I had a friend in New Mexico who always spent his Christmas Holiday weekend making homemade Tamales.
And oh were they ever good! I LOVE homemade tamales!
But making them? Trust me, from what I remember from watching my friends, they're a lot of work!
Fortunately, there's a way to get that same tamale taste without all the hassle.
It's called Cazuela de Tamal, or in everyday north of the border speak ...
Vegan Tamale Pie with Masa
A soft, corn pie shell made from Masa Harina, filled with veggies, beans, sweet potatoes, and Rotel tomatoes, topped off with a homemade enchilada sauce.
And the taste? Muy Bueno!
You're going to need a few extra ingredients for this recipe.
Masa Harina is a special flour made from dried corn kernels. This is traditionally what tortillas and tamales are made from.
Field corn (or maize) is dried and then treated in a solution of lime and water. This loosens the hulls from the kernels and softens the corn. In addition, the lime reacts with the corn so that the nutrient niacin becomes available in our digestive tract.
The soaked maize is then washed, and the wet corn is ground into a dough, called masa. It is this fresh masa when dried and powdered, that becomes masa harina.
Don't get this confused with Corn Meal or Corn Flour. Totally different. You have to use Masa Harina to get that authentic tamale taste. You should be able to find it in the Hispanic portion of your grocery store.
See that it says GLUTEN FREE? Yeah, I like that as I am starting a 30-day gluten-elimination diet to see if it helps with the headaches I've been having.
You're also going to need some enchilada sauce and I recommend my Easy New Mexican Red Chile.
If you're Vegan or not, this recipe will be sure to please. And thanks to the Masa, it's completely 100% Gluten Free.
So as they say in Mexico
Quisiera los tamales, por favor!
Vegan Tamale Pie with Masa Harina
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Vegan Tamale Pie
- Cuisine: Mexican
Description
The taste of homemade tamales without all the work! A tasty Masa pie shell filled with a yummy combination of beans, sweet potatoes, and RoTel tomatoes. All smothered in a spicy Enchilada Sauce. Muy Bueno!
Ingredients
- 1 cup Masa Harina Corn Flour
- 1 Tbs Baking Powder
- ¼ tsp Salt
- 1 cup Low Sodium Vegetable Broth
- 1 Red Onion ((diced))
- 1 Green Bell Pepper ((diced))
- 1 Red Bell Pepper ((diced))
- 2 Sweet Potatoes ((cooked, diced))
- 1 can Pinto Beans ((15oz))
- 1 can Black Beans ((15oz))
- 1 can Rotel Tomatoes ((10oz))
- 1 batch Red Chile Enchilada Sauce
- Oil-free corn tortilla chips for garnish
Instructions
- Prepare the enchilada sauce (if using)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Peel, chop, and boil the sweet potatoes until done (20 min or so)
- Prepare the Masa
- Whisk flour, salt, and baking powder together
- Add veg broth and stir until dough forms
- Spread into the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish
- Bake for 20 minutes and remove from oven
- Saute onion and peppers until soft
- Drain and rinse beans and add to onions
- Drain tomatoes and add to onions.
- Finally, stir in Sweet Potatoes.
- Stir until heated through and spoon into masa pie shell
- Top with enchilada sauce and bake for 15-20 min or until bubbly
Brenda Schnell
Just made this and it's really good! I did double the crust like some commenters suggested. It has just a bit of spice, just enough to make it delicious but not overwhielming!
Wendy
1 T of baking powder seems like a lot?
franny
Wow, Chuck! This recipe is great. Especially the yummy, chewy tamale crust! I used a 9” glass pie pan and one batch of dough was the perfect amount. I had leftover 3-bean veggie chili in the freezer and heated it up with the enchilada sauce, poured it in the prebaked crust, and topped it with shredded Follow Your Heart cheddar. Baked up beautifully! I served it with crushed tortilla chips and guacamole. Totally delicious and we have leftovers for tomorrow!! I will definitely make this again. Thank you!
Veggietater
Okay, this is gonna sound strange, but they tell us to eat the rainbow... so tomorrow I think I'll use this recipe as a jump off to eat the purple part of the spectrum! See, I just got a bag of blue masa, and also have a giant head of red (purple) cabbage, and lots of black beans (which are actually deep purple) sooooo.... PURPLE PIE! LOL! Yeah I'm weird but I have fun! Heh heh, beans and cabbage... purple gas?
Nicole
Delicious! I didn't have any broth on hand but used a can of creamed corn with the masa harina and it worked out pretty well! I added a few cloves of garlic to the onions and peppers since I had some on hand. Great flavors and texture. I will definitely make this again.
Eileen
This one is a keeper!.I've made it a couple of times already and love that it lends itself to subbing in whatever veggies I happen to have on hand. Especially helpful when sheltering in place. 🙂 I also doubled the masa portion and used canned red enchilada sauce to save time. Although I do love a homemade red sauce, this was delicious even with store bought. I think the combination of beans, sweet potatoes, masa and red chile makes it.
Laura
Great recipe! I made it as is except doubled the masa mix part and cooked just a little longer. The whole family loved it and I'll be making this again soon. Thanks for all you do!
speezio
Hmmm...Bien means well. Bueno means good. If you think these are very well, not very good, then you are correct. Making the recipe now. I've added cumin, turmeric, salt, and black pepper.
speezio
Also added garlic and oregano. Seriously wish I had some cilantro. I doubled the masa recipe and the cooking time. It still wasn't enough masa stuff. That part is truly wonderful as is. I used green enchilada sauce from Kroger - I'm a fan. With all the changes, this is a recipe I will probably make again. Thank you so much for this and your other recipes!
Diane
When I'm in a hurry for lunch, I'll sometimes grab an Amy's Tamale Bowl in the freezer section. Now, I can use this recipe to make my own....thank you!
Christopher
Tamale Pie is a great dish,,, but just want t be sure people know that these are not tamales. Also, they are "muy bien" not "muy bueno" just so you know!
B
Actually they are muy bueno, not muy bien (which roughly translates to "they are very well". So chuck was right
Brian
Saved this recipe a long time ago. Finally decided to make it, and it’s delicious. I did season the bean, potato, pepper mix with a bit of chili powder and cumin. Great recipe!!
Ross
For food always use “rico”, not bueno or bien.
Olivia
I quit using Maseca, as I am pretty sure they use GMO corn. Have you ever tried anything else? I moved from TX to MD last year, and I miss making these with my family.
Randy
Olivia,
Sorry for replying to an old post, however I am also concerned about GMO food; so I order organic directly from Bob's Red Mil l The prices are sometimes better than the supermarket and they ship for free if you order $50 or more.
Since I buy my all of my grain and baking needs from them I just wait until stocks get low and make an order for everything.
I am not sure if I can place a link here for Bob's red mill or not.
.
OH and the Recipe is Delicious! Thanks, Chuck.....Don't you ever get tired of winning? lol
deb
Thanks for recipe but i am confused as to when and what do you do with the sweet potatoes?
Chuck Underwood
They are mixed in with the filling, the beans, veggies, tomatoes, etc.
Pietro Wislon
Thanks for your recipe. I made it at home a few times and it has become a favourite.
Right now I am in a holiday apartment with just a cooktop and microwave.
I have found that making the masa dough using baking powder, vegetable broth powder and chipotle salsa and water works well.
I lined a soup or cereal bowl with a layer of dough, added a layer of Mexican plastic bag pre cooked frijoles and topped that with a layer of salsa from a jar.....(non vegans might also add cheese.)
Then I covered the bowl with a plate and microwaved the bowl at 30 or 40% power for 15 or so minutes.
The masa layer came outfluffy and moist and the whole thing was totally deliciously edible.
Thanks for the inspiration.
I line a soup bowl with the dough