Vegetarian Tamale Pie Recipe (2024)

As always, I'll use Bob's Red Mill medium grind cornmeal. BTW, the cornbread recipe on the bag is outstanding. It calls for buttermilk, but I just clabber milk with lemon juice or vinegar.

Noting some commenters so far report their experience of the cornmeal topping being too little to cover the beans adequately, I wonder if the size of Dutch oven used might be a factor? The instructions say "large Dutch oven". At my house that would be my 7 qt size but that would be too big. So I'm thinking the 5 qt - or 5 1/2 qt size might be more in the range of what is meant by "large" here? That's the size I'm choosing for first try today.

Made this tonight, halved. Everything tasted good but I would double the cornbread next time, it sort of dissolved into the chili instead of being a distinct thick layer like in the photo

Rather than using a Dutch oven I used my 12 inch cast iron skillet. Perfect.

Love pickled jalapeños! Another sub - canned chipotles in adobo sauce. After using one or two chipotles the first go, I puree the rest with their sauce and freeze. Cut off a chunk at a time to add to anything that calls for heat and smoky flavor.

Since I was just cooking for myself, I made a smaller batch of chili, stuffed bell pepper halves with it and topped them with the cornbread. Baked on foil-covered cookie sheet. I did need to cover them for the last five or ten minutes in the oven because the cornbread was getting browned. The cornbread did overflow the peppers -- that's on me miscalculating how much I needed!Tasted great, I had one for dinner and one for lunch at work.

Add black olives and corn for a heartier meal.

Maybe make it in muffin tins & freeze after cooking? (I cooked for 1 for a long time & found muffin tins to be my best kitchen tool: shepherds pie is especially nice!)

The only difference between white and yellow cornmeal is the color of the corn it is made from. Use whatever you have.

The version I grew up with was simply topped with polenta (a.k.a. Cornmeal mush). I still prefer it because the texture is closer to actual tamales.

Proportion of chili to cornbread didn’t quite work for me. There wasn’t enough cornbread to fully cover the chili in my Dutch oven and the cornbread got a little dried out. I will try again but double the cornbread next time. Tasted great though!

I "discovered" pickled jalapenos in the jar during the pandemic when fresh ones weren't available. Now I use them for most recipes that specify jalapenos. For this recipe I put some in the filling, the corn bread and a bowlful at the table. Yummy

Yes to adding black olives and doubling the cornbread—with buttermilk—!My great Aunt who lived in NM used to make this when I was teeny-tiny. Her husband was a sheriff, she was the epitome of “a pistol” and she could COOK. I have some New Mexico green Chile powder from Spice House that I’ve been dying to try that may just put this over the top! Yum!

I have been making variations on this for years. We like to add peas, cubes of potato, or a shredded carrot (often all 3). Adds some flavor and nutrients.

I used a 5.5 quart Dutch oven after seeing the notes and the cornbread recipe was perfect for it without doubling. Next time I’ll add corn! I used pickled jalapeños as well since I always have those on hand. I’ll definitely be making this again!

You forgot sliced olives. Always in a tamale pie

Okay, I made my second iteration of this tonight and it came out great! I added a cup of green lentils to it and canned corn, simmered for about 30 mins (so lentils will cook) then I made spoonbread by damn delicious to put on top. The lentils just gave it more weight and soaked up a lot of the wetness. The spoon bread is softer, sweeter, and extremely simple. Then I put shredded cheese on top! 😁

This was great! The chili is very smokey - def. recommend broiling peppers and onions - it tastes delicious combined with the cornbread and sour cream.I baked it in a large cast iron skillet after reading the reviews - recommended.I used a boxed mix from Trader Joe's instead of making the corn bread from scratch. I used the entire box (with milk and an egg) and this was just the right amount - although probably a little too much if you want a smaller ratio of cornbread to chili.

Double cornbread recipe and I froze half the chili filling. Also added vegan meat and diced green chilies.

I Halved the recipe, used a whole egg anyway in cornbread. In hindsight I would not halve the cornbread since half wasn’t really enough to top in my 2 qt Dutch oven. Loved the charred roasted veggies blended in the chili. Great flavor. Next time I might throw some green olives in the chili too. Served with simple calabacitas. So good!

(Blending with recipe for the same fromAmerica’s Test Kitchen): Double the tomatoes. Drain & set aside 2 cups of the liquid. Roast (at 475 for 30 min) all veggies after tossing in olive oil. Stir in cumin, oregano, chili powder and roast for 10 more minutes. Puree with set aside tomato juice. considrr keeping the bean licker and double the polenta topping. leave out honey from that mixture. Add a layer of Monterey Jack cheese to top of veggies (add polenta. (Bake at 425 for 20 min.

Great family weekend meal. Made recipe as written. A little extra work but worth it. Served with sliced avocado and sour cream.

Tasty and very filling. Next time I’ll bake it in a casserole dish so it’s easier to store the leftovers. Trying to get it out of a Dutch oven without ruining the cornbread topping wasn’t easy.

very tasty but not a quick recipe to make. The proportions for topping weren't sufficient to cover the pan so I would make it at least 1 c cornmeal and add some to other ingredients in topping. But it tastes very good and feels like a healthy, hearty meal.

Amazing! The family loved it. I doubled the cornbread per the notes below and that was clutch. You have to bake it a bit longer to accommodate the double order of cornbread though.

My picky eater kids (5 & 2.5) loved this recipe. I ended up just sauteeing the chili ingredients without roasting anything to cut down on time and pans.

Easily double the cornbread measurements. In a 5qt Dutch oven, the recommended measurements covered about 2/3 of the chili

Delicious and good looking, but cornbread not enough to cover, even thinly, a 10 inch diamter dutch oven! more batter/smaller diameter?

By default, this was incredibly under-seasoned. Took significant tweaks to bump the flavor. I definitely will skip making this particular recipe again.

This is so cozy and delicious! Made exactly as written and just added a tiny bit of cheese. Absolutely perfect for a cold winter night.