Name: Vegetarian Tamale Pies
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 6 au gratin or small oven proof dishes (or one 9 x 9 baking dish); 1 cup cornmeal for polenta (or prepared polenta, about two 18 ounce tubes); 3 cups pinto beans, cooked (or canned); 1 cup frozen corn; 1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes; 1 1/2 cups salsa; 2 teaspoons cumin; 1/4 teaspoon cayenne; 1 teaspoon dried oregano; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/2 cup chopped cilantro; 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend (or a mix of Monterrey jack and cheddar); Sour cream to serve

This vegetarian tamale pie recipe is easy to throw together if you use prepared polenta and canned beans. Top with sour cream and enjoy!

Vegetarian Tamale Pie

Mexican is quickly becoming one of our favorite styles for cooking. Somehow various combinations of beans, tomatoes, peppers, and cheese never seem to get old! We’ve recently upped our game and started trying to cook dried beans. While it requires a little advanced planning (the gene for which we both naturally lack), we found the sacrifice is worth the taste. We loved these vegetarian tamale pies as a new way to experience Latin flavors outside of a quesadilla. They might be one of my favorite Mexican-inspired recipes we’ve made yet, especially since they come in their own personal dish (if you don’t have au gratin dishes, any small oven safe dish will do).

This vegetarian tamale pie recipe is very easy to throw together if you use prepared polenta and canned beans, but it’s just as fun to make your own from “scratch” – and tastes better too! It’s a great option for dinner guests that’s impressive, but not too labor intensive.

What is a tamale?

Making traditional tamales requires a lot of time and effort, but the end product is spectacular. Essentially, a tamale is masa (corn dough) that’s been filled with meat, cheese, and/or vegetables, wrapped in a corn husk, and steamed. The filling typically features salsa or mole, which is a Mexican sauce that’s usually made with peppers and cinnamon. To eat a tamale, you should first remove the corn husk. Then, top it with salsa or enjoy it as is!

We’ve obviously taken quite a few liberties with these vegetarian tamale pies. Polenta has been used in place of the masa, and we’ve packed the polenta on the bottom of au gratin dishes to act as the crust for this recipe. Store-bought salsa and canned pinto beans cut down on the prep time for this recipe, as does pre-shredded cheese.

These vegetarian tamale pies are best eaten right away, but they keep nicely in the fridge for up to three days. If you keep the pies in the au gratin dishes, you can reheat the leftovers easily in the oven. Otherwise a few minutes in the microwave will do the trick. Sprinkle the leftovers with fresh cilantro and a dollop of sour cream to add some life back into the dish.

Looking for more vegetarian Mexican recipes?

Looking for savory pie recipes?

This vegetarian tamale pies is one of our fan favorite recipes. If you’re looking for some more savory pie recipes, here are a few on our website and around the web:

This recipe is…

Vegetarian and gluten-free.