A friend of mine sent me this Quick Tamale Pie recipe. It was so different than any of the other Mexican casseroles that I’ve made. I had a roll of polenta in the pantry, so I decided to give it a try! This was super fast and delicious! It took longer for the oven to preheat than it did to throw this together. I added chicken, but you could leave it out and make this a vegetarian dish. We both really enjoyed this. It was a nice change to Mexican night!
Quick Tamale Pie
(Printable Recipe)
- 1 polenta roll
- 9 oz southwestern chicken strips (or half a rotisserie chicken)
- 1 15-oz can chili beans
- 1 cup mexican cheese blend
- ½ cup frozen corn
- ½ cup salsa
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- cilantro, sour cream and additional salsa for serving
Grease a 10-inch cast iron skillet (or 9-inch square pan) with a little olive oil. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350.
In a large bowl combine the chicken strips, corn kernels, salsa, chili beans (and their juiceājust dump the can in) and spices. Stir well to combine.
Slice the polenta into 1/4th inch slices. Cover bottom of skillet with overlapping slices. Pour bean mixture on top. Top with cheese.
Cover and bake for 15 minutes then remove and bake for an additional 15 minutes uncovered. Serve with minced cilantro, sour cream and salsa.
So glad you didn't use black beans! Everyone seems to think they are the thing to use. It's one of those things that you finally go, "Oh, I'm so over that!" Hahaha! Love your recipes, Steph! š
John – yes, the chicken is pre-cooked. Enjoy!
Are the 'southwest chicken strips' precooked? Seems like 30 minutes of cooking time isn't enough for raw chicken.
Thanks for sharing this looks delicious!
That is different than the usual cornbread or bisquick style pies. I like it.
This looks great. I love all your recipes. We should have a Birmingham/Alabama blogger get together!
This looks fantastic. Can you imagine fueling up on this before trick-or-treating?
Can't wait to try this!! Tomorrow for sure soon as I can get out and get the polenta. Thank you.
I love the idea of using polenta for this yummy casserole. I'm going to try it using a light Mexican blend of cheese and reduced-fat sour cream.
Polenta is something I've never had. But, that casserole sure looks wonderful.
What a great recipe Steph!
Sounds like it comes together in
a flash. It looks yummy too!