Skillet Tamale Pie

All the flavors of spicy pork tamales are here in this easy skillet tamale pie!  A quick and hearty one pot version of this favorite supper.

This is a recipe for all of you who love tamales (raises hand!) but don’t have the patience to hunt down masa flour and corn husks to make the real deal.  

Which by the way you should absolutely do at least once in your life, and this recipe from Bon Appetit will tell you everything you need to know about that, but when you get a tamale craving on a busy Thursday, I highly recommend this recipe for skillet tamale pie.  

It’s got all the spicy pork and corn flavor, but yep, all in one skillet.  And on a busy Thursday night, that is the next best thing for all you tamale-lovers out there…let’s make it!

This is yet another recipe that I love to make in my cast iron skillet, and speaking of, have you seen this video from the Buzzfeed Tasty channel on cast iron skillets?  Seriously EVERYTHING you need to know.  

It will make you want to run right out and get a cast iron skillet if you don’t already have one.  I have one.  Actually I have several, but I have to say that my 12 inch skillet gets the most action, so if you need to pick just one, go for the 12 inch skillet.

However, if you don’t yet have a cast iron skillet never fear, any oven-proof skillet will do for this recipe.  

Here’s how you make skillet tamale pie!

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.Put three tablespoons of canola oil in an ovenproof skillet and heat it up over medium high heat. Add some group pork and stir it up until it is cooked through, about 5 minutes.

Add in some chopped scallions and a little oregano, chili powder and cumin and give a good stir.

Next, stir in some canned diced tomatoes, some corn (fresh or frozen both work fine) and some chicken broth and stir again, letting the mixture simmer for about 5 minutes. Stir in some grated cheddar cheese and turn off the heat.

Now for the topping! Mix up some cornmeal, flour, scallions, baking powder and baking soda together in a medium bowl.

In a separate bowl stir up some buttermilk, egg and oil. Pour the egg mixture into the cornmeal mixture and stir until just combined.

Pat the cornmeal batter over the pork mixture, spreading it to the edges. Press with a fork to pack it down evenly (I also like to make a nice design with the fork tines, but that’s just me!).

Bake your delectable tamale pie in the oven until the topping is just starting to brown, about 20 minutes.

This is one of those recipes where you needed to wait an endless – ENDLESS! – five or ten minutes for it to cool, and then all that’s left to do is to dish it up and let the tamale deliciousness begin.  

Happy sigh.

Updated (and made even more delicious!) from a previously published Framed Cooks post!