WFPB Tamale Pie

Hey babes,

Growing up, my mom made so many one-pot meals. Chili mac, Mexican casserole, chicken spaghetti, chicken and dumplings, enchiladas, tater tot casserole, cheeseburger pie, chicken pot pie, and many more. My mom is an AMAZING cook, and that wonderful lady knew how to stretch a dollar until it screamed. I take a lot of inspiration from foods she cooked in my childhood and lessons she taught me in the kitchen. I remember one recipe specifically that you knew was coming if you ever saw a box of Jiffy brand cornbread mix on the counter: tamale pie.

My mom made hers with ground beef, cheese, and veggies, but I can’t fault her for that. My dad and I were extremely picky when I was a kid, and serving something no one’s going to eat would’ve been a waste of money. Now, I have almost no reservations when it comes to vegetables and beans (except you, olives. You little monsters), so I’m free to take a more whole food approach to the recipe. And, since I already know how to make cornbread from scratch on the cheap, that made throwing together an extremely frugal, extremely delicious WFPB version a snap.

Don’t get me wrong, I have used a Jiffy mix many a time in my day, and it helps that they have a vegetarian version that is truly animal-product free. But here’s a secret I’ll let you in on: at my core, I am deeply lazy, and will use whatever I can in my house to avoid shopping. I deeply, DEEPLY despise shopping. If I ever need clothes or shoes, I have to work myself up to the event of heading over to the thrift stores and getting to work. At the grocery story, I make a list and get in and our as fast as possible. So, lucky for all of us, I didn’t have any Jiffy mix today, but remembered that I have all the ingredients to just make it from scratch for an extra three minutes of work.

To make the topping I used the bones of my crazy spicy cornbread recipe, but removed a few components and halved the quantities to make it more accessible to families and to fit the skillet more comfortably. If you want to burn out your tastebuds in spice heaven, feel free to keep the jalapenos and serrano peppers, but if you have small children, proceed with caution.

As for the filling, I picked simple, healthy ingredients to round it out, with just a little bit of spice. The combination of these simple, plant-based ingredients add up to a healthy dose of fiber, protein, and plenty of minerals, vitamins and antioxidants. I added in a roasted hatch chili as well, but you could sub it for any type of peppers or leave out if your family is sensitive to spicy foods. To start out, add in the onions and mushrooms first, then the bell pepper, hatch chili, and garlic, and then lastly the seasonings, corn, tomato, and black beans. This will allow things to cook appropriately without burning or turning to mush.

After you’ve tasted and adjusted the spices as needed, you can kill the heat and top with the batter, then it’s time for the oven. Keep an eye on it as it sometimes cooks faster than you’d think. Let her cool for a few minutes and then slice and enjoy! Let me know what you think and what you’d change. What do you typically serve with your one-pot wonders?