This recipe is actually a combination of three different recipes, and I think it turned out pretty great. A keeper, in fact. A friend gave me a recipe for Southwestern Shepherd's Pie, which was something like shepherd's pie, but instead of potatoes on top, it called for sweet potatoes, and the meatless filling had black beans, corn, tomatoes, and the addition of cinnamon. I loved that recipe, but Tom didn't. He didn't like the cinnamon, specifically. So I'd been wanting to tweak that dish a bit, and then recently I saw a black bean sweet potato dish that looked good. So I was thinking of these two recipes and how to combine them. Then this week Tom requested tamale pie, which I have made only once before, and I'm not even sure what recipe I used. Which is a very long way of explaining that this is a rather unique combination, but oh, so good.
Southwestern Tamale Pie
1 large onion, diced
1 large bell pepper (any color), diced
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
salt and pepper, to taste
2 cans chopped tomatoes
1 cup corn
2 cups cooked black beans
1/4 cup chopped cilantro (if you like cilantro, be sure to include it!)
3 cups peeled, cubed, cooked sweet potatoes (I peeled and diced the sweet potatoes, then roasted them in the oven)
Your favorite cornbread recipe, prepared (I used a Betty Crocker recipe and added some corn to it; you can use a mix. Whatever you like.)
Heat a bit of water in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper; cook, stirring, for 10 minutes. Add garlic; cook for 2 minutes. Add tomato paste and spices; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes; simmer until liquid reduces, 15 minutes. Add corn, beans, cilantro and sweet potatoes. Mix together, then spoon into a 9X13 dish. Spread prepared cornbread over the bean/sweet potato mixture. Bake at 400 for 30 minutes.
This post is linked to:
Frugal Friday
Foodie Friday
