Tamale Pie

Ingredients

• 2 cups mashed potatoes, warm
• 1 lb ground beef, browned and drained, mixed with 1 cup canned corn and 1/2 cup salsa
• 1 diced onion, 1 diced bell pepper
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups chicken or beef broth
• 1/2 cup milk or cream
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp dried)
• Salt and black pepper, to taste

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400°F (205°C).
2. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat and cook the onion, celery, and any raw protein until softened and lightly browned.
3. Stir in the flour and cook 1 minute, then gradually whisk in the broth and milk until smooth.
4. Add the remaining protein and vegetables, thyme, salt, and pepper, and simmer 8–10 minutes until thickened and the vegetables are tender.
5. Pour the filling into a baking dish and spread the mashed potatoes evenly over the top, fluffing with a fork.
6. Bake for 25–30 minutes, until the potato topping is lightly browned and the filling bubbles at the edges.
7. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

The Tale of Tamale Pie

Story updated September 19, 2026

Tamale pie is generally described as an Anglo-American adaptation of the Mexican tamale rather than a Mexican dish. It emerged around the turn of the 20th century in the Southwest, and an 1899 Austin, Texas, cookbook, The Capitol Cook Book, includes a similar recipe. Home cooks skipped the labor of wrapping and steaming individual tamales by layering a spiced meat filling under or with a cornmeal topping in a single dish. It spread through cookbooks and home economics teaching from the 1920s to the 1950s, and government publications during the Depression and World War II included recipes that used little meat.