno pepper

1 10 oz. can red enchilada sauce

1/2 tbsp chili powder

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp salt

Cornbread Topping

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup milk

1 large egg

1/4 cup veggie oil

1 cup shredded cheddar (optional)

1/2 bunch cilantro (optional)

Chop onion and mince garlic. Cook in a large skillet with olive oil over medium heat. While onion and garlic cook, peel and dice sweet potato. Add to skillet and continue cooking. Remove seeds from poblano and jalapeno peppers, dice, and add to skillet. Add black beans (drained and rinsed), enchilada sauce, and sliced green onions, heating everything through. Taste mixture and add chili powder, cumin and salt to your liking. Adjust or add other spices if you please.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine dry ingredients of cornbread mixture in a large bowl (flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt). In a smaller bowl, mix wet ingredients, starting with the egg to beat it before adding other wet ingredients to the mix (milk, veggie oil, cheese, and cilantro). Stir wet ingredients into dry mixture until evenly combined. 

Spray casserole or pie dish wish nonstick spray and pour veggie mix into dish. Pour cornbread mixture over top and spread out evenly. Bake for 25 minutes or until cornbread is golden brown. Serve warm with fresh sliced avocado!

Recipe: Budget Bytes: Vegetable Tamale Pie