You know that feeling when you take a bite of a dish and it transports you to a different time and place, reminding you of cherished memories? That's the power of comfort food.
Tamale Pie is one of those foods for me. Packed with layers of flavor and texture, it's a hearty dish that reminds me of my childhood. My dad would make it based on his mom's recipe that he grew up on.
It is easy to make with easy to find ingredients. All the taste of tamales without the extra effort of rolling and steaming.
I have made tamales a few times (chicken tamales or beef tamales) and while everyone enjoyed them, I am not thrilled with the amount of work to make them so it doesn't happen too often. Tamale Pie gives you the same flavor with much less effort.
You can bake this in a casserole dish or pie plate. Or keep it simple by skipping the bottom layer and baking it in the skillet. Both methods are described below.
Olives in Tamales
Do olives belong in Tamales? What kind do you use? What if you don't like olives?
Basically the olive in a tamale debate breaks down to a regional or personal preference.
Some people will put a single olive, usually a whole green olive, in each tamale as a symbol for the baby Jesus inside the womb of Mary. Others use pitted black olives. Some people like the taste combination of the briny olive with the savory filling and corn. Others don't like the prospect of the pit or don't like the flavor combination.
Which is correct? All of them. Do you!
I grew up with sliced black olives in the filling and with a few baked on the top of the crust for this recipe. My boys both hate olives so that's a no-go for me now. It's delicious both ways.
Ingredients for Tamale Pie
We usually make this with bulk breakfast sausage, but you could use ground beef or ground pork and add some extra spices.
Other ingredients you will need:
- corn meal
- eggs
- butter
- yellow onion and garlic
- tomato sauce
- chili powder and salt
For garnish you can add sliced pitted ripe olives, sliced jalapeno peppers or some chopped green onions. Or leave it plain.
More Pie Recipes from #OurFamilyTable
Celebrate Pi Day, or any day, with these sweet or savory pies.
Pi Day Pies
- Air Fryer Blueberry Hand Pies from Creative Cynchronicity
- Chicken Pot Pies from Karen's Kitchen Stories
- Deep Dish Hawaiian Sourdough Pizza from A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
- Mini Key Lime Pie from Art of Natural Living
- Old Fashioned Strawberry Pie from Jen Around the World
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Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound bulk sausage
- 1 medium yellow onion (chopped)
- 1 clove garlic (crushed)
- 8 ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ cup sliced pitted ripe olives (optional)
- 3 cups boiling water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup yellow corn meal
- 3 large eggs (well beaten)
- 1 tablespoon butter (melted)
optional garnish
- sliced pitted ripe olives
- sliced jalapeno peppers
- chopped green onions
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease pie plate or shallow casserole dish, or spray with cooking spray.
- Cook sausage in skillet until well browned, breaking up with a fork as it cooks. Pour off all the fat. Add onion and garlic; cook 3 minutes. Add tomato sauce, chili powder and olives (if using); simmer 5 minutes. Set aside.1 pound bulk sausage, 1 medium yellow onion, 1 clove garlic, 8 ounce can tomato sauce, 1 teaspoon chili powder, ½ cup sliced pitted ripe olives
- While the meat is simmering, bring water and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. SLOWLY sprinkle in the cornmeal while stirring vigorously to avoid lumps. Cook, stirring constantly for 10 minutes or until very thick. Add beaten eggs to the cornmeal and mix thoroughly.¾ cup yellow corn meal, 3 cups boiling water, 3 large eggs, 1 teaspoon salt
- Spread ⅜-inch thick layer of cooked cornmeal mixture in the prepared pie plate or casserole dish. Spread sausage mixture on top. Spread remaining corn meal mixture over sausage. Brush the top with melted butter. Optional: decorate with sliced olives or jalapenos.1 tablespoon butter
- Bake at 375℉ until golden brown, about 45 minutes. Garnish with olives, olives or green onions and serve.sliced pitted ripe olives, sliced jalapeno peppers, chopped green onions
Notes
Sound fabulous? Share it!
more tamale recipes
Until next time, happy eating!
~Audrey
Marilyn Lesniak
Thank you for hosting this opportunity to bring bloggers together and share their posts. I look forward to your party each week. #OverTheMoon #WWBlogHop #ThursdayFavoriteThings
Jean | DelightfulRepast.com
Audrey, that sounds delish! I like all sorts of tamale pies. And, yes, black olives for me. Let those non-olive people pick out the olives! 😀 PS Happy 200th Linkiversary!