This turkey tamale pie the perfect weeknight one pot meal. The filling is lean and delicious while the cornmeal crust is cheesy and delightful!
I hate food waste. Home cooks buy specialty ingredients to explore new culinary frontiers but we’re often left with unused portions of food spoiling in the fridge. A half carton of buttermilk and skimpy stalks of celery and carrots inspired me to develop this turkey tamale pie. As mentioned in my lemony turkey meatballs with cauliflower rice post, I always keep frozen ground turkey on hand. One desperate weeknight I gathered up my defrosted meat and unused produce from the refrigerator intending to create something delicious. A partial canister of cornmeal caught my eye and sparked a craving for “Mexican-ish” cuisine for dinner.
Armed with my fridge haul and an arsenal of spices I cooked everything together into this wonderful one pot meal. Kenny and I enjoyed leftovers for several days and we claimed this recipe a winner in our home.
This dish is high in protein and can accommodate vegetable variety. Throw in a diced bell pepper or some sliced mushrooms if you might have on hand. Top the finished casserole with your garnish of choice and you have a delicious weeknight [one pot!] meal.
Other one pot meals we love:
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turkey tamale pie
Description
Turkey tamale pie made with lean meat, vegetables, and a corn topping for a delicious one pot dinner.
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 5 strips bacon, cut into small pieces
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- Kosher salt
- 2 pounds ground turkey
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 Tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 4 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 28-ounce can plum tomatoes, such as San Marzano
Corn topping
- 1 Cup all purpose flour
- 1 Cup yellow cornmeal
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 Cup buttermilk
- 2 eggs, beaten
- ¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese
Optional garnish ideas:
- Shredded cheese
- Avocado slices
- Guacamole
- Sour cream
- Sliced green onions
- Chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a 12” dutch oven or ovenproof saucepan.
- Add the bacon and cook over medium heat until the bacon is browned, 5-6 minutes.
- Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked bacon to a paper towel-lined plate but keep the bacon fat in the pan.
- Add the onion, celery, and carrots to the now empty pan along with ½ teaspoon kosher salt.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent and the vegetables are beginning to soften, 5 minutes.
- Add the ground turkey and cook while you break the meat up into small pieces using a wooden spoon.
- Increase the heat to medium high and cook until the turkey is no longer pink and the liquid has evaporated.
- Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and Worcestershire sauce. Cook until fragrant, 3 minutes.
- Add the plum tomatoes and 1 teaspoon salt to the pot. Break up the tomatoes using a wooden spoon.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer, reduce the heat to low, and let the meat mixture simmer until thickened.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- While the meat is simmering, prepare the corn topping.
- Whisk the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
- Check the turkey mixture at this point, continue to simmer if the mixture has not thickened yet.
- Taste the turkey and adjust salt as necessary.
- Once the turkey mixture has thickened and the oven is preheated, finish making the batter.
- Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the buttermilk and eggs in the center of the well.
- Mix with a rubber spatula until the mixture is just combined.
- Spread the corn batter evenly over the top of the turkey. Scatter the cheese over the top of the corn batter.
- Bake the tamale pie in the oven until the corn mixture is baked and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 20-30 minutes.
- Scoop the topping and filling into shallow bowls, top with optional garnishes and enjoy!
