{recipe of the week} Vegetarian Tamale Pie

{photo courtesy of NetGlimpse}

I'm all about quick dinners, especially when they are filling and inexpensive!  I first stumbled upon a traditional Tamale Pie recipe (w/ ground beef) but since we have to limit our meat intake, I searched for a Vegetarian version.

I found this one on BlissTree and thought the "bones" sounded good, so I tweaked it to fit what I had on hand.

Vegetarian Tamale Pie
(as adapted from Bliss Tree)

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups cooked pinto beans
3 cups cooked black beans
1 16oz. package frozen corn kernels
1 yellow onion,  chopped
1 red bell pepper,  chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped fine
1/2 c. fresh cilantro,  chopped
1 14-15oz. can diced tomatoes w/ green chilies
1 tsp. cumin
1 TB chili powder
1-2 tsp. sea salt
2 cups grated Mexican Cheese blend
1 pkg. Jiffy cornbread mix, prepare batter as directed on box

NOTES:

• I bought organic dry beans and cooked all in the crockpot overnight. 
• I am quite certain you could make your own cornbread topping, but I was being efficient lazy. 

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Saute pepper, onion, garlic in about 1 TB olive oil until tender.  Remove from heat and add corn kernels, cooked beans, cilantro, tomatoes and seasonings. If mixture seems very dry add a little tomato juice or water. 
3. Spread evenly into 13×9 pan. 
4. Top with cheese.
5. Make cornbread batter and pour evenly over cheese layer.
6. Bake for 30-40 minutes until cornbread is golden brown.
7. Serve with avocado and plain Greek yogurt.