Tamale Pie

I don't want to call this Mexican food, because it isn't.  I love real Mexican food, but the fake "Mexican" food I grew up on, has its own place in my heart.  This is a great quick meal that mixes up quick and bakes in one dish.  While it bakes, you can put together a green salad, cut up some fruit, and sit down to a great meal.  A friend asked me for this recipe to make for a boy she was trying to impress.  They made this together for their first date and now they are married!

Tamale filling:
1 pound ground beef
1 bell pepper any color
1 onion
2 cloves minced garlic
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 can black beans
1 can corn (or 1 cup frozen corn)
1 can diced green chilies
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 tablespoon cumin
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 small can sliced olives (optional)
1/4 cup salsa
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Cornbread topping:
Recipe below

Toppings:
Avocado
Sour cream
Salsa

1. Dice onion and bell pepper.  Brown hamburger in a skillet, breaking up into pieces with a spatula as it cooks.  When hamburger is partially brown, add onion and bell pepper until onion is translucent and meat is cooked through.

2. Mix remaining ingredients (except cheese) together.  If it doesn't look saucy enough, add the 1/4 cup salsa.  Spread in a 9x13 pan.  Sprinkle cheese on top.  Pour on cornbread topping* and bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cornbread comes out clean.

3. Serve with avocado, sour cream, and salsa.

*I think it is too much to pour all the cornbread batter on top, so take out enough to fill a mini loaf pan and bake it alongside the tamale pie in the oven.  The mini loaf is usually baked after 15-20 minutes, depending on the oven.

Cornbread topping:

1 cup cornmeal
1 cup flour (I generally use half white, half wheat)
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil or melted butter
1 beaten egg
1 cup milk

1. Mix together dry ingredients.

2.  Add wet ingredients and mix until just combined.

Tamale Pie started as my mom's recipe, that I have adapted over the years.  Cornbread recipe is slightly adapted from here.