Easy Cheesy Tamale Casserole Recipe

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Turn pre-made tamales into a cheesy casserole you can share with your family in less than 60 minutes. Yum yum! Cheesy tamale casserole.

A Cheesy Tamale Casserole Ready To Serve In 60 Minutes Or Less!

This recipe will show you how to take pre-made tamales and turn them into a cheesy casserole you can share with your family in less than 60 minutes. Yum yum! Cheesy tamale casserole.

This recipe calls for pre-made tamales so you could buy fresh authentic pork tamales or frozen tamales thawed. Since I haven’t conquered a recipe for homemade tamales yet I buy fresh authentic made pork tamales. Oh wait! YEAH! I NOW have a recipe on how to make pork tamales. So, if you want to make your own tamales, which I hope you do someday, you can find my recipe for Pork Tamales with Red Chile Sauce here.

If you aren’t making homemade tamales you can use frozen tamales. And if you can’t find any tamales at a store near you try getting them on-line here. I do not recommend using canned tamales as for one thing they will be way too soft and another it will probably make tamale soup. Even though I’ve never tried it I just don’t recommend it. At least not for this dish.

Ingredients:

12 premade tamales – Pork, Beef or Chicken
3 Tablespoons chili powder
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
32 ounce beef stock (or 4 cups)
6 ounce tomato paste
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 cups freshly grated cheese (I use Colby Jack)
1/4 cup chopped green onions
2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro (give or take more or less)
Cotija cheese crumbles for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Tamale sauce:

In a medium pot fully combine chili powder, vegetable oil and flour and whisk until smooth over medium heat. Add beef stock, tomato paste and spices and continue stirring over medium heat for about 10 minutes.

Easy Cheesy Tamale Casserole Recipe - Jett's Kitchen (2)

Making the Casserole:

Place about 1 cup of the tamale sauce in a 9×13 baking pan. I use this baking pan as I like that is has easy grab handles. Remove corn husks from tamales and discard. Place tamales in the baking pan. I ended up using eleven tamales and saved the last one for a snack by itself. Wink Wink.

Easy Cheesy Tamale Casserole Recipe - Jett's Kitchen (3)

Pour remaining sauce on top of tamales. It may look like too much sauce but it will be just perfect!

Easy Cheesy Tamale Casserole Recipe - Jett's Kitchen (4)

Bake:

Bake for 35 minutes or until cheese has completely melted. Carefully remove from the oven and serve immediately. Sprinkle with cotija cheese if desired.

Easy Cheesy Tamale Casserole Recipe - Jett's Kitchen (6)

I AM EXCITED YOU ARE VIEWING JETT’S RECIPE FOR TAMALE CASSEROLE AND WOULD LOVE TO HEAR HOW YOURS TURNS OUT SHOULD YOU DECIDE TO MAKE IT!

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Easy Cheesy Tamale Casserole Recipe - Jett's Kitchen (7)

PRODUCTS USED FOR THIS RECIPE

5 from 1 vote

Easy Cheesy Tamale Casserole

This recipe will show you how to take tamales and turn them into a cheesy casserole you can share with your family in less than 60 minutes. Yum yum! Cheesy tamale casserole.

CourseMain Course

CuisineMexican

Keyword60 minute meal, casserole, mexican food, tamale

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings 6 people

Author jettskitchen.com

Ingredients

12premadetamalesPork, Beef or Chicken
3Tablespoonschili powder
1/4cupvegetable oil
1/4 cupall-purpose flour
32ouncebeef stock(or 4 cups)
6ouncetomato paste
2teaspoonsground cumin
1/2teaspoonsalt
2teaspoonsdried oregano
1teaspoongarlic powder
1teaspoononion powder
1/4teaspooncayenne pepper
4cupsfreshly grated cheese(I use Colby Jack)
1/4cupchopped green onions
2Tablespoonschopped cilantro(give or take more or less)
Cotija cheese crumbles for garnish(optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Tamale sauce:
In a medium pot fully combine chili powder, vegetable oil and flour and whisk until smooth over medium heat. Add beef stock, tomato paste and spices and continue stirring over medium heat for about 10 minutes.
Making the Casserole:
Place about 1 cup of the tamale sauce in a 9×13 baking pan. I use thisbaking panas I like that is has easy grab handles. Remove corn husks from tamales and discard. Place tamales in the baking pan. I ended up using eleven tamales and saved the last one for a snack by itself. Wink Wink.
Pour remaining sauce on top of tamales. It may look like too much sauce but it will be just perfect! Cover evenly with freshly grated cheese and sprinkle with green onions and cilantro.
Bake:
Bake for 35 minutes or until cheese has completely melted. Carefully remove from the oven and serve immediately. Sprinkle with cotija cheese if desired. Refrigerate any leftovers.

Easy Cheesy Tamale Casserole Recipe - Jett's Kitchen (2024)

FAQs

How to serve homemade tamales? ›

You can serve tamales with a variety of sides such as fried plantains, potatoes with rajas, Mexican rice and black beans. “When planning a tamalada, or tamal party, you can accompany your tamales with bowls of red and green salsa, crumbled cotija cheese or queso fresco, fresh lime and pickled red onion,” Sibley says.

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How to make store bought tamales? ›

Steaming/Stove top

Remove tamales from bag and place them on steamer pot facing up. Add 2-3 inches of water to pot, make sure water does not touch tamales. For better results, cover pot with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and lid. Cook on medium low heat.

Find Out More ›

How many tamales per person? ›

Estimate how many guests will come to your party and for the main meal, calculate between 2 and 3 tamales per person if you're serving them by themselves except for a frothy hot chocolate, champurrado or an agua fresca. For dessert, consider 1 or 2 per person.

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Can you make tamales in the oven? ›

Absolutely! While steaming is the traditional method for cooking tamales, baking them can be a viable alternative. To bake tamales, simply arrange them on a greased baking dish, cover them with foil, and bake at a moderate temperature until they are heated through and the masa dough is cooked.

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What makes tamales so good? ›

However, the corn husk exterior isn't what makes tamales so delicious. Instead, the warm, savory filling of well-seasoned meat and vegetables baked in a starchy dough coating makes this meal genuinely satisfying. In fact, the corn husk is either eaten around or removed entirely to enjoy a tamale properly.

Read The Full Story ›

How are tamales traditionally served? ›

Tamales are wrapped and cooked in corn husks or banana leaves, but they are removed from the husks before eating. Try them served with pico de gallo on top and a side of guacamole and rice.

How do you heat and serve tamales? ›

The gold standard of reheating tamales, steaming helps the Mexican delicacies retain their original flavor and texture. Fill your steamer with water and turn the heat to medium. Keep your tamales in their husks and steam for 15 to 20 minutes, adding an extra 10 minutes if starting from frozen.

Learn More ›

How are tamales traditionally eaten? ›

Simply peel back one end of the wrapper (typically a corn husk or plantain leaf) and start munching. Once you're done, toss the wrapper in the trash and continue going about your day. Tamales were originally meant to be eaten as a handheld food, the way you might nibble a sandwich or bagel wrapped in deli paper.