Tamale Pie

I love it when Bart cooks! He always makes incredibly delicious meals—like this one. We enjoyed it with a lettuce salad. You can serve the pie with sour cream and/or salsa if desired.

Recipe from The Best Skillet Recipes.

Filling:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, minced
2 tablespoons chili powder
Salt
2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
1 pound 90% lean ground beef
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
4 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded (1 cup)
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro leaves
Ground black pepper

Corn Bread Topping:
¾ cup (3 ¾ ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
¾ cup (3 ¾ ounces) yellow cornmeal
3 tablespoons sugar
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon salt
¾ cup buttermilk
1 large egg
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

For the filling: Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 450°F. Heat the oil in a 12-inch ovenproof skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion, chili powder, and ½ teaspoon salt and cook until the onion is softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until gragrant, about 30 seconds.

Stir in the ground beef, beans, and tomatoes and bring to a simmer, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, about 5 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the cheddar and cilantro and season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside while preparing the topping.

For the cornbread topping: Whisk the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk and egg together. Stir the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture until uniform, then stir in the butter until just combined.

Smooth the filling into an even layer in the skillet. Dollop the corn bread topping evenly over the filling, then spread it into an even layer, covering the filling completely. Bake the pie until the topping is golden and has baked through completely in the center, 15 to 20 minutes (check early—ours was done at 12 minutes). Let the pie cool for 10 minutes before serving.