Chipotle Turkey Tamale Pie

by | Jan 5, 2021 | Dinner, Main Dish, Mexican, Recipes, Turkey

Chipotle Turkey Tamale Pie
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I absolutely love tamales, and while I’ve been a very happy and willing participant in tamale making assembly lines, I’ve not attempted that yet on my own. And it’s not on my list to do any time soon. I have so much respect and admiration for people who regularly turn out dozens of homemade tamales. Maybe some day, but for now, when I’m in the mood for tamales and there none to be found, I’m resorting to the next best thing: tamale pie.

Today being a “Taco Tuesday,” we were craving Mexican fare. With a pound of ground turkey at hand and an open can of chipotle chilis in adobo needing to be used, I was looking for inspiration. I missed getting tamales this year at Christmas time, with our COVID lockdown and all, so I wanted something with a similar flavor.  I remembered my mom making a type of tamale pie with cornbread on top, but I wanted a more traditional masa topping to make the dish taste more like tamales. So I went looking for recipes and combined elements of a few, and added a few other ingredients to suit our tastes, to come up with this tamale pie. And it turned out great.

I have to admit, it’s not a very pretty dish, definitely not a photogenic dinner (or maybe it’s because I’m not a great photographer!), but hey, appearances aren’t everything! This goes in the “tastes better than it looks” category, for sure. Maybe Taco Tuesday will have to become Tamale Tuesday!

 

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Turkey Chipotle Tamale Pie

  • Author: Stacey McNeill
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Description

While this recipe may have quite a long list of ingredients, it can be adjusted as you like, and trust me, it’s much easier than making tamales. Tamale pie has a similar flavor to tamales without the production effort. I’m sure it would be just as good if you substitute beef, pork, chicken, or a even a vegan “meat” like Beyond Burger for the turkey. A comfort-food for sure, it’s great for a cold winter day.

Ingredients

For the Bottom Layer:

  • 1 medium white onion, chopped
  • 1 pound ground turkey (or beef)
  • 4 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
  • 1 or 2 chipotle chilis in adobo sauce (canned)
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons adobo sauce from the canned chilies
  • 8 ounces canned green mild chilis (whole or diced)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 cup cooked/canned pinto beans (optional)
  • 1 small can sliced black olives
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

For Masa Topping:

  • 2 cups masa harina instant corn flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoons salt
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 4 ounces (1/2 cup or 1 stick) butter, melted
  • 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Prepare a 2-quart baking dish with oil or non-stick avocado or olive oil spray.
  3. In a large skillet, saute the onion until softened. Push to the side of the pan and add the ground turkey, and break up with a spatula while stirring occasionally until it is browned and cooked through. Add the chopped garlic and saute for a few minutes until fragrant and softened a bit.
  4. While the meat and onion mixture is cooking, process the chipotle chilis, tomato sauce and the adobo sauce, and canned mild chilis in a small food processor. Alternatively you can mince the canned chilis by hand, but I like to make sure they’re well incorporated into the tomato sauce.
  5. Add the salt, brown sugar, chili powder, coriander, cumin and salt to the meat mixture, sauteeing for a minute or two, just to toast the spices a bit.
  6. Add the tomato sauce and chipotle mixture to the meat and allow to come to a simmer. Taste and add salt or additional adobo sauce from the canned chilies if desired. Add beans (if using), black olives and 1/2 cup of the cheese and stir well.
  7. To make the masa dough, combine the masa harina flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Add the melted butter and broth and stir until smooth. Add the cheese to the dough and stir just until incorporated.
  8. Place the meat mixture in the prepared dish. Top with the masa mixture, dropping by large spoonfulls and spreading gently over the meat layer to cover completely. The masa will be very thick, so I find that it ends up pretty lumpy on top. Sprinkle the cheese over the masa layer.
  9. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the top is browned, the sauce is bubbling through a bit on the edges, and a toothpick inserted into the masa layer comes out fairly clean.
  10. Serve as is or provide toppings like salsa, diced avocado (or guac), sour cream, and cilantro.