Low Fat Tamale Pie Recipes

SKINNY TAMALE PIE RECIPE - (4.5/5)

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat a 9″ 2-quart casserole dish or oven proof 9″glass bowl with cook spray and set aside. 2. For the tamale filling: In a large nonstick pan over medium heat, add the ground beef, onions and garlic. Cook stirring often, breaking up beef until meat is browned. Pour into a colander to drain the fat. Add back to pan. 3. Stir in beans, corn, tomatoes, cheese, chili powder. salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. 4. To make corn bread topping: Add to a mixing bowl 1½ cups water and corn bread mix. Mix by hand until lumps disappear. 5.. Pour the tamale mixture into the casserole dish. Spread evenly. Top with corn bread batter and spread evenly. 6. Bake for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the corn bread comes out clean. 7. Cool a bit and cut into 8 slices. This dish will keep for several days in the refrigerator and freezes great. Makes 8 servings Food Fact It's argued as to where tamale pie originated. It's a toss-up whether it came from Mexico, Texas or California. Early recipes called for pork or beef cubed or hashed but today it's usually made with ground beef. Shopping Tip Most large supermarkets sell Marie Callender's Southwest Cornbread Mix. It's usually found in the baking aisle where the other cornbread mixes are displayed. Their low fat corn bread mix will also work for this recipes.

OLD-SCHOOL TAMALE PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir ground beef, onion, and bell pepper in the hot skillet until beef is browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain and discard grease.
• Stir tomatoes, tomato sauce, corn, olives, chili powder, garlic, cumin, salt, red pepper flakes, and black pepper into the skillet. Bring to a low boil, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in 1 cup Cheddar cheese and continue to simmer until melted, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer mixture to the prepared baking dish.
• Heat milk, butter, sugar, and salt for topping in a large saucepan over medium heat until butter has melted, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low and stir in cornmeal a little at a time, stirring vigorously with each addition, until smooth and thickened. Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup Cheddar cheese. Drizzle in beaten eggs slowly, stirring vigorously until combined. Pour mixture over filling in the prepared dish, smoothing evenly over the surface.
• Bake in the preheated oven until top is golden brown and filling is bubbly, 30 to 40 minutes. Allow pie to rest for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

LOW FAT TAMALE PIE

Steps:

• Saute` onion and pepper in a large skillet over medium heat, crumbling meat and cook until no longer pink.
• Add chili powder, corn, tomatoes, jalapenos and olives. Simmer for 20 minutes. Transfer to an 11x7-inch baking dish.
• Meanwhile, combine cornmeal, salt and milk in a 2-qt. saucepan. Heat on medium and untiol thickened, stirring almost almost continuously.
• Spread cornmeal over top of meat and vegetables.
• Sprinkle with cheese.
• Place in oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, until top is golden.

SLOW COOKER TAMALE PIE

Steps:

• In a large skillet, brown ground beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain excess grease.
• Stir in the cumin, salt, chili powder and pepper.
• Transfer to a slow cooker; stir in the beans, tomatoes, corn, enchilada sauce, onions and cilantro.
• Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until heated through.
• In a small bowl, combine muffin mix and eggs; spoon over meat mixture. Cover and cook 1 hour longer or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
• Sprinkle with cheese; cover and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

GRANDMA'S TAMALE PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauce until soft, about 5 minutes. Add creamed corn, tomatoes with juice, chili powder, garlic powder, and salt; bring to a boil.
• Stir in cornmeal, milk, and eggs; return to a boil. Cook until it thickens, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.
• Stir in corned beef, olives, and Monterey Jack cheese. Transfer to a 2-quart casserole dish.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.

LOW FAT CHICKEN TAMALES

Steps:

• Unwrap corn husks, remove any corn silk, and place husks into hot water to soak. You can add spices to the bath (3 tsp ground onion, 3 tsp ground garlic, 2 tsp fresh oregano, 1 tsp cumin). Cover the bowl and let the husks soak 2 - 3 hours, until very pliable.
• Cut visible fat from chicken breast and split (to give you two large chicken breast filets). Place chicken in a medium (2 1/2qt.) stock pot. Roughly chop tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, and garlic. Place on chicken. Split one jalapeno and remove seeds and pith. Dice, then add to pot. Place second jalapeno, whole, into pot with two bay leaves. Add enough water to cover the chicken and vegetable (about 2 - 3 cups). Sprinkle one teaspoons chicken bouillon, 1/2 tsp fresh oregano, 1/4 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp black pepper, and 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes on top. Stir broth to distribute seasonings.
• Bring pot to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 3 - 4 minutes. Turn the heat off, cover, and let it sit 20 - 30 minutes, until chicken is bright white and cooked through.
• Remove the chicken to a bowl. Remove and discard the bay leaves, retain the jalapeno (de-stem and de-seed then chop). Place remaining vegetables into a blender, and blend until nearly smooth. Some chunks are okay. Add a dash or two of Tobasco or your favorite hot sauce for a little extra kick. Set this mixture aside. Don't throw out the broth!
• Using forks or by hand, pull the chicken breast apart into strings. Once all the breast is "stringy," chop to bite size pieces. Mix the chicken with about 1/2-cup of the salsa you just made (this is a guess, you want the chicken moistened but not soggy with salsa. Err on the dry side). Set aside.
• To make the masa mix 3-cups of maseca (instant tamale/tortilla mix) with 1 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt. Stir to combine. Separately, stir 1/2-cup yogurt into 2 1/2 cups left over poaching broth (add water if you don't have enough left over broth). Once liquids are combined, stir them into the masa mix. You want to achieve a wet dough consistency-- not quite cake batter, but not bread. Sort of like a quick bread.
• To assemble the tamales: place one or two corn husks (depending on size) on a flat surface,. Pat off any excess water. Scoop two tablespoons of masa into the center, and spread it to 1/4" thick, leaving plenty of room around the edges. Scoop 1 tablespoon of chicken mixture onto the masa, and spread in a line. Bring one side of the masa over the filling to meet the other side. Squish together and roll, tucking in the sides. Repeat until all the masa is used.
• To steam the tamales: place tamales in a large steamer that has been filled to the appropriate level with the left-over corn husk bath water. Line tamales across one way, then turn 90º and line them the other way. Stack the tamales until all are in the pot. Cover the tamales with a heavy cloth (to absorb the condensation), then place the lid on top. Bring the pot to a boil, then simmer and steam for 2 - 3 hours, or until the masa pulls away from the corn husk easily.
• To finish tamales in the oven: Line tamales up on the racks of the oven. Convection bake for approximately twenty minutes at 325º.
• Serve hot and with the left over salsa!