Easy Jiffy Tamale Pie
This Easy Jiffy Tamale Pie is a simple, super flavorful one-pan meal! A delicious mixture of meat, veggies, and enchilada sauce is topped with an easy, cheesy cornbread (from Jiffy mix!), then baked until golden brown. Pile on your favorite toppings and enjoy! This dish can also be made ahead and frozen and is perfect for busy weeknights!
This easy tamale pie recipe is FAR from authentic tamale pie but SUPER easy and flavorful dish the whole family can enjoy! I’d call it “Mexican-inspired” with little deep south thrown in!
What you’ll love about this recipe:
RECIPE INGREDIENTS
You’ll need the following ingredients to make this Easy Tamale Pie with Jiffy Cornbread Mix:
INGREDIENT NOTES
Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix: Jiffy cornbread mix is preferred but you can use other brands, too. Just be sure to follow the package directions if you make another brand’s cornbread–their instructions may differ from Jiffy’s. Of course, you can always make homemade cornbread or use my semi-homemade Jiffy Sweet Cornbread recipe!
Enchilada Sauce: Just use your favorite enchilada sauce! You can also use taco sauce.
HOW TO MAKE JIFFY TAMALE PIE: STEP BY STEP
Here are some quick visual instructions. Remember that full instructions with exact ingredients will be in the recipe card below!
Step 1: Brown up your ground beef in an oven-proof skillet.
Step 2: Add onion, bell pepper, corn, green chilies, and taco seasoning. Cook for a few minutes until the veggies are soft.
Step 3: Add enchilada sauce and half the shredded cheese.
Step 4: Simmer for a few minutes while you combine the cornbread ingredients.
Step 5: Pour the cornbread mixture over the beef and veggie mixture. Then, sprinkle on the remaining cheese.
Step 6: Bake at 375°F for 20-25 minutes until cornbread is golden brown and cooked through. Allow the tamale pie to cool for a few minutes before serving.
RECIPE TIPS & TRICKS
- I love this recipe because it all comes together in one large skillet! However, if you don’t have a large skillet that’s oven-proof, NO WORRIES! Simply transfer your cooked meat mixture to a 9×9 casserole dish, add the cornbread topping and bake!
- If you LOVE cornbread and want a thicker cornbread topping, use two boxes of cornbread mix for the cornbread layer.
- This Jiffy tamale pie is so yummy with lots of toppings: a dollop of sour cream, green onion, black olives, and more sharp cheddar cheese are my faves 🙂
Confidence Tip
Feel free to experiment with the ingredients in the filling…more veggies, a can of black beans, pinto beans, different cheeses or different ground meat (like ground chicken breast or ground turkey) all work great–make it yours!
STORAGE & REHEATING
- Storage: Transfer leftovers to an airtight container and store in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Reheating: Reheat individual portions in the microwave until warmed through. If you have made this dish ahead of time and have it frozen, it can be baked at 375°F, straight from frozen. It will take about an hour–be sure to check on it around the 45-minute mark. If the top is getting too brown, cover it with foil.
- Freezing: This tamale pie can be made ahead and frozen! To freeze, transfer the cooked meat mixture into 9×9 freezer-safe casserole dish (or similar). Pour the cornbread mixture over the top. Wrap/cover with several layers of plastic wrap or aluminum foil and freeze UNBAKED for up to 3 months.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Ok, ok you got me. There is really nothing “tamale” about this recipe. In a REAL tamale pie casserole, masa is used to make the topping…not Jiffy cornbread. However, I always try to make my recipes EASY and family-friendly, so I hope you don’t mind this (delicious) short cut!
Let’s call it tamale-pie INSPIRED!
This dish is a great meal all on it’s own! It has everything–veggies, protein, carbs….all in one place ( I LOVE dishes like that!). However, tortilla chips and some fresh Pico de Gallo are great on the side, along with your favorite hot sauce if you want some spice!
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TOOLS FOR THIS RECIPE
Check out all of my kitchen essentials in my Amazon store!
Cast Iron Skillet: I use my standard 10-inch skillet for this recipe.
Potato Masher: My favorite tool for getting ground meat broken up nice and fine.
TRY THESE NEXT…
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I hope you love this Jiffy Tamale Pie! If you make it be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. Enjoy, xo!
Easy Jiffy Tamale Pie
Ingredients
For the filling
- 1 lb. lean ground beef
- 1 small onion, diced (about 1 cup)
- 1 small red pepper, diced
- 1 cup frozen corn kernals canned corn (drained) also works
- 1 4 oz. can diced green chilies
- 1 1 oz. packet low-sodium taco seasoning or 4 tbsp homemade taco seasoning
- 1 12 oz. can of enchilada sauce (or about 1 1/2 cups)
- 3 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
- sour cream, cilantro, green onions, black olives (optional toppings)
For the cornbread topping
- 1 8.5 oz. box Jiffy cornbread mix
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup milk
Instructions
- In a 10 inch cast-iron skillet (or similar oven-proof skillet), over medium-high heat, add a little olive oil. Then brown ground beef 3-4 minutes, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon. Pro Tip: Use a potato masher in the last minute of cooking — it works great to get the meat broken up nice and fine! (If you don't have an oven proof skillet, see Note 1 below).
- Add onion, red pepper, corn, green chilies, and taco seasoning. Stir to combine, and cook another 3-4 minutes, or until veggies are soft.
- Stir in enchilada sauce and half of the cheese. Taste and season with salt, if needed (See Note 1).
- Preheat oven to 375°F. In a mixing bowl, mix corn bread mix (make sure you break apart any big clumps, if you can), egg and milk. Whisk a few times until smooth and ingredients are incorporated.
- Pour cornbread batter over the top of the meat mixture. Gently push batter to the edges and smooth with a spatula or butter knife. Sprinkle on remaining cheese.
- Bake tamale pie for 20-25 minutes until cornbread is golden brown and cooked through…filling should be nice and bubbly! Allow pie to rest for 5-10 minutes. Pile on your toppings and enjoy!
Ta’ da’!!! A huge hit with my family. Even my picky grandkids enjoyed it.
Thanks!
OMG! I just love all your recipes. They have helped me so much with planning dinner. Love Love Love them all. Thanks so much!
Loving the flavors in this easy to make tamale pie. It’s a perfect meal for a busy weeknight.
Love all of the spices and rich flavors in this recipe! It was the perfect dinner for our family tonight – everyone devoured it!
I always love to have something a bit different like this to try.
Love this recipe! Jiffy is nice to keep on hand for so many recipes.
After a busy day this was the perfect meal to quickly make and enjoy. So delicious and my kind of comfort food!
Wow! This is gonna be so much fun! And delicious to boot! It’s definitely a keeper! Thanks for sharing!
Such a flavorful and comforting meal, and so easy to make! Definitely one I’ll be using in my rotation from now on. Thanks for the recipe!
Loved this recipe so much! I always have one pound of ground beef around and jiffy so it was a no-brainer.
This looks like a great recipe for a fall week night when everyone is busy. Thanks for sharing. Looks tasty!
I can’t even count the number of times a box of Jiffy cornbread has bailed me out, especially when my kiddos were young. We love tamale pie, and this is such a quick and easy recipe! Thanks!