WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Tamale pie—lightly seasoned, tomatoey ground beef with cornbread topping—borrows the flavor of traditional Mexican tamales for an easy-to-make pie. But in many recipes, the filling either tastes bland and one-dimensional or turns heavy. As for the cornbread topping, it’s usually from a mix—and tastes like it. We wanted a tamale pie with a rich, well-seasoned filling and a cornmeal topping reminiscent of real tamale dough with plenty of corn flavor. For the beef, we found that 90 percent lean ground beef gave us a good balance of richness and flavor. We bloomed chili powder, oregano, and garlic with some sautéed onion and jalapeño to intensify their flavors. The addition of canned black beans made our pie heartier, while corn and canned diced tomatoes contributed additional flavor and texture. We stirred Monterey Jack cheese into the mixture to enrich the filling and help thicken it. To finish our pie, we made a simple cornmeal batter which we spread over the filling before baking. After 30 minutes in the oven, our rich, hearty pie had a crunchy, flavorful topping that perfectly complemented the spicy filling. We like coarse cornmeal for the crust on this pie and had the best results using Goya Coarse Yellow Cornmeal. Ground pork or turkey can be substituted for the beef.

Serves 6 to 8

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 pound 90 percent lean ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• 1 jalapeño chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup fresh or frozen corn
• 2½ cups water
• ¾ cup coarse cornmeal
• 4 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (1 cup)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking.
3. Add beef and cook, breaking up meat with wooden spoon, until just beginning to brown, about 5 minutes.
4. Stir in onion, jalapeño, and ¼ teaspoon salt and cook until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes.
5. Stir in chili powder, oregano, and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
6. Stir in beans, tomatoes and their juice, and corn and simmer until most of liquid has evaporated, about 3 minutes. Off heat, season with salt and pepper to taste.
7. Bring water to boil in large saucepan. Add ¼ teaspoon salt and then slowly pour in cornmeal while whisking vigorously to prevent clumping.
8. Turn heat to medium and cook, whisking constantly, until cornmeal thickens, about 3 minutes.
9. Stir in remaining 2 tablespoons oil.
10. Stir Monterey Jack into beef mixture, then scrape into deep-dish pie plate (or other 3-quart baking dish).
11. Spread cornmeal mixture over top and seal against edge of dish.
12. Cover with aluminum foil and bake until crust has set and filling is hot throughout, about 30 minutes.
13. Let casserole cool for 10 minutes.
14. Serve.