Easy Skillet Tamales

Recently I purchased some frozen tamales from Trader Joe's. I really liked them for lunch, they are quick and easy to prepare for a quick meal. However, I thought I would like to try making tamales myself. So I set out to find how tamales are made and what ingredients might be needed. Normally, tamales are steamed inside a corn husk to cook them, but the husks are thrown out because they are inedible. Plus it's a lot of work to shape and wrap the tamales to prepare them.

So I opted to try a one pot tamale dish instead. Essentially everything is prepared in a big Covered skillet or Dutch oven.

Here are the ingredients you'll need to make this dish
2 lbs lean ground beef
1 medium sweet onion, skinned and chopped finely
1 package of taco seasoning
1 TSP ground cumin
1 small can of chopped green chilies, undrained
1 28 OZ large can of tomato sauce or puréed tomatoes
1 large can dark red kidney beans, undrained
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
Sliced green onions (optional)

1-2 packages cornbread mix (plus eggs and milk as called for in the mix instructions). I used 2 boxes Jiffy brand cornbread mix plus two eggs and 2/3 cup of milk.)

Sauté the ground meat and onion on medium high until the meat is browned and no pink remains. Drain off all the fat from the meat. Return to the pan and add in the tomatoes, beans, taco seasoning, pepper, paprika, and chilies. Stir until well combined. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes on medium low heat.



Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mix the cornbread, eggs and milk and stir until large lumps disappear. Remove the lid from the meat mixture and add the cornbread to the top of the meat using a large spoon. Re-cover, adjust the heat to low and simmer for 18-20 minutes. Once the cornbread is done, add the grated Mexican cheese shreds. Re-cover and allow the cheese to melt (about 5 minutes more on low). Add sliced green onions if desired as you serve.

OMG! Look at that Cheese!

Makes 8-10 hearty servings.

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