Hi there.
Carnitas. Remember that one?
Still have your face buried in that one?
Have some leftovers of that one?
Me too. Cause as much as I love carnitas, I did not eat 5 pounds of shredded Mexican pork in 2 days. There were too many other distracting things around.
So those carnitas? Turns out they make a great topping for one of my favorite recipes ever: Tamale Pie.
My original version had chicken. Now apparently I’m a grown up who makes carnitas, so I made this version of tamale pie with carnitas. From the crockpot. That’s totally grown up.
Can I tell you something?
We love this.
I love putting leftovers to good use.
Bjork loves when I actually make real meals that involve more than cereal, milk, and mangoes.
Oh, the things you thought you knew about us.
But for me, I just love whole thing together – the melted cheese, enchilada sauce, spicy carnitas, and a sweet, mushy tamale-like crust. I like that it can be cut into squares or just scooped into a bowl. I like that it can should be sprinkled with cilantro. I like the melted white cheese. What if I told you I liked putting guacamole on this?
I just don’t stand a chance against Tex-Mex gluttony right now.
- ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup yellow corn meal
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 can diced green chiles
- ⅓ cup milk
- 1 egg
- 1 can cream corn
- 2-3 cups leftover carnitas
- 1 cup enchilada sauce
- 1 cup shredded white cheese (Jack, White Cheddar, Pepperjack, etc.)
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Whisk the cornmeal, flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar. Stir in the oil until the mixture makes soft crumbs. Whisk in the milk and egg. Add the cream corn and green chiles and stir until just combined. Bake in a 9-inch square pan (or larger, depending on how thick you want it) for 25 minutes or until set. Since it’s a tamale-like base, it won’t be completely dry like a cornbread. It’s supposed to be just a little mushy.
- Poke holes in the crust with a fork. Pour the enchilada sauce over the crust. Squeeze or drain excess moisture out of the carnitas and arrange on top of the crust. Sprinkle with cheese.
- Reduce oven temperature to 350. Cover with foil, return to oven, and bake for 20 minutes. When everything is heated through, remove foil and let bake for another 5-10 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Top with chopped cilantro, allow to cool for 5 minutes, and cut into slices or scoop into bowls.
So you’re going to have an awesome weekend?
Sweet. Me too.
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More from Pinch of Yum
Easy Crockpot Carnitas
That looks amazing. We’ve been having a rainy week and comfort food is the best cure- seeing this makes me crave it even though it’s only 8am here, haha!!
Will definitely have to try it out soon. Thanks for sharing!
Oh WOW! Being a huge fan of Mexican food this has got my attention!
Looks really yummy. Maybe something I try to cook over the weekend.
I’ve never seen a tamale pie look so darn delicious {and with carnitas!!}… I’m bookmarking this to make real soon, like real-REAL soon!
Whoa, this looks like super comfort food! I have one of Rick Bayless’ carnitas marinades onmy counter right now, this would be the best possible use for it!!!
I want this.. NOW..
So, I was reading
So, I was reading a woman’s magazine the other day, with a huge spread of food photos, and all I could think was, “Lindsay’s pictures are WAY better than this!”
I love two-for-one meals!
This is one delicious looking tamale pie! I think I just got inspiration for dinner this weekend!
This looks insanely good!!!
Yes, yes, yes. I love chicken tamale casserole and I think I’d love this carnitas version even more.
This looks amazing! I make a polenta tamale pie that my husband loves but I either make it with shredded chicken or ground turkey. I will have to try this recipe soon!
This rocks! I’m not typically the one who does the cooking, but this recipe has me wanting to hijack the kitchen!
Wow, this is definitely my type of comfort food!
ooooooooo……yummy goodness…..I can’t wait to make this. I love Mexican recipes. LOVE..Love carnitas!
Do you think there is there anyway to substitute out the wheat flour and make this a gluten free dish? This looks so yummy and such a great twist on the typical enchilada/mexican type casserole!
Definitely! I am not very familiar with GF baking but I know that there are many types of flour that can be GF. Could you replace the whole wheat flour with an acceptable GF flour? The good thing is that it doesn’t have to set perfectly… it’s supposed to be a tiny bit mushy like a tamale, so I think it would be pretty forgiving with another type of flour.
I tend to swap out oat flour for AP in baking, plus 1/4 teaspoon xantham gum to help it bind. It does add a sweeter, oaty flavor though, but I bet it would go quite nicely with the corn masa!
cornmeal is available locally?
what do they call it? is it where they keep the flour in the supermarket?
I actually bought it at SM mall, at a health foods store. They have a whole shelf full of Bob’s Red Mill grain-y type stuff! I was in heaven. I’ve also seen it at the Metro Supermarket at Ayala in the international foods aisle.
oooh that place! healthy options!
great find! thanks for the tip.
Yeah, that’s what it was. Hope you can find it!
They have tons of other good stuff. I need to go back again soon!
I just made these last night. They are CRAZY GOOD!
Hi Lindsay, I really love how easy this recipe is! Thank you for sharing! I hope your busy life makes more room for more fabulous recipes! How do you like living in the Philippines? Teaching in an orphanage, is it English you’re teaching? God’s blessings on you and your Family! babs <3
Thanks Babs! We are really growing to love this new life in the Philippines.
It’s a great place!
This looks fantastic, enjoyed reading it as well, good job – looking forward to trying it!
Thanks!
My friend Lydia has been telling me about your blog for months–”I made this from Pinch of Yum…and this…and this.” But I finally sat down and started reading some of your posts and recipes this weekend. This Chicken Tamale Pie was the first recipe fo yours I’ve made and it was FABULOUS. I love the idea of deconstructing a tamale and making it “inside out” if you will. But, I had to laugh when Lydia’s boyfriend said, “this needs something…like peppers…or onions.” And I stopped him right there. The dish is a *tamale,* not enchiladas, or a tacos, or burritos. A Tamale. He suddenly understood. Or, I think he did, because I’m not really sure if he actually eats tamales, but he cleaned his plate nonetheless.
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!
-Helana
This looks great! Any recommendations on what to replace the 1 can cream of corn with? I try to not use this ingredient as much as I possibly can and I really want to make this meal for dinner tonight. Thanks!
You probably want to use some sort of thickening agent like flour or cornstarch with milk or cream to get the same consistency. The creamed corn is really important for the texture of the tamale base. Here’s an example that looks pretty easy:
Is it possible to make the tamale base without eggs? My daughter is allergic!
Sure! You could add a little flax or something else that might help the corn part hold together a little better. Here’s a link on making flax eggs: http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/2011/10/how-to-make-a-flax-egg-for-vegan-baking-the-right-way/
Just made this tonight and it was delicious!! Even my husband, who does not groove on tamales loved it! Thank you for sharing!
I’ve made this a few times already and finally have to let you know how awesome it is!!!Our whole family loves this recipe!
Thanks so much for sharing!
Thanks Martina! Glad you like it!
I’m making it right now and hoping for the best.
I prefer when recipes indicate what size can as creamed corn comes in at least a couple of different sizes. Lets just hope I guessed right.
Sounds good though