Tamale Pie Burritos? Yes! Flavorful ground beef wrapped in a warm flour tortilla with creamy polenta is a great new twist to this Retro Recipe favorite. If you are looking for an “out of the box” dinner idea, this Burrito Recipe is for you!
Sometimes, you just need to try something different for dinner. You just do. But, if your family and friends are anything like mine, you may not want to stray too far from everyone’s favorite Southwest flavors.
BURRITOS! are the answer. We wrap everything in a tortilla around here and make new and exciting burrito recipes all the time.
Tamale Pie Burritos are one of our favorite creations. I took the quick and easy ground beef burrito and mixed it up with the flavors of classic tamales and turned them into one of our favorite weeknight meals.
My kids loves the burritos because they are individual servings that we often “take on the road” with us to picnics or the ball park. I love them because they make it so easy to have tamale flavor any day of the week.
PLUS they are easy to wrap in foil and reheat later which is great for leftovers or keeping dinner warm if someone is coming home late for dinner.
Pack Tamale Pie Burritos with extra veggies
Tips for Adding Vegetables to Tamale Pie Burritos
- Add vegetables like grated carrot, butternut squash or even grated broccoli stems and cauliflower when you saute the onions and ground beef.
- If your kids are not into lots of veggies, grate the vegetables so that they are very small pieces and be sure to saute them until very, very soft.
- For root vegetables and other crunchy vegetables, add them to the pan before you add the onion and garlic so that they will have a head start cooking.
- Add some vegetable puree to the corn polenta. Be sure to add it a little at a time so that the polenta does not get too runny for the burritos.
Our BURRITOS Cookbook is filled with fun and interesting ways to “spice up” your average burrito.
You will find the Tamale Pie Burrito recipe along with recipe for burritos filled with shrimp and seafood, vegetarian and vegan fillings and even Chinese food favorites like Mongolian Beef Burritos.
Of course, there plenty of recipes for classic Southwest burritos, as well.
You can order the BURRITOS! Cookbook on Amazon, Barnes and Nobel and from many other online book sellers
Do you have a favorite recipe that you you think would be terrific in a burrito?
I’d love to hear about your ideas. Please leave a comment here on the Everyday Southwest OR you can always find me on Everyday Southwest’s Facebook Page and leave a comment there.
See you soon!
—Sandy
Tamale Pie Burritos
Tamale Pie Burritos are a new way to serve this Retro Recipe favorite! Flavorful ground beef wrapped in warm flour tortillas with creamy corn polenta make a great weeknight meal or lunch "on the go."
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 16 ounces lean ground beef
- 8 ounces ground pork
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 ⁄2 onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 6-ounce can tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons cayenne pepper sauce
- 1 cup fresh or frozen corn
- 1 ⁄2 cup sliced black olives
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup coarse cornmeal
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 4 to 6 12-inch flour tortillas, warmed
- 2 ounces Monterey Jack cheese grated
Instructions
- Warm oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef, pork, paprika, and cumin. Cook, breaking up meat into small pieces, until lightly browned, 3–5 minutes. Add onion and garlic and cook, another 2 minutes.
- Stir into skillet tomatoes, tomato paste, and cayenne pepper sauce. Reduce heat to low and simmer until most of liquid has evaporated, about 20 minutes. Add corn and olives and cook another 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper.
- Meanwhile, bring broth to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat. Slowly whisk in cornmeal. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring frequently, about 20 minutes. Stir in butter. Add salt and pepper.
- Assemble burritos by spooning about 1⁄4 cup of cornmeal mixture on tortillas. Add skillet mixture and sprinkle on cheese. Roll burritos as desired.
Recipe Notes
Try topping this burrito with Enchilada Sauce and grated cheese or Tomatillo Cream Sauce for a fresh tart touch. Makes 4 to 6 burritos
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Sandy is a former elementary educator whose love for cooking has gone out of control. She has completed a degree in culinary arts and is now a food writer, photographer, cookbook author and co-creator of the popular website Everyday Southwest. 
This is such a unique idea! I love tamales but have never been brave enough to make them.
This is wonderful! My sis was just telling me to make tamales but in a “deconstructed” way. I’ll be sharing this with her!