Rustic Tamale Pie

 Fiesta!

I am so excited, it's Day 1 of Casserole Week with Creole Contessa! I love casseroles because you can take the simplest of ingredients, and turn them into to food magic!

I decided to make my Rustic Tamale Pie, because it's a family favorite and I just love all things Mexican.

We start off by sauteing veggies in a little extra virgin olive oil, then we add our spices because we want to toast them to bring out the flavor.

Next, we add our ground turkey which is cooked for about 10 minutes, then top that off with organic corn, yes...organic, I try to use organic vegetables whenever possible, then add a small can of crushed tomatoes and about 6 oz of tomato sauce.

While our meat is simmering we prepare our corn muffin mix. It's so simple, just toss everything into a bowl and mix well. 

Fold cheese into the meat/veggie mixture before placing into the greased casserole dish. Top with more cheese, spread cornbread mixture on top and bake for about 25-30 minutes are until cornbread is golden brown.

Allow Rustic Tamale Pie to rest for about 5 minutes before serving, if you can wait that long. Look at all the cheese flowing out like lava....

My plate is ready and it's time to EAT!

Rustic Tamale Pie

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 6

Ingredients:

1 lb ground turkey
2 cups organic corn, frozen or fresh
1 15 oz. can of chopped tomatoes
1 6 oz. can tomato sauce
1 bell pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 stalk celery, diced
2 Serrano chili's, diced
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 1/2 tablespoon creole seasoning
1 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
1 1/2 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano, crushed
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup jack cheese, grated
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
sour cream and guacamole to garnish

For the cornbread topping

2 boxes jiffy cornbread
2/3 cup buttermilk
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 green onion, sliced
1 tablespoon parsley, minced
1 teaspoon creole seasoning
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 cup jack cheese, grated
4 tablespoon butter, melted
Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Add olive oil to a pot over medium heat, add onion, bell pepper, Serrano, and celery to pot, saute 4 minutes, add garlic and all seasonings, saute 1 minute more.

Add ground turkey and cook for about 10 minutes, until turkey is no longer pink. Add chopped parsley, corn, tomatoes, and tomato sauce. Add cornstarch and cook 5 minutes more.

Stir in 1/2 cup of jack cheese and 1/2 cup of sharp cheddar cheese into mixture. Transfer mixture to a 13X9 inch greased, casserole dish. Cover with remaining cheese.

To prepare topping, mix all ingredients together, minus 1 tablespoonful of butter.

Top meat/veggie mixture with cornbread topping and spread evenly. Bake Rustic Tamale Pie for about 25-30 minutes or until topping is golden brown.

Remove from oven, baste with remaining butter, and allow tamale pie to rest about 5 minutes before serving.

Garnish with sour cream and guacamole if desired.