When it comes to vegetarian dinners, various combinations of beans, tomatoes, peppers, and cheese never seem to get old in our house! We’ve recently upped our game and started trying to cook dried beans. While it requires a little advanced planning, we found the sacrifice is worth the flavor. Why we love this recipe: We love these vegetarian tamale pies as a new way to experience Latin flavors outside of a quesadilla. They might be one of my favorite Mexican-inspired recipes we’ve made yet, especially since they come in their own personal dish. If you don’t have au gratin dishes, any small oven safe dish will do. This vegetarian tamale pie recipe is very easy to throw together if you use prepared polenta and canned beans, but it’s just as fun to make your own from “scratch” – and tastes better too! It’s a great option for dinner guests that’s impressive, but not too labor intensive.
What is a tamale?
Making traditional tamales requires a lot of time and effort, but the end product is spectacular. Essentially, a tamale is masa (corn dough) that’s been filled with meat, cheese, and/or vegetables, wrapped in a corn husk, and steamed. The filling typically features salsa or mole, which is a Mexican sauce that’s usually made with peppers and cinnamon. Once the corn husk is removed, it’s eaten plain or with salsa.
Tips for making vegetarian tamale pies
We’ve obviously taken quite a few liberties with these vegetarian tamale pies. Polenta has been used in place of the masa, and we’ve packed the polenta on the bottom of au gratin dishes to act as the crust for this recipe. Store-bought salsa and canned pinto beans cut down on the prep time for this recipe, as does pre-shredded cheese.
More vegetarian Mexican inspired recipes
Here are a few more vegetarian Mexican recipes you might enjoy:
Black Bean Tortilla Soup Chickpea Tacos, Easy Mushroom Tacos, Sheet Pan Sweet Potato Tacos, Easy Black Bean Tacos or Easy Tofu Tacos Black Bean and Corn Salsa Tex-Mex Migas Ultimate Nachos
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