Beef Tamale Casserole with Cornbread Topping

 

BRRR-the days and evenings have certainly turned cold. Time to warm up with some delicious comfort food  Beef Tamale Casserole with Cornbread Topping. 

Cook's Notes: It's a real winner in my book. Besides being kid-friendly, layers of spiced beef, enchilada, and tomato sauce, cheesy goodness topped with sweet cornbread is an irresistible dish. I skipped making cornbread from scratch and went for easy using a box mix. I substituted buttermilk for the milk. If you are a family of cheese lovers reserve some of the cheese and sprinkle over the cornbread before baking. Suggested cornbreads in my order of preference Famous Daves Cornbread, Krusteaz Honey Cornbread, Jiffy Cornbread but note two boxes of Jiffy needed for making this recipe.
You can vary the "hotness" of this recipe by increasing the spices or using hot enchilada sauce over mild.
Ingredients:

• 1 box cornbread mix
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 cup each diced onions and mini sweet red and yellow peppers
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 tsp. each chili powder, cumin, taco seasoning
• 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 can (10 oz.) enchilada sauce mild
• 1 can (10 oz.) Rotel diced tomatoes with green chiles
• 1 cup frozen corn (no need to thaw)
• 1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 cups shredded Mexican Cheese (pre-packaged)

Directions:

• Brown ground beef with onions, peppers, garlic, and spices.
• Drain and return the mixture back to the pan. Make sure beef is crumbled and add in enchilada sauce, diced tomatoes, corn, beans, and cheese.
• Pour into greased casserole dish.
• Make cornbread according to the manufacturer's directions. Place large spoonfuls of cornbread over beef mixture covering as much of the baking pan as possible. It will spread during baking time.
• Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes. Additional cheese can be sprinkled over the cornbread during the last 5 minutes of baking time.
• Optional toppings include sour cream, chopped tomatoes, diced avocados, grated cheese.
  
  
  Looking for a fun holiday gift for some young children in your life?
  

Check out "The Three Little Tamales" by Eric Kimmel.

I love the illustrations in this fun read for K-3. It's not a traditional story but a version of The Three Little Pigs story set in Texas near Mexico. Kids will really enjoy it as the connection to the traditional story is close enough that they can predict what will happen, but different enough that they may giggle at the changes and enjoy it. Another fun part is how the author integrated the setting into the story; the horses are built from things you would find in Texas (ending with a house made of spiny cactus), and it also integrates some Spanish words which are defined in the story as well as in a short glossary at the back of the book. Bilingual students will especially enjoy this book.