Here’s a delicious recipe to get your casserole skills dialed in. It’s comfort food with all the rich flavors of tamales and none of the time-intensive assembly which some folks find to be a pain in the culo.
Ingredients
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 Tbsp olive oil, plus more for greasing baking dish
- 1 small white onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 1 ½ cups corn kernels
- 1 4-oz can diced mild green chilies
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 1 ½ Tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- ½ tsp coriander
- ½ tsp garlic granules
- ½ tsp onion granules
- ½ tsp dried Mexican oregano
- ½ tsp smoked paprika or chipotle chili powder – depending on how much spice you want
- 1 ½ cups shredded Monterey jack cheese, divided (about 6 oz)
- 2 cups masa harina
- 2 Tbsp Better Than Bouillon – any flavor ok
- 1 cup vegetable shortening
- 2 cups water, plus a little more as needed
- 1 ¼ tsp kosher salt
- 1 ¼ tsp baking powder
- Optional garnishes: Sour cream, chopped fresh cilantro, pico de gallo, diced avocado
Directions
- Heat 2 cups water until warm to the touch. Stir in Better Than Bouillon until dissolved. In a large mixing bowl, combine with masa harina and stir until thoroughly incorporated.
- In a stand mixer or using a spatula and another mixing bowl, add vegetable shortening, salt and baking powder. Beat until lightly whipped.
- Add ¼ of the rehydrated masa at a time to the vegetable shortening, beating/stirring between additions until fully incorporated. Add ¾ cup cheese and combine thoroughly. The masa should be soft and spreadable. Cover masa with plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour.
- While masa rests, in a skillet over medium heat, add olive oil and let warm to shimmering. Crumble beef into oil, stirring occasionally and breaking up beef as you go. Cook until browned and cooked through. Drain fat from beef, reserving 1 Tbsp fat. Transfer drained beef to a bowl and set aside.
- Return saucepan with 1 Tbsp fat to heat, add onion and sauté about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Reduce heat slightly and stir in cooked ground beef, tomato paste and sauce, corn kernels, diced green chilis, chili powder, cumin, coriander, garlic and onion granules, Mexican oregano and smoked paprika or chipotle chili powder. Stir well and let simmer gently about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and fold in ¾ cup cheese.
- Remove masa from refrigerator and put back in mixing bowl. Re-whip masa and add a little more water until soft, like thick hummus that you can spread with a spatula.
- With oven rack in center position, heat oven to 375° and grease a 2 ½-quart baking dish (about 10 ½ x 7 ½ inches).
- Spread beef mixture in baking dish in an even layer. Dollop masa mixture over beef and spread to the edges so filling is completely covered.
- Bake 35-45 minutes, or until top is golden brown and toothpick inserted in the center of masa layer comes out clean.
- Serve immediately with garnishes.