*Tamale Pie

Note: Printer scaling may be required.

This recipe has been modified to support a balanced meal plan. More info here.

Makes 4 servings. Each serving provides:
1 grain serving       4 oz vegetables       2 oz protein

Aprx Nutrition For One Serving
Cal: 292   Protein: 13g   Carbs: 60g   Fat: 2g   Fiber: 12.2g

Ingredients

Use a combination of vegetables that will equal 16 oz.

  • 4 oz onions, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 oz celery, diced
  • 3 oz green pepper, diced
  • 7 oz frozen corn, thawed
  • 1 ½ oz tomato paste
  • 8 oz cooked or canned pinto beans, mashed
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • ½ tsp cumin
  • ½ tsp oregano
  • ½ tsp chipotle powder
  • ¾ tsp salt
  • 1 recipe polenta (included below)
  • condiment options salsa and/or Cheese Sauce (potato) and/or All Purpose Cashew Sour Cream

Instructions

  1. Sauté onions until it begin to caramelize. Learn how to sauté without oil.
  2. Add garlic and cook for another minute, then add celery and green peppers. If needed add about 2 Tbsp water. Cover and cook until vegetables are tender.
  3. Add the corn, tomato paste, beans, chili powder, cumin and salt. Mix well and set aside. This could also be made the day before.

Polenta for Crust

  • 4 oz cornmeal
  • 1 ½ cups water
  • ¾ tsp onion powder
  • ¾ tsp chili powder
  • ¾ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp dehydrated jalapeño powder, optional

How to Cook Polenta

  1. To prevent lumping, add polenta, to water before bringing it to boil. Add the salt and seasonings when the mixture comes to boil. While stirring, cook until thick.

Assembly and Baking

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Prepare glass baking pan so it won’t stick. (Pyrex pie plate works well.)
  3. Spread/press two thirds of the polenta over the bottom and sides of the pan. (Dip hands in water and shake off excess to prevent polenta from sticking to fingers while pressing mixture into pan).
  4. Add the bean mixture and spread it to the edges then add the remainder of the polenta to the top. (I find it easier to work with the polenta by pressing polenta into small flat disks and placing them over top the bean mixture, then gently spread the disk to touch the other disks. Don’t be overly concerned to cover the pie completely).
  5. Bake covered for 30 minutes, remove cover and bake for additional 10 minutes.
  6. Divide into 4 servings. Serve with salsa and/or Cheese Sauce (potato) and/or All Purpose Cashew Sour Cream.
  7. I like to use my AirFryer to warm up left overs. To prevent drying out, wrap pieces of tamale pie in parchment paper and put in 400°F AirFryer for 15 minutes.

Note

This pie can be made the day before. Bake refrigerated pie covered for 40, then uncovered for additional 10 minutes.