12 tamale pie recipes

Vegetarian tamale pie with a golden cornmeal crust wrapped top and bottom around a spiced bean-and-barley filling loaded with corn, ripe olives, and sweet red pepper. A hearty meatless main baked until the cheese bubbles.

Hot tamale pie with pinto beans, corn, and bell peppers in spiced tomato sauce topped with a cornmeal crust. A hearty vegetarian Southwestern casserole baked until golden.

Aunt Lucille's tamale pie with ground beef, cornmeal, canned corn, and chili powder baked until golden. A dump-and-stir casserole with a spicy tomato-butter sauce on top.

Microwave tamale pie with a spiced bean, corn, and olive filling topped with a cornmeal crust. Vegetarian, no oven needed, and ready in 30 minutes.

Corn tamale pie with cornmeal, cottage cheese, and whipped egg whites baked until golden, served with a reduced Mexican-style tomato sauce. Light, fluffy, and meatless.

Stovetop bean tamale pie with a spiced kidney bean and corn filling under a thick cornmeal crust. No oven needed, serves two, and comes together in one skillet.

Vegetable tamale pie with pinto beans, peppers, tomatoes, and melted cheddar under a yogurt-cornmeal biscuit topping. A vegetarian Tex-Mex casserole that swaps cornbread for a lighter tamale crown.

This succulent and tantalizing dish is fun for the whole family to make and enjoy!

Black bean tamale pie with a cornmeal-corn crust, ground turkey, black beans, taco seasoning, and melted cheddar. A contest-winning inverted take on a Tex-Mex classic.

Vegetarian tamale pie layered with spiced kidney beans, corn, tomatoes, and cornmeal polenta topped with Monterey Jack cheese. Baked until bubbly and golden.

Cornbread chili is a one-skillet tamale-pie cousin: ground beef simmered with cumin, oregano, and tomato concasse, then crowned with a buttermilk cornmeal crust and baked golden.

No-bean beef chili with cornmeal dumplings simmers slow-cooker style with enchilada sauce, tomatoes, and black olives, then gets crowned with soft cornmeal mounds and melted cheddar. Tamale-pie meets chili in one pot.