Cornbread Jiffy Tamale Pie Recipe

Jiffy tamale pie with a ground beef casserole filling and a cast iron cornbread crust is delicious. Make in a skillet for an easy dinner everyone will love.

Cornbread Tamale Pie

If your mother or Grandmother made this back in the day, you can of course make homemade cornbread but boxed is easier. These white and blue boxes were always handy in our pantry to make all the things. Of course cornmeal muffins were a given but there are SO many more possibilities like this one.

For the meat you could use one or a mix of two. Ground sausage is great if you want half and half, we like a bit of spicy Jimmy Dean as far as that goes. Leaner varieties would be chicken or turkey ground. The rest of the ingredients make up this Mexican style dish we love.

Tamale Pie with Jiffy

I guess it is called this because it’s kinda’ like deconstructed tamales in a sense, with that said there are tons of variations for the insides. I don’t think anyone has the same family recipe passed down, there are always tweaks along the way. From whether you want to make them spicy, to mild, with lots of garlic or more plain.

Same goes for this Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix Recipe. Of course you’ll need to keep the basic mix as far as the top cornbread goes but for the filling you could swap a can of black beans for the corn, omit the bell peppers, make dairy free or otherwise. This is what we used on this go around.

Ingredients

• 8.5 oz box of Jiffy cornbread mix
• Ground beef and/or ground sausage
• An onion diced
• Half or so of a diced bell pepper
• 10 oz diced tomatoes or enchilada sauce
• 7 oz green chiles
• Corn canned, drained
• Shredded cheese, cheddar
• Chipotle powder
• Ground cumin
• Minced roasted garlic
• 1 egg

Can you use ground sausage instead of ground beef?

Yes, actually many times I will use half spicy Jimmy Dean and half 80/20 ground beef for the meat mixture. This adds some heat and flavor to the dish. If I use that I typically won’t add any other seasonings as it isn’t necessary.

Use another dairy free product if necessary to make cornbread mixture. This was made entirely in a cast iron skillet which makes it convenient. You can brown the meat and then bake the top with everything underneath in the oven right after that.

Ground Beef Cornbread Casserole

Let’s say you want to add another kick to it. Use your Jiffy Mexican cornbread recipe and use that on the top instead! Adds more heat and an ethnic flare to it all which we love. You could use leftovers as well if you had leftover taco meat to use up. You know how I hate wasting food, this is a great one for that.

If I can find it I will use bagged, already shredded Mexican cheese blend. That one has 3 different cheeses mixed together and tossed in some taco seasoning. I know, yum right? Fold some into the filling, into the top breading, and/or more melted on to the very top during the last minute or two.

When I’m cooking for my husband I will use dairy free options and you literally can’t tell the difference. A great cheese alternative is by Daiya at the store. Comes shredded and in many different varieties, almond milk works just fine for the batter too.

If you want to make this savory plus a sweet pie to serve for dinner and dessert, make our coconut impossible pie alongside it. A slice for everyone will surely be a hit especially when you have kids and “fun” makes things taste just that much better right? 😉

How to Make Tamale Pie with Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix

• In a skillet, begin to brown ground beef. Add chopped onion and bell pepper, continue to saute until meat is no longer pink and vegetables are tender. (Drain any excess grease).
• Stir in minced garlic, chipotle powder and cumin. Add diced tomatoes, green chilies and canned corn to the skillet.  Stir everything together, continue to simmer for another 2-3 minutes. 
• Remove skillet from heat. (If you are not using a cast iron skillet, transfer the ground beef mixture into a 9×9 casserole dish, or pie plate). Top with shredded cheddar cheese.
• In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together Jiffy corn muffin mix with milk and egg. Pour the batter over the skillet ingredients. 

Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees F. for approximately 20 minutes or until the batter is golden brown and no longer wet.

 Jiffy Tamale Pie and Enchilada Sauce

Remove baked dish from the oven, put on to a cooling rack and allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving so it can solidify up a bit more before you slice. You can enjoy as is or with some enchilada or tamale sauce drizzled over the top!!

Note: it won’t come out super clean like a cake and that is okay. It is more of a Jiffy sloppy joe casserole consistency underneath. Which by the way would be another great mixture to use.

When done you can put a dollop of sour cream, salsa or guacamole on top of this tamale pie recipe. Now jump to recipe and get started. Nutritional information with calories and saturated fat is listed below too but that will vary depending on the fat content of your meat etc…

Refer to the back of your packages for the most accurate information as far as that is concerned. We aren’t saying this is a health food y’all, all in moderation and a great family meal to enjoy together now and then. Just enjoy every bite. 😉