Tamale Casserole

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Tamale Casserole tastes just like your favorite homemade tamales, minus the hours of preparation that tamales require. What I love most about this recipe is the yummy masa dough that serves as the "crust" for all the delicious filling. This recipe is also a great way to use up leftover chicken or beef from grilling.

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Diced beef with red peppers and green salsa in a tamale crust, all placed in a large glass dish. — Tamale Casserole is the perfect say to use up all that leftover beef from outdoor grilling.

Ingredients to have on hand

Red peppers
Green salsa
Pepper Jack cheese
chicken or leftover beef or pork
Instant Corn Masa Mix
Smoked paprika
Red enchilada sauce

My favorite Salsa

When it comes to choosing the salsa for this recipe, I love the Hatch Valley green salsa from New Mexico, "505 Southwestern" but any green salsa works great. It's also delicious with homemade guacamole, which I also highly recommend.

Tamale crust ingredients in a bowl with a spatula. — The masa combines to create that distinctive tamale flavor, but in this recipe for tamale casserole, the masa is just in the crust.

Meat Options for Tamale Casserole

Wedge of tamale casserole on a plate with cilantro garnish. — It tastes just like a tamale, but serves like a wedge of pie or quiche.

One of the best things about this recipe is how versatile it is. I use rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, already cooked and ready to go. But you can easily use leftover roast, shredded or diced; cooked pork, diced; or opt for a vegetarian option and substitute with black beans.

Great Way to Use Grilling Leftovers

If you use leftover beef or pork from grilling such as a tri-tip or carne asada, keep in mind how heavily seasoned or marinated those cuts of meat may have been. When that's the case, I recommend we cut the salt in the tamale crust by about half.

Tamale casserole ingredients in two bowls on the counter. — Two bowls are all you need to mix up this casserole. A time saving tip is to use a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. Just shred it into bite-sized pieces.

Delicious The Next Day

Of all the main meals I prepare, this one makes the absolute best leftovers. The flavors blend and the tamale crust sets up more firmly so casserole is even better than when it's piping hot from the oven. Though, it's excellent then too!

Tamale casserole crust in the bottom of baking dish. — This is a pat in the pan crust. So easy!

Making the Crust

As crusts go, this one is about as easy as it gets. Don't worry about making the crust perfect. Just pat it in place and ensure it's equally distributed across the bottom of the pan.

Tamale crust patted into a glass baking dish. — Pat the tamale crust up the sides of the casserole dish to create a thick crust along the edges.

Tips and FAQ

Is the enchilada sauce necessary?

The enchilada sauce adds some spicy flavor to each serving, but as an option instead of the enchilada sauce, serve a wedge of the casserole with a big scoop of salsa and guacamole instead. Delicious!

Why does tamale casserole need to set after baking?

That's probably one of the most important steps to ensure this turns out great! The tamale crust is quite soft, so giving it at least 10 minutes after baking to rest helps all the ingredients "set" and allows for easier serving.