Baked Tamales with Black Beans

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• ½ cup chopped onion
• ½ cup chopped green bell pepper
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ pound ground chuck
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained
• 1 (8 ounce) jar pasilla chile cooking sauce (such as Herdez®)
• 1 cup canned diced tomatoes, drained
• Topping:
• 2 ½ cups water
• ½ cup cornmeal
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 ears corn, kernels cut from cob
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped (Optional)

Step 1

Gently heat your oven to 375°F (190°C). In a cast iron skillet, warm up some oil until it’s shimmering, then add the onion, green pepper, and a pinch of salt. Cook everything together, stirring occasionally, until the veggies are nice and soft—about 5 minutes. Next, toss in the ground chuck and garlic, cooking until the meat is browned. If there’s a lot of fat, you can drain some off. Stir in the black beans, chile cooking sauce, and tomatoes, and let it simmer until the sauce thickens a bit, around 5 minutes.

Step 2

Meanwhile, bring some water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Slowly whisk in the cornmeal and a little salt, cooking until the mixture gets thick and creamy, which should take about 2 minutes. Take it off the heat, then stir in the corn, Monterey Jack cheese, and jalapeño. Mix everything well, then spread this cheesy cornmeal topping evenly over the meat and bean mixture in your skillet or baking dish.

Step 3

Pop the whole thing into the oven and bake it until the top turns golden and the filling is bubbling—this usually takes about 45 minutes. Once it’s done, let it rest for 15 minutes before serving to let the flavors settle and make it easier to scoop. Enjoy!