Freeze Ahead Tamale Pies Recipes

SPEEDY TAMALE PIE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F. Spray shallow 2 1/2-quart baking dish with cooking spray.
• In 5-quart saucepan or Dutch oven, stir together beans, zucchini, tomatoes, corn, lima beans, salsa and chili powder. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 10 minutes. Spoon into baking dish. Arrange polenta on top, overlapping slices slightly if necessary. Bake 25 minutes or until bubbly at edges. Sprinkle with cheese; bake 3 minutes longer or until melted. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

TAMALE PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350ºF.
• Combine beef, onion, bell pepper, and garlic in a 10" ovenproof skillet. Cook until no pink remains. Drain any fat.
• Add taco seasoning and ¼ cup water. Simmer until water evaporates. Stir in enchilada sauce. Top with 1 ½ cups of cheese.
• Combine corn muffin mix, sour cream, corn, milk ,and egg. Spread over the beef mixture.
• Top with remaining cheese and bake 35-40 minutes.
• Garnish with cilantro and serve.

FREEZE-AHEAD TAMALE PIES

Steps:

• Spray foil pans with cooking spray. In large bowl, mix frozen beef, beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce and chiles. Divide mixture evenly among pot pie pans, about 3/4 cup each.
• In small bowl, mix cornmeal and 3/4 cup water. In 2-quart saucepan, heat 3 1/4 cups water and the salt to boiling. Add cornmeal mixture, stirring constantly. Cook over medium heat 4 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils; reduce heat.
• Cover and simmer about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until very thick; remove from heat. Stir until smooth. Spoon and spread about 2/3 cup cornmeal mixture over each pie, sealing to edges.
• Cover loosely with foil; freeze about 1 hour. Place in freezer container or resealable freezer plastic bags; seal well and label. Freeze up to 2 months.
• To bake, heat oven to 350°F. Do not thaw. Place desired number of pot pies on cookie sheet. Bake uncovered 40 to 50 minutes or until filling is hot and bubbly. Sprinkle each with 2 tablespoons cheese; bake 3 to 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

TAMALE PIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Make filling: Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. In two batches, brown turkey, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
• Reduce heat to medium. Add remaining tablespoon oil to skillet. Cook onion, jalapeno, and cumin, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes; season with 2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Return turkey to pan; stir in tomatoes and corn until combined.
• Make Crust. Pour 1/8 of the crust (1/4 cup) into the bottom of each of eight 10- to 12-ounce ramekins. Smooth tops with a spoon; cool 5 minutes. Top each with turkey filling, dividing evenly; sprinkle with cheese.
• Bake on a rimmed baking sheet until filling is bubbling and cheese is melted, about 30 minutes.

TAMALE PIE

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the ground beef or turkey and cook, breaking up large clumps of meat with a wooden spoon, until it is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Stir in the onion and one tsp salt and cook until softened and lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the chili powder, garlic, tomato paste, italian seasoning, cumin, and cayenne and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
• Stir in the tomatoes with their juices, scraping up any browned bits. Off the head, stir in the corn, cheese, cilantro to taste, and lime juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
• Whisk the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, 3/4 tsp salt, and baking soda together in a large bowl.
• In a separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk, butter, and eggs together. Stir the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture until uniform.
• For one 13 x 9 pan: Transfer beef/turkey mixture to baking dish. Spread cornmeal topping evenly over the filling, pushing it to the edges of the baking dish. TO SERVE RIGHT AWAY: Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees. Bake, uncovered, until the filling is bubbly and the crust is baked through and golden, 45 minutes. TO STORE: Wrap the dish tightly with plastic wrap that has been sprayed with vegetable oil spray and then foil and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for up to one month. TO SERVE AFTER STORAGE: Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees. Unwrap the dish. If refrigerated, bake, uncovered, until the filling is bubbly and the crust is baked through and golden, 50-60 minutes. If frozen, unwrap the dish and let the casserole sit at room temperature for 30 minutes while the over heats, then cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for about 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until the filling is bubbly and the crust is baked through and golden, 50-60 minutes longer.
• For two 8 x 8 pans or three 9 x 3 pans: Divide ingredients between the pans. TO SERVE RIGHT AWAY: Bake in a 375-degree oven, uncovered, until the filling is bubbly and the crust is baked through and golden, about 30 minutes. TO STORE: Cover tightly with plastic wrap that has been sprayed with vegetable oil spray and then foil and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for up to one month. TO SERVE AFTER STORAGE: If refrigerated, unwrap and bake in a 375 degree oven, uncovered, until the filling is bubbly and the crust is baked through and golden, 40-45 minutes. If frozen, while the oven heats to 375 degrees, unwrap the dish and let the casserole sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Then, cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake for about 20 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake until the filling is bubbly and the crust is baked through and golden, about 40 minutes longer.