Skinny Taco-Style Cornbread Casserole (Tamale Pie)

By CarolineNGa

Enjoy a skinny fiesta night with this easy, yummy casserole. You might have noticed that I love creating casseroles using corn bread or corn muffin mixes. They make all these casseroles foolproof. Here’s a skinny twist on a classic tamale pie and it has fantastic taco flavors. Each serving 322 calories, 8 grams of fat and 8 Weight Watchers POINTS PLUS.

Ingredients

• 1 pound extra lean ground beef or ground turkey, see shopping tips
• 1 (15 oz) can Mexican-style diced tomatoes
• 1 cup frozen whole kernel corn, thawed
• 1/2 cup reduced-fat cheese, divided
• 1 (8.5 oz) package Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup nonfat milk
• Ingredients for Topping: Optional
• Chopped tomatoes
• Nonfat plain Greek yogurt or fat-free sour cream
• Black olives, sliced

Preparation

Step 1

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9 x 9” pan with cooking spray.

2. In a large nonstick pan, brown the beef; drain off fat. Stir in undrained tomatoes and corn; heat completely. Transfer to the baking pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle with ¼ cup of cheese evenly over the top.

3. To make corn bread topping: In a medium bowl, combine corn muffin mix, egg and milk. Mix just until combined but do not over mix. Some lumps are okay. Using a rubber spatula, evenly spread over beef mixture. Sprinkle remaining ¼ cup cheese evenly over the top.

3. Bake, uncovered, 30 minutes or until topping is set. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing into 6 slices.

4. Optional: Top each slice with chopped tomatoes, a dollop of yogurt and a little olives, if desired.

5. This casserole freezes great!

Makes 6 servings Each serving 1 slice

Food Fact
Traditional Tamale Pie is made with ground beef, onion, peppers, tomatoes, corn, olives, cheese and has a cornmeal and cheese topping or crust.


Shopping Tip
Happily most supermarkets sell lean ground beef. I used the 96% lean ground beef from Trader Joe’s.


Weight Watchers (old points) 7
Weight Watchers POINTS PLUS 8

SKINNY FACTS: for 1 slice (not including optional toppings)
322 calories, 8g fat, 29mg chol, 22g protein, 40g carbs, 1g fiber, 571mg sod, 11g sugar
FAT FACTS: for 1 slice made with all full fat ingredients
506 calories, 27g fat, 125mg chol, 38g carbs, 30g prot., 2g fiber, 603mg sod, 8g sugar