This Tamale Pie Low Carb S has the kick of Tex-Mex, but is totally low carb and Trim Healthy Mama friendly!
It features our favorite Mexican ground beef covered with one of the best low carb “cornbreads” around. This recipe skips the casserole dish too and cooks up right in the skillet!
There are a couple of recipes on my blog that my family would call “outrageously flavorful” and this is one, for sure!
Words can’t describe the soul-satisfying flavor and texture of this dish so you’ll just have to make it for yourself and see. I promise you’ll be hooked!
Here’s another twist on the cheesy cornbread crust but in this one, it’s combined with Hebrew National hot dogs to make a Cheesy Hot Dog Pie. Served here with a side of wonderful low carb chili gravy; this dish is a crowd pleaser! Also, very satisfying and comforting.
Here are a few other recipes that definitely should get “honorable mention” if you’re looking for some true Southern comfort foods:
Low Carb Skillet Enchiladas featuring my own creation of a low carb enchilada gravy that is as authentic tasting as the original. This dish is SO EASY and doesn’t even require an oven at all.
Low Carb Chicken Enchilada Skillet was number one on my blog last year and still in the top five this year! I used crisped low carb tortillas to make a real crust for in a cast iron skillet for this dish and it’s over the top good!
And moving over from the Southwestern cuisine to more of a Deep South Cajun dish is the other recipe that my family would term outrageously flavorful and that is the Loaded Buffalo Chicken No-Tato Casserole.We love it every bit as much today as the day I converted it over 4 years ago.
Watch for affiliate links to products I have used in these recipes when testing them and those which I can fully recommend.
There is a certain type of almond flour that you’ll need to make this recipe turn out as it should. Unblanched almond FLOUR not meal.
It needs to be finely ground. Here’s an affiliate link for one that will work well and I’ve also found this brand at Wal-mart.
Here are some more shopping options that might be helpful. Aff links#
I noticed a few comments coming up on this so PLEASE NOTE!
The beef filling in this pie was converted from a 42-year-old recipe. Originally it was nice and flavorful but over time the quality of ground beef in this country has changed A LOT!
So a few decades ago, I began browning my beef and adding 1 cup of beef broth per pound of fully cooked and browned ground beef and cooking the broth all the way down into the meat until none is left.
If you cook it in thoroughly (uncovered – at a high temp) this will not be at all watery and it will be extraordinarily flavorful. If you go to the trouble and expense of buying more expensive, all natural beef that has a nice beef flavor already then you can skip this step.
Tamale Pie Low Carb S
Ingredients
- BEEF FILLING
- 2 pounds lean ground beef (the better quality the meat the better the dish)
- 1/2 medium onion (diced)
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 teaspoon mineral salt
- 1/2 teaspoons pepper
- 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 can Rotel tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire
- 8 oz grated sharp cheddar cheese
- "Cornbread" Crust
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees:
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- 2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 4 large eggs
- 1/4 cup sour cream or greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
Instructions
Prepare the ground beef filling:
- Put the ground beef and onion in a large, (12-inch diameter) heavy, ovenproof, skillet to brown.
- *Don't use cast iron for this recipe. Either a stainless or glass is what I recommend for dishes containing acidic foods like tomatoes.
- Drain all the grease off the meat once it is thoroughly browned. (Draining the grease is an important step here!)
- Pour the beef broth over the browned beef and bring it to a boil and cook it, uncovered, until the broth has partially cooked into the beef.
- Now add in all the other ingredients, except the cheese and bring to a boil, uncovered. (Remember to cook it all the way down - high temp and uncovered)
- Continue to let it cook on medium high for about 5 minutes till nice and hot then turn down and simmer it in the uncovered skillet for a few more minutes till all the liquid cooks in for maximum flavor and texture.
- Smooth the beef mixture in the skillet and sprinkle all of the grated cheese over the top at once. Set this mixture aside, away from the heat and covered while you make the topping.
- This step is important because the melted cheese will form a surface over the hamburger meat that the bread crust can be spread over.
Prepare the "Cornbread" Filling:
- First combine the flours, cheese, baking powder and salt.
- Then just add the liquid ingredients right over the top and mix well.
- Drop this mixture by heaping tablespoonfuls over the melted cheese in the skillet and carefully spread it over the meat mixture carefully.
- Pop the whole skillet in a preheated oven for 30 minutes or longer; (oven temps vary) until it is nice and just golden brown and firm to the touch.
*Note that it won't get as firm as regular cornbread because the cheese will keep it softer.
Notes
I noticed a few comments coming up on this so PLEASE NOTE!
The beef filling in this pie was converted from a 42-year-old recipe. Originally it was nice and flavorful but over time the quality of ground beef in this country has changed A LOT!
So a few decades ago, I began browning my beef and adding 1 cup of beef broth per pound of fully cooked and browned ground beef and cooking the broth all the way down into the meat until none is left.
If you cook it in thoroughly this will not be at all watery and it will be extraordinarily flavorful. If you go to the trouble and expense of buying more expensive, all natural beef that has a nice beef flavor already then you can skip this step.
Recommended Products
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1 pieceAmount Per Serving: Calories: 797Total Fat: 56gSaturated Fat: 25gUnsaturated Fat: 24gCholesterol: 295mgSodium: 1594mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 3gProtein: 61g
Carbs - Fiber = Net Carbs This dish contains 10 Net Carbs per serving.
psyllium whole husks or powder?
Whole psyllium husks is what my label says. It is ground up but not really powdery. I buy it by the pound from Now and Jay Rob has another type that people really love. Mine never turns a funny color. Thanks for helping me clarify I’ll try to add more info to the post soon! ?
Did I miss the oven temp? If I wanted to use all almond flour and exclude the psyllium would the total amount be 2 cups?
Hi Wanda! The oven is preheated to 350 degrees at the beginning of the cornbread recipe instructions, thanks for mentioning that it is unclear, I’ll get the baking time and preheating instructions together at the end too. Also, the total “flours” do equal to 2 cups if you want to just use almond flour. I made the subs to lighten up the fat content and make the recipe a little more weightloss friendly for our diet plan.
Wondering if the corn bread recipe of Brianna’s could be used here or would that make this a cross over?
This recipe is an S, Tanya so you may use any S or FP cornbread recipe with this meat filling.
How does do as leftovers warmed up
Hi Brenda! You know I think I may like this even better reheated the next day since the flavors just blend so well together, but it is great anytime. The crust for this is the basically the same as my low carb hot dog casserole and both are fantastic as leftovers.
This was fantastic!! I used THM baking blend in place of almond and psyllium, it was a little dry so I’ll cut the amount back next time.
Hi Val! I’m so glad you liked it. In the Chili Cheese Dog Pie I used basically the same topping as for the Tamale Pie, but I recently updated it and added THM’s Baking Blend to the almond flour and it is super moist and good! I have left the Tamale Pie unchanged to keep it NSI, but I will eventually edit the recipe to make both options available for both pies. If you haven’t tried the Chili Cheese Dog Pie yet, I highly recommend it! Thanks for stopping back in and letting me know you liked it!
This was delicious. I followed it exactly since my daughter is allergic to the coconut flour in THM blendand was eating with us. I was worried about the batter (I am new to low carb flours) Thanks for sharing. I think my Grandkids would like the corn dog casserole too.
Hi, Camie and thanks for letting us know it was a hit! Hope you get a chance to try the Cheesy Hot Dog Pie too, my 5 y/o granddaughter (a picky eater) loves it 🙂
How big of a can of rotel?
Hi Brandie 🙂 I’ve only ever seen one size can of rotel so I didn’t think to specify. I believe it is a 10 oz can.
Hi! Would this taste okay without the jalapeños in the crust? Thanks!
It sure will Dawn. Sometimes I use them and sometimes I don’t. 🙂
Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe. I made it for the very first time tonight and we all love it. Even my 3 year old daughter loves it and my 23 week old son in my tummy is kicking! Thanks so much!
Hi Emily! I’m thrilled to hear that you guys loved this one, it’s a favorite of ours too. <3
On the video I saw greek yogurt but it was not mentioned here. Was sour cream substituted? A bit confused.
Thanks, Karen, I’ve got it fixed now. 🙂
I made this last week. My husband and I both liked it so much! It is even better a day or two later. The topping really does remind me of cornbread! Thanks for this delicious recipe. I will definitely be making it again!
So glad to hear you guys enjoyed it, Emily! 🙂
I just made this with a few tweaks… I did 3lbs of meat and 1 1/2 the crust ingredients… I left out the broth and Worcestershire (used fresh bison and beef) and added an extra can of tomatoes, and some cumin. On the crust, I subbed the coconut flour for masa, in about the same proportion. Not sure if it makes it more a crossover, since it made such a large amount, but it was so delicious!!
Hi Katrina! That does sound yummy and I’m glad to hear it was a hit. Did you sub the masa 1:1 for the coconut flour? 🙂