Ground Beef Skillet Tamales

An easy weeknight dinner that tastes like you put way more effort into it. This gluten-free recipe takes delicious tamales that require a lot of time and effort and simplifies them into a fun and fast recipe.

4.75 from 8 votes

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Course: main dish

Cuisine: Mexican

Diet: Gluten Free

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 40

Total Time: 45

Servings: -6 servings

Calories: 645kcal

Author: Michelle

Ingredients

For the filling

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoons taco seasoning or seasoned salt, in a pinch
1/4 cup adobo sauce
3 medium tomatoes chopped
1/4 cup cilantro chopped
1 green onion sliced
1-2 cups frozen corn
1/2 cup chicken broth

For the masa

1 cup chicken broth heated to steaming
1 1/4 cups masa flour
1/3 cup lard
1-2 tablespoons adobo sauce
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 avocado or sour cream as desired

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
In a cast iron skillet, brown your beef, using a spoon to break it into small pieces as it cooks. Season the beef with the taco seasoning and cumin. While this is cooking, heat 1 cup of the chicken broth in a pot until it is steaming and set aside.
1 1/2 pounds ground beef, 1 teaspoon cumin, 2 teaspoons taco seasoning
As your meat browns, chop your tomatoes. Prep your cilantro by chopping it and your green onion by slicing it (the green and white parts) at the same time.
Once your meat has browned, drain it as needed. Add 1/2 cup of chicken broth (the part you didn't heat), tomatoes, and adobo sauce and stir. Reduce your heat to low, and prepare your masa dough.
1/4 cup adobo sauce, 3 medium tomatoes, 1/2 cup chicken broth
In a bowl, mix together the masa flour, salt, and baking powder. Pour in your hot broth and mix. Add the lard and adobo sauce, then beat until fluffy. Your masa should hold together when squeeze but still be fairly wet. Add more chicken broth if needed and stir again.
1 cup chicken broth, 1 1/4 cups masa flour, 1/3 cup lard, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1-2 tablespoons adobo sauce
Turn the heat off your meat filling and add the cilantro, green onion, and corn. Stir to combine, then add the masa. Scoop the masa onto your skillet in dollops. Using your fingers, carefully spread it out across the top and squeeze the gaps together carefully. It does not need to be perfect.
1/4 cup cilantro, 1 green onion, 1-2 cups frozen corn
Cover with tin foil so the mixture steams and bake for twenty minutes at 350 degrees. After 20 minutes, remove the foil and continue baking uncovered for another 10 minutes, until the masa is cooked through.
Remove and let cool for a few minutes before serving so that it sets up. Serve with avocado or sour cream, as desired.
1 avocado or sour cream

Equipment

Cast Iron Skillet

The Ringer - Cast Iron Cleaner

Bamboo Cutting Board

Notes

While I made this with ground beef, you could easily make it with shredded roasted or rotisserie chicken, as well. You may need to increase the amount of broth you use in the meat mixture then to keep it from drying out, but it would be yummy!
For more tips and tricks, be sure to read the full article above.

Nutrition

This site uses an online source to provide nutrition estimates as a courtesy. If you need exact values, please calculate yourself.