Beef Tamale Casserole

Sometimes I just need comfort food. Minimal effort, layered flavors and easy to eat. And to me, that is normally in the form of a casserole dish. A messed up car, broken laptop and wrongfully doubled bank deductions played a huge role in my bad day, so something comforting and cozy was definitely needed. Not a fun day for this little lady!

Mexican food is one of my favorites, so it's no wonder I quickly jumped at the chance to make this when I was having an "off" day. I'm also a huge cornbread lover, so having it as the base of this dish made it that much better. If you love tamales, this casserole is definitely for you. It's the layered form of one and probably ten times easier to make. Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 oz. Cheddar cheese, shredded
• 4 oz. Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack cheese, shredded
• 1/3 cup reduced-fat milk
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 (14.75-oz.) can cream-style corn
• 1 (8.5-oz.) box corn muffin mix (Jiffy works great)
• 1 (4-oz.) can chopped green chiles
• 1 (10-oz.) can red enchilada sauce
• 1 lb. ground beef
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Fresh chopped cilantro or parsley, to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 13x9 baking dish with cooking spray.

Combine the cheeses in a small bowl. In a large bowl, stir together 1/4 cup of the combined cheese, the milk, egg, cumin, red pepper, corn, muffin mix, and the green chiles. Stir until just combined. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 15 minutes or until just set.

While the cornbread is baking, cook your ground beef in a skillet over medium heat until cooked completely through. Drain, if necessary, and salt and pepper the beef.

Remove the cornbread from the oven and pierce all over with a fork. Pour the enchilada sauce over the corn bread. Top with the beef and remaining cheese. Return to the oven for another 15 minutes. Sprinkle with the chopped cilantro or parsley and serve.

Source: Adapted from Buns in my Oven