Healthy Turkey Tamale Pie
Turkey Tamale Pie is a recipe my grandma from Northern California always prepared. It is not a traditional Californio recipe. It became popular when the recipe ran in a newspaper in the 1950s.
It has become a delicious one-pot meal that families and my personal chef clients love and enjoy.
If you prepare it in a large cast iron skillet you can bake it and immediately serve it on the table, family style, for even more ease.
Have fun with this recipe. Use fresh corn and tomatoes when in season. Make the black beans from scratch when you have the extra time. I like to stir in 2 large handfuls of spinach for extra greens, but this is optional.
Enjoy (in joy).
Cheers,
Chef Whitney Aronoff
INGREDIENTS FOR TURKEY TAMALE PIE
You will need the following ingredients to make this recipe. As always here at Starseed Kitchen, we recommended organic, local and seasonal ingredients as available.
For the filling:
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Ground turkey (not lean)
- Yellow onion
- Red or green bell pepper
- Garlic cloves
- Chili powder
- Ground cumin
- Sea salt
- Black beans
- Tomatoes
- Tomato sauce
- Green chiles
- Corn
- Spinach (optional)
- Cheddar cheese (organic and raw as available)
For the topping:
- Massa harina corn flour
- Maple crystals or date sugar (optional)
- Baking powder
- Sea salt
- Chicken bone broth
- Butter
- Egg
- Cheddar cheese (organic and raw as available)
NOTES FOR MEAL PREP
This recipe is great for meal prep and parties. Bake this recipe in a casserole baking dish, or in a extra large cast iron skillet. Serve it on the table for family style dining or on a buffet.
This recipe works great for meal prep. You can bake it all the way through, then portion it out in meal prep containers for the week ahead.
Alternatively, prepare the dish in advance and bake it the night you are ready to have it for dinner. For best results, remove the dish from the fridge 30 minutes to 1-hour before baking so all the ingredients come to room temperature and heat evenly.
Add avocado, cilantro and sliced radishes on the side for garnish.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH TURKEY TAMALE PIE
- Probiotic Sour Cream Corn Bread
- Seasoned Green Beans with 11 Magic Herbs & Spices
- California Chef’s Salad
- Heirloom Tomato & Summer Corn Salad
- Roasted Rainbow Carrots
CHEF TIPS
- Use fresh tomatoes when in season (instead of canned or jared).
- When you can, make the black beans from scratch. Soak them the night before you are planning to prepare this dish.
- Use organic and raw cheddar cheese as available. White cheddar and orange cheddar both work.
- Use this dish as an opportunity to get bone broth into your diet. Use the best bone broth you have access to, leaning towards fresh or brands found in the frozen section.
- Stir in a few handfuls of spinach, kale or chard for extra greens when preparing the base of this dish.
- Do not use lean ground turkey or else the dish will be dry. Look for ground turkey with the most fat possible. Dark ground turkey meat is ideal. Never choose the leanest turkey meat. Always reach for the highest fat content for flavor and satiation.
- When serving for dinner, added sliced avocado, chopped cilantro and thinly shaved radish to garnish.
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Healthy Turkey Tamale Pie
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Healthy and classic turkey tamale pie for family dinner and meal prep.
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 lb ground turkey (not lean)
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 red or green bell pepper, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 Tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1–1/2 cups black beans (or 1 15-oz can)
- 1–1/2 cups diced tomatoes (1 14.5 oz can)
- 8 oz plain tomato sauce (jar or can)
- 1 can diced green chilies (4 oz)
- 1 cup corn kernals
- 1–2 cups of spinach leaves (optional)
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, plus more for garnish
For the topping:
- 1 1/2 cups massa harina corn flour
- 1 Tbsp maple crystals or unrefined sugar (optional)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 2 cups chicken bone brown
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, plus more for garnish
- Avocado (optional)
- Cilantro (optional)
- Radishes, sliced (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Heat oil in a large skillet or pot over medium heat. Add turkey and onion. Cook for 3-4 minutes, breaking up the ground turkey and letting the onion become translucent.
- Add the bell pepper and garlic and sauté for 2-3 more minutes.
- Add the spices, chili powder, cumin and sea salt. Stir to combine.
- Add the beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce, chilis, and corn. Add optional fresh spinach. Stir to combine and cook till bubbling (and spinach is wilted).
- Taste for season. Add more sea salt and black pepper as desired. Turn off heat, set aside and make the masa corn topping.
- In a large mixing bowl combine the masa harina, sugar (optional), baking powder, sea salt. Whisk together to combine.
- Add the bone broth, melted butter and egg. Mix together to combine. If too stiff, add additional broth. Stir in 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese.
- Spread the cooked filling into a baking dish (or leave it in the large skillet that is oven friendly). Add the masa topping. Top in large dollops and gently spread into an even layer, leaving an edge around the dish so you can still see the filling below. Top with remaining cheddar cheese.
- Bake uncovered for 40-45 minutes, until the topping has nicely browned and fill-in is bubbling. Let cool for 5-10 minutes. Serve with avocado, cilantro and thinly sliced radishes to garnish.
Notes
- Don’t use lean ground turkey. Choose the highest fat content available.
- Choose organic ingredients.
- Use fresh tomatoes and fresh corn when in season.
- Top with avocado, cilantro and thinly sliced radishes to garnish.
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