30-Minute Skillet Tamale Pie

By RealFoodGirl

A satisfying one skillet dish containing lightly seasoned ground beef, tomatoes, black beans, spices and a fluffy cornbread topping and it goes from oven to table in 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 TB coconut oil
• 1 TB clarified butter or ghee
• 1 yellow onion, diced small
• 1-1/2 TB chili powder
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• Sea salt and black pepper to taste
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 pound 85/15 grass-fed organic ground beef
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can of diced tomatoes (don’t drain)
• 1-1/2 cup frozen or fresh organic corn
• 1 (15-ounce) can of organic, low sodium black beans
• 1 (8.5 ounce) package of organic cornbread mix **See Notes**
• 1-1/2 cup medium sharp raw cheddar cheese
• 1 TB freshly chopped cilantro (if you love cilantro, add 2 TB. I use 1 TB cilantro and 1 TB chopped parsley
• 1 can diced green chile’s (optional)

Details

Preparation time 15mins
Cooking time 30mins
Adapted from realfoodgirlunmodified.com

Preparation

Step 1

While the filling is cooking, finely chop the cilantro and mix the cornbread batter.
Heat oven to 450 degrees.
Heat the oil/butter in a 10-inch skillet (stainless or cast iron) over medium heat. Once melted add the onions and cook for 5 minutes, adding a TB of water if they start to brown too quickly.
Add the chili powder, cumin, oregano and garlic to the onions. Stir and cook until fragrant, about 60 seconds.
Add the ground beef and with a wooden spoon, break it into pieces. Add 1/4 tsp. salt and 1/8 tsp, black pepper. Brown/cook the beef for 2-3 minutes, then add the black beans, corn, and diced tomatoes. Stir to combine. If you still have quite a bit of chili powder and cumin stuck to the bottom of your pan, pour in 1/4-1/2 cup of water to deglaze the pan. Cook the mixture over low heat to allow the added liquid to reduce.
Next, step away to prep the cilantro and cornbread mixture.
Return to the beef mixture and taste to check seasoning levels. You’ll need to add around another 1/4 to 1/3 tsp of additional salt and a little more pepper. This dish should be well seasoned.
Once the mixture is fully cooked, remove from heat and add the cheese and cilantro. Stir to combine. Taste and add more salt and pepper. ANY TIME you add fat (which cheese is a fat) you dull the level of seasoning you had prior to that fatty ingredient. This is why it’s important to taste EACH step while cooking and season in layers.
Spoon the cornbread batter over the mixture and gently spread into an even layer getting it all the way to the edges of the pan.
Bake until the cornbread is cooked through in the center, about 10-15 minutes.
Serve with sour cream and a big salad.