Chipotle Tamale Pie - Ungirdled Recipe Of The Week!

If you're like me, you are always in search of an easy (UNGIRDLED), tasty, nutritious, and budget-friendly recipe. Well, here’s one!  It comes from Ingrid Hoffmann at Food Network (check out their helpful site.  (I have made it several times in the last couple of months and my family loves it.  Currently, this recipe has a five star rating out of 222 reviews on Food Network's site!)  Ingrid hosts FN's Simply Deliscioso – you gotta love that title, and when you watch, you can’t help but love Ingrid.  She is one cute tamale!  Here's her recipe with my suggestions based on my experiences making it:

Ingredients

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound, lean ground turkey (sometimes all I can find at my grocery are 20 oz. packages which I use just fine.)

1 medium yellow onion, chopped  (I used the frozen chopped onions you buy in bags to make it super easy)

1 green bell pepper, diced

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 (8-ounce) can diced tomatoes (I can’t find a can this small, so I use the regular size and drain it – works out well)

2 chipotle chiles, plus 1 teaspoon adobo sauce, from can chipotle in adobo  (You can find these in the Mexican foods aisle of the grocery in small cans.  My family likes things hot, but if you don’t, you might want to use ½ or 2/3 this amount until you discover how much heat is right for you.)

1 cup grated Cheddar  (I have used the Mexican cheese blend when that’s what I have on hand and it works well, too.)

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

1 (8.5-ounce) package cornbread mix (I always use Jiffy)

1 egg

1/3 cup milk

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Grease an 8-inch baking dish with the butter and set it aside.

Heat the olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the ground turkey, the onions, green peppers, and garlic and cook until the turkey is no longer pink and is cooked through, about 8 minutes. Drain off any excess fat and sprinkle the meat mixture with the cumin.

Add the beans, tomatoes, chiles and adobo sauce to the skillet and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until heated through and slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove pan from the heat and stir in the cheese and cilantro.

Spread the turkey mixture in the prepared baking dish, pressing down on it with the back of a spoon to make an even, compact layer.

Combine the cornbread mix with milk and egg. Spread the cornbread batter over the turkey mixture and bake until the cornbread is golden-brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Let the tamale pie stand for 5 minutes before cutting into squares and serving.

I like to top this with a dollop of sour cream – adds a cooling taste and texture - and serve with a salad of crisp romaine, corn, avocado, black beans, chopped tomato and onion with ranch dressing.  Enjoy!!

Prep Time:  20 min

Cook Time: 40 min

Difficulty Level:  UNGIRDLED!

Serves:  Ingrid says 8, but if you have any teenage-type boys in you house , you're gonna need a margarita or two with this and you need to know this won't feed 8 of those type of creatures, I mean people.  our family of four (including two of the aforementioned teenagers) leaves no more than two servings of this yummy stuff which makes for a wonderful lunch the next day.