Tamale Pie is an old school casserole with layers of seasoned ground beef, cornbread, and melted gooey cheese. Made from scratch, yet quick and easy, this gluten-free tamale pie is made cornmeal and other simple ingredients, making it perfect for a family-approved weeknight meal!

a slice of tamale pie being lifted out of a cast iron skillet with cheese stringing off
Need an easy weeknight casserole idea? The whole family loves tamale pie with zesty ground beef, cornbread and cheesy topping.

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Gluten-Free Tamale Pie with Beef

Nothing beats an old school, classic comfort food recipe. My mom’s homemade tamale pie recipe came from the source of all her cutting edge recipes – church cookbooks.

They were all the rage before Food Network, celebrity chefs, and, well, food blogs.

Recently my mom stumbled across her old tamale casserole recipe and passed it on to me with a personal plug written on it: “I made this a lot years ago. It was very good and very easy.” 

Sounds right up my alley. 👌 (Just like 25-minute walking taco casserole – can’t go wrong with stupid easy!) However, I did have to change things up a bit so I could use it again and again as part of my easy gluten-free dinner ideas.

To make an old fashioned tamale pie without a cornbread mix, I relied on cornmeal, adding a can of cream-style corn (check with manufacturer to make sure it’s GF!), baking powder, egg, melted butter, and a little sugar. It’s just as easy to whip up as a box of Jiffy mix, and mimics the taste, even down to the bit of sweetness.

I made this the other week and it was sooo good. I’m making it tomorrow for our Wednesday night dinner at our daughter’s house. I can’t wait for them to try it. This is a wonderful recipe and easy to make. Thank you!!

—Susan
an overhead shot of a cast iron skillet with tamale pie
We’ve made tamale hundreds of times over the years because I love how the ingredients are affordable and naturally gluten-free, while the family loves the Tex Mex flavors.

Ingredients Snippets

This tamale pie casserole is great weeknight dinner option because most of the ingredients are kitchen staples, like butter, sugar, eggs, baking powder, milk, and chili powder.

Similar to when making another family-favorite, Mexican-inspired dish, gluten-free enchiladas with beef, I do have to pick up a few items, like lean ground meat, cream-style corn, GF enchilada sauce, and salsa.

  • Cornmeal – Although cornmeal is naturally gluten-free, some brands are processed on shared equipment. Be sure to read labels carefully if making gluten-free tamale pie.
  • Cream-style corn – Always read the label to make sure there are no hidden ingredients, questionable food starches or wheat. A lot of major brands are GF, but it’s always best to read labels and double check with a manufacturer.
  • Sugar – While this may be eliminated, I like the touch of sweet taste it adds, just like old school recipes!
  • Enchilada Sauce – For a gluten-free recipe, I use LaVictoria brand or you can make your own homemade 5-minute enchilada sauce.
  • Salsa – Use mild to spicy, depending on your preferred taste.

Watch This Recipe

Let’s Make This Together!

(Below shows step-by-step photos and modified instructions. For the complete recipe, along with ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card.)

Easier-than-easy homemade cornbread layer

This is a measure and dump cornmeal layer you can handle. Promise! Whisk together the cornmeal, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Then add in the cooled and melted butter, egg, milk, and cream-style corn. Dump it in the prepped baking pan and bake while cooking the ground beef layer.

cornbread layer whisked together in a bowl.

Whip up the seasoned ground beef

While that’s baking, it’s time to brown the beef. I like a use a leaner ground beef so I don’t have to drain off excess grease, but use whatever floats your boat. Once it’s cooked, stir in the salsa, half a can of enchilada sauce, and chili powder.

ground beef sauted with seasonings.

The fun part – Poke some holes!

Use a wooden spoon handle to poke some holes on the baked cornbread. Then pour on the rest of the enchilada sauce to seep in. Top with the ground beef mixture and sprinkle with cheese. Choose between colby jack, cheddar, or pepper jack. Basically it’s hard to go wrong when it comes to cheese.

enchilada sauce poured over the baked cornbread.

Time for the quick second bake

Once it’s loaded up with cheese, pop it bake into the oven to melt it. At this point everything is cooked through, so it’s just a matter of melting the cheese. If you want to speed things up, you can always put it under the broiler too. It’s time to dig in!

cheese over the pie before it bakes.

Shredded Chicken Option

Easily adapt this recipe into chicken tamale pie following these simple steps:

  1. Use 3 cups shredded chicken to replace the ground beef. (Either cover 1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts with water and boil for 20 minutes or cook in Instant Pot for 8 minutes with 1 cup water.)
  2. Bake cornbread, poke with holes, and pour over half enchilada sauce.
  3. Combine shredded chicken, chili powder, salsa, and remaining enchilada sauce in a bowl.
  4. Layer chicken mixture on cornbread, top with cheese, and bake at 375ºF for 15 minutes.

Age-old question – What to serve with it?

We serve this easy tamale pie recipe similarly to how you would serve tacos. Everyone can pile on what they would like best, but I usually offer up shredded lettuce, sour cream, avocado, and salsa.

Since it’s a casserole, it doesn’t require much to round out the meal. Honestly, I usually just steam some rice and call it a day. You can go fancier…cilantro lime rice, Elotes, corn salad, refried beans, or charro beans would be stellar side dishes.

a close up side view of sliced tamale pie
Cornbread layer on the top or bottom? You choose! Either way the casserole layers are a marriage of perfection.

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a slice of tamale pie being lifted out of a cast iron skillet with cheese stringing off
4.37 stars (57 ratings)

Old School Tamale Pie (Gluten-Free, Without Jiffy!)

Melissa Erdelac of MamaGourmand headshot in patterned dress.Melissa Erdelac
Yield: 8
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Tamale Pie is an old school casserole with layers of seasoned ground beef, cornbread, and melted gooey cheese. Made from scratch, yet quick and easy, this gluten-free tamale pie is made cornmeal and other simple ingredients, making it perfect for a family-approved weeknight meal!
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Ingredients
 

Cornbread:

Tamale Pie Filling:

  • 1 pound (453.59 g) lean ground beef, such as sirloin
  • 10 ounce (283.5 g) can enchilada sauce, La Victoria brand for gluten-free
  • 1 cup (260 g) salsa
  • 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) chili powder
  • 1 ½ cups (132 g) shredded colby jack cheese
  • optional toppings: additional salsa, cilantro, sour cream, and sliced avocado

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 400ºF. Grease a cast iron skillet with butter or spray a pie plate, 11X7 pan, or 9X9 pan with cooking spray.
  • Whisk together the cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add egg, melted butter, milk, and cream-style corn. Whisk to combine. Pour into prepared baking dish and bake for 20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean and edges are golden brown. Remove from oven and decrease oven temperature to 375ºF.
    ¾ cup cornmeal, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 egg, 4 tablespoons melted butter, ⅓ cup milk, 14.75 ounce can cream-style corn
  • Use the handle of a wooden spoon to poke holes all over the cornbread surface. Pour ½ can enchilada sauce on top and spread evenly over cornbread. Set aside.
  • While cornbread is baking, begin to make ground beef layer. In a large skillet brown beef over medium high heat and drain, if necessary. To the browned beef stir in remaining enchilada sauce, salsa, and chili powder. Bring to a boil and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes until thickened.
    1 pound lean ground beef, 1 cup salsa, 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • Spread beef filling over warm cornbread. Top with cheese and return to 375ºF oven for 15 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly. Let sit for 5-10 minutes before cutting. Serve with additional salsa, cilantro, sour cream, and sliced avocado.
    1 ½ cups shredded colby jack cheese

Notes

 
How to Make Chicken Tamale Pie
  1. Use 3 cups shredded chicken to replace the ground beef. (Either cover 1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts with water and boil for 20 minutes or cook in Instant Pot for 8 minutes with 1 cup water.) 
  2. Bake cornbread, poke with holes, and pour over half enchilada sauce.
  3. Combine shredded chicken, chili powder, salsa, and remaining enchilada sauce in a bowl.
  4. Layer chicken mixture on cornbread, top with cheese, and bake at 375ºF for 15 minutes.
Calories: 370kcal, Carbohydrates: 30g, Protein: 22g, Fat: 18g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Cholesterol: 94mg, Sodium: 1086mg, Potassium: 616mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 9g, Vitamin A: 965IU, Vitamin C: 3.7mg, Calcium: 267mg, Iron: 2.8mg
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