Slow-Cooker Tamale Pie
Submitted by kathyanneb
Slow cooker tamale pie with a cornmeal crust lining the crock and a filling of sausage, stew beef, sundried tomatoes, green chile, corn, and olives. A set-it-and-forget-it Tex-Mex one-pot dinner.
YIELD
8 servingsPREP
10 minCOOK
8 hrsREADY
8 hrsThis slow cooker tamale pie flips the usual casserole approach on its head: instead of a cornmeal topping, a soft polenta-like crust lines the bottom and sides of the crock, and the meat filling goes in the center. After 7 or 8 hours on low the crust firms into a tender cornbread shell that scoops up every bite of the juicy filling.
Sausage and stew beef together give the filling a deeper, more complex flavor than either alone. The sausage renders fat and seasoning that bastes the beef as it cooks low and slow, while the beef stays chunky enough to give each forkful real body.
Sundried tomatoes are the quiet star here, concentrating tomato flavor without watering out the crust. Green chile brings heat, corn adds sweetness, olives bring salt and brine.
Kitchen Tips
- Whisk the cornmeal slowly into boiling broth to prevent lumps. A steady stream while stirring constantly is the method.
- Grease the spatula when spreading cornmeal up the sides. Wet cornmeal sticks to everything.
- Brown the sausage and beef in a skillet first if you have time. It adds depth the slow cooker alone won’t deliver.
- Resist lifting the lid. Every peek releases heat and adds 30 minutes to cooking time.
Variations
- Swap beef for shredded chicken for a lighter version.
- Add a can of drained black beans to the filling for extra protein.
- Top with shredded cheddar or pepper jack in the last 20 minutes for a melty finish.
Ingredients
Directions
Bring broth or bouillion to boil in medium saucepan.
Stirring constantly, slowly add cornmeal.
Simmer miuxture 5 mintues, stirring often.
Stir in cilantro. Using a greased spatula, spread cornmeal mixture on bottom and about 2 inches up sides of slow-cooker.
In large bowl, combine sausage, stew meat, onion, celery, chile pepper, sun-dried tomatoes, corn, sliced olives, salt and pepper.
Carefully spoon into center of cornmeal-lined pot.
Cover and cook on LOW 7 to 8 hours.
Garnish with ripe olives, if desired.
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