this Vegan tamale pie As comfortable as it sounds! A layer of spicy chili is smothered by a golden cornbread crust, then topped with slices of vegan cheddar cheese. Dive in for a delicious comfort-food experience.
One-dish dinners like this Cheesy Vegan Mexican Black Bean Casserole are my favorite to make and eat. Another dish I make often, especially during the colder months, is a vegan hot tamale.
In the Southwestern Tex-Mex tradition of mixing a chili with other delicacies, like this Vegan Frito Pie or these Vegan Chili Fries, a tamale pie is layered with cornbread on top of a savory chili.
This is a classic American casserole recipe, old-school cafeteria lunch stuff, and the kind of dish you make when you want the fun of eating tamales without all the work. And what a gorgeous dish it is, with a hearty chili layer, golden cornbread and gooey, melty vegan cheddar cheese.
I add vegan sausage to this recipe along with beans for extra protein (mainly because I have a teenager who is busy building his muscles), but it’s optional and you can make this vegan tamale pie delicious with just beans.
It’s a fairly easy recipe to pull off and although the hour-long cooking time will make you want to save it for the weekend, you can pull it off for a weeknight with some planning.
Let’s cook!
Index
Why you will love this recipe
- Hearty and delicious. It really is comfort food at its best. The contrasting textures of the fluffy cornbread, the meaty peppers and the melty but slightly crispy vegan cheese are amazing.
- A plate of food. You’ll get it all in this recipe—vegetables, heart-healthy protein, and carbs from the cornbread. Do not make anything else!
- healthy. Along with vegetables and beans, this recipe has lots of good-for-you ingredients.
- Suitable for all diets. The recipe is vegan, gluten-free, soy-free and nut-free.
material
- onion. Use whatever you have on hand, but red is best for flavor.
- garlic. You can vary the amount of garlic you use depending on how much garlic flavor you like. I like a lot of garlic here.
- Vegetables: Zucchini, Tomato And Tomato paste. You can also use green bell peppers and/or frozen corn in place of the zucchini.
- black beans. You can also use kidney beans or pinto beans. Canned beans are fine and that’s what I used, but you can also use beans cooked from scratch.
- Pickled jalapeno peppers. This adds a nice hit of spice and flavor. Use less if sensitive to heat.
- spices: Smoked paprika, ground cumin, chipotle chili in adobo sauce and chili powder.
- Mexican oregano. You can use dried sage or rosemary instead.
- cornmeal. Use stoneground cornmeal, either yellow or white cornmeal is fine.
- Leaves for corn bread: Baking powder And Baking soda.
- Shredded vegan cheddar cheese
How to Make Vegan Tamale Pies
.1. Heat oil on medium heat. Add onion with a pinch of salt and fry until soft.
2. Stir in the garlic and fry for a minute.
3. Stir in the zucchini and cook for 2-3 minutes until it begins to soften.
4. Add smoked paprika, chili powder, cumin, chipotle chile, and Mexican oregano. Mix well.
5. Stir in the vegan sausage and fry for a few minutes, breaking up any large pieces with a spoon.
6. Stir in the beans then tomato paste and a cup of water and mix well. Bring to a boil.
7. Stir in tomatoes and pickled jalapeño peppers.
8. Bring back to a boil, add salt as needed, then turn off the heat.
9. Whisk together the cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl.
10. Whisk the vegan yogurt with half a cup of water.
11. Add the vegan yogurt to the cornmeal and mix with a spatula.
12. Stir in chopped pickled jalapeño peppers.
13. Spread chili batter in an even layer in a four-quart casserole dish. Sprinkle over half of the vegan cheese.
14. Spoon cornbread batter evenly over top. Sprinkle over the remaining cheese slices. Bake in a preheated 375°F/190°C oven for 40 minutes or until the cornbread is golden. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
Recipe FAQs
Absolutely, and it will be just as delicious. Replace the vegan sausage with another can of black beans.
Yes, you certainly can. I don’t like the cornbread layer too thick but you can make it as thick as you like. Just double the rest of the cornbread ingredients, but keep the amount of baking soda the same — ½ tsp.
Yes, but be sure to read the label. Jiffy has come out with a vegan corn muffin mix and you can certainly use that, but traditional Jiffy corn muffin mixes contain lard or animal fat. Bob’s Red Mill makes a vegan corn muffin mix and probably has more on the market.
This is a one-dish meal so you don’t need anything else, but if you like serve with a fresh salad like vegan Caesar salad or sliced avocado.
Make-up and storage instructions
- make-before: Assemble the pie, cover tightly with cling wrap and refrigerate for up to three days. Remove the cling wrap and bake an hour before serving. You can wrap the pie in the freezer and refrigerate it for up to four months.
- Keep in fridge: Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to four days.
- freeze: Freeze vegan tamale pies for up to four months.
Helpful Tips
- If you have an enameled large cast iron skillet or a skillet that can go from oven to oven, you can skip transferring the chili to a baking dish and cut down on cleanup.
- If you don’t have chili powder, don’t worry. Double up on cumin and smoked paprika.
- For a less spicy tamale pie, replace the pickled jalapeños with an equal amount of chopped, canned black olives.
- Frozen vegetables are fine if you have them on hand. Use frozen vegetables like corn, peas or cauliflower instead of zucchini in this recipe.
- For fresh flavor, sprinkle a few chopped scallions or cilantro over the top of the baked vegan tamale pie before serving. You can also top the serving with a dollop of vegan sour cream.
More delicious vegan casserole recipes
If you like this vegan tamale pie recipe, be sure to check out more gluten-free vegan recipes at Holy Cow Vegan!
Vegan Tamale Pie
This vegan tamale pie is as comforting as it sounds! A layer of spicy chili is crushed under a layer of golden cornbread, then topped with a slice of vegan cheddar cheese. Dive in for a delicious comfort-food experience.
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Serving: 8 serving
Calories: 402kcal
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instructions
Make the chili
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Heat oil on medium heat. Add onion with a pinch of salt and fry until soft.
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Stir in the garlic and fry for a minute.
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Stir in the zucchini and cook for 2-3 minutes until it begins to soften.
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Add smoked paprika, chili powder, cumin, chipotle chile, and Mexican oregano. Mix well.
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Stir in the vegan sausage and fry for a few minutes, breaking up any large pieces with a spoon.
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Stir the tomato paste and a cup of water into the beans and mix well. Bring to a boil.
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Stir in tomatoes and pickled jalapeño peppers.
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Bring the chili back to a boil, add salt as needed, then turn off the heat.
Make the cornbread
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Whisk together the cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
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Whisk the vegan yogurt with half a cup of water.
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Add the vegan yogurt to the cornmeal and mix with a spatula.
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Stir in chopped pickled jalapeño peppers.
Assemble the tamale pie
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Preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C.
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Spread the chili batter on a baking dish in an even layer. Sprinkle over half of the vegan cheese.
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Spoon the cornmeal mixture over the top in an even layer. Sprinkle over the remaining cheese slices. Bake for 40 minutes or until cornbread is golden. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
Recipe notes
- If you omit the vegan sausage, add another 14 ounces of black beans or pinto beans to the recipe.
- For a thicker cornbread layer, double all the cornbread ingredients but keep the amount of baking soda the same — ½ tsp.
- You can use a ready-made cornbread muffin mix for the cornbread layer, but be sure to read the ingredient labels. Jiffy came out with a vegan corn muffin mix, but traditional Jiffy corn muffin mixes contain lard or animal fat. Bob’s Red Mill makes a vegan corn muffin mix and probably has more on the market.
Make-up and storage instructions
- make-before: Assemble the pie, cover tightly with cling wrap and refrigerate for up to three days. Remove the cling wrap and bake an hour before serving. You can wrap the pie in the freezer and refrigerate it for up to four months.
- Keep in fridge: Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to four days.
- freeze: Freeze vegan tamale pies for up to four months.
Helpful Tips
- If you have an oven-safe enameled cast iron skillet or a skillet that can go from the stove to the oven, you can skip transferring the chili to the baking dish and cut down on cleanup.
- If you don’t have chili powder, don’t worry. Double up on cumin and smoked paprika.
- Frozen vegetables are fine if you have them on hand. Use frozen vegetables like corn, peas or cauliflower instead of zucchini in this recipe.
- For fresh flavor, sprinkle some chopped scallions or cilantro over the top of the baked vegan tamale pie before serving.
nutrition
Calories: 402kcal | Sugars: 53g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 1g | Monounsaturated fats: 3g | Potassium: 1067mg | Fiber: 15g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 984IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 70mg | Iron: 4mg
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