“Beef” Tamale Casserole

Here we are faced with another Monday again. Mondays always seem extra hard after you’ve had a great weekend. Something that always seems to make my Mondays a little better is knowing that I’ll be having something good for dinner, like this “Beef” Tamale Casserole.

You may be wondering why I put beef in parenthesis. Well that’s because what I used to make this delicious casserole isn’t really ground beef at all. Nope, it’s this great new product called BeyondMeat. Don’t turn up your noses guys, this stuff is seriously good and it’s almost impossible to taste the difference between it and real ground beef.

When it comes to meat alternatives it’s not something I usually go out of my way to eat, but after doing my research on BeyondMeat’s products I was quite impressed. For starters, BeyondMeat is soy free, gluten free, and kosher. This was a big bonus to me because my husband tends to have issues with meat alternatives that are soy based. BeyondMeat is actually made from 100% non-GMO pea protein! Shockingly, it contains 10 grams of protein per serving which is the same as ground beef.

Another bonus is that it doesn’t contain any cholesterol, saturated fat, or trans fat, all good things. BeyondMeat is so good that even Bill Gates, Biz Stone, and Evan Williams (co-founders of Twitter) have invested in their product, now you know it must be legit! Have I convinced you yet? Still wavering?

Well how about this, it was featured on The Today Show where they did blind taste tests, as well as in the NY Times. After seeing The Today Show hosts struggle to tell the difference between BeyondMeat and real beef,  I decided to test it out on my husband, the ULTIMATE meat eater.

I based this “Beef” Tamale Casserole after my chicken tamale casserole and simply replaced the shredded chicken with the BeyondMeat Feisty Beef Crumbles. The Feisty version is seasoned with a zesty blend that is perfect for tacos, chili, and of course this “Beef” Tamale Casserole. In case you aren’t in the mood for Mexican food, they also have a Beefy version of the crumbles that is perfect for adding on to pizza or into spaghetti sauce.

Back to the casserole. It starts with a layer of homemade cornbread filled with green chiles, corn, green onion, and cheese. You bake the cornbread layer for about 15 minutes and in the meantime simply pour the defrosted BeyondMeat Feisty beef crumbles into a bowl with a cup of red enchilada sauce and a 1/2 cup of rinsed black beans. Once the cornbread is baked, remove it from the oven and top it with the “beef” mixture and cheese. Bake it for another 15 minutes and that’s all there is to it!

What you end up with is the most deliciously flavored Mexican casserole. The flavorful cornbread on the bottom goes perfect with the BeyondMeat crumbles, enchilada sauce, and cheese. My husband had no clue that what he was eating was actually vegetarian, he was completely fooled and thought it was ground beef (I always get a little joy out of tricking him)!

BeyondMeat is offering a great giveaway to get the word out about their awesome products. EVERYONE who enters will receive a FREE BeyondMeat Coupon! 5 people will get Beyond Meat SWAG kits that include t-shirts, hats and coupons for Beyond Meat, and 1 Person will get a SWAG kit plus a $100 gift card to a Beyond Meat Retail Partner of their choosing. So, what are you waiting for? Enter the giveaway and go grab a bag or two of these amazing BeyondMeat beef crumbles at your nearest store and make this “Beef” Tamale Casserole for dinner tonight! It’s sure to become a meatless Monday favorite at your house! 

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Yield: 8 servings

“Beef” Tamale Casserole #BeyondMeat

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A delicious Mexican "beef" casserole that is sure to satisfy both vegetarians and meat-eaters !

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

For the Cornbread

• 2/3 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 T. granulated sugar
• 1 T. baking powder
• 1 t. cumin
• 1/2 t. chili powder
• 1/4 t. kosher salt
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 1 egg white
• 4 ounce can of diced green chiles
• 1 cup frozen corn, defrosted
• 1 green onion, diced
• 1/4 cup cheddar cheese

For the Beef Topping

• 1 package (11 oz) BeyondMeat Feisty Beef-free Crumbles
• 1 cup red enchilada sauce
• 1/2 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup monterey jack/cheddar cheese blend

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.
3. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, cumin, chili powder, and salt.
4. In a smaller bowl whisk together the milk and egg white.
5. Add the milk and egg to the dry ingredients along with the green chiles, corn, green onion, and cheese.
6. Fold the ingredients together until combined.
7. Pour the cornbread mixture into the greased 9x13 pan and bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
8. While the cornbread is baking combine the BeyondMeat crumbles, black beans, and enchilada sauce.
9. Remove the cornbread from the oven and pour the BeyondMeat mixture over the top, then sprinkle the 1/2 cup of cheese on top.
10. Place the casserole back in the oven and bake another 12-15 minutes.
11. Cut the casserole into 8 portions and serve.

This post was sponsored by BeyondMeat. While I was compensated to write this post, all opinions are my own.