Tamale Pie with Cornbread topping

We like tamale pie so much that we have two recipes for it.  This one has a cornbread topping that my children love.  It’s normally made with meat, but you could substitute beans if you prefer.  We often double the cornbread topping for the kids.

Filling Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground beef/turkey
• 1 chopped onion
• 1 chopped bell pepper
• 1 chopped zucchini
• 1 can cream of tomato soup, or 1 16-oz jar of salsa
• 1 cup water or stock
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp smokey paprika
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 bag frozen corn

Topping Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup whole milk (we use coconut milk)
• 2 Tbsp canola oil

Instructions:

1. Saute beef and onion.  Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 15 min.
2. Mix dry topping ingredients then add wet ingredients and mix only until dry ingredients are moistened.
3. Pour filling ingredients into a 2-quart casserole dish/pan (or better yet, cook the ingredients in a cast-iron pot like our Le Crueset so you have one less dish to wash), then cover with the topping mixture.  Don’t worry if it disappears into the filling as it will rise to form a bread crust.
4. Bake at 425 for 20-25 min, or until the bread topping is done (test with a toothpick).