Gluten-free Tamale Pie (grain-free)

Gluten-free tamale pie has all the bold flavors of a delicious, warm chili mixed with soft, flavorful cornbread! I had never heard of this pie until I was looking for new meal pies to try. As soon as I saw what was in a tamale pie, I knew I had to make a gluten-free version. It seemed like the perfect modern pioneer pie recipe! Chili mixed with cornbread, could a pie get any better!? Not to mention this tamale pie is made with wholesome ingredients and is a great quick dinner option that covers all your bases right in one dish!

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Modern Pioneer Recipe

Despite the fact that I consider this a modern pioneer recipe, it is pretty close to a heritage pioneer recipe! Honestly, if I knew the early pioneers made taco seasoning, I would totally be calling this pie a pioneer recipe. From the homemade ‘cornbread’ to the home-harvested ground venison, this pie is perfect for modern pioneers!

Considering I had never heard of tamale pie until I stumbled across a recipe for one, I had a lot to learn when making this recipe into a modern pioneer pie meal.

From what I have gathered (and tamale lover’s, correct me if I’m wrong), tamale pie is a southern dish that consists of a chili base, lots of cheese, and is topped with cornbread. While I’m not southern, I still thought this meal sounded delicious!

It was also a fairly easy recipe to convert to gluten-free and even grain-free! The only hard part about making a gluten-free and grain-free tamale pie was creating the enchilada sauce, finding a dairy-free cheese option, and making the cornbread…. without corn.

Nevertheless, it has been done! And I think this pie turned out perfectly! It is perfect for low-inflammation diets and makes an amazing homestead dinner. The leftovers can easily be packed for lunch too!

This tamale pie is….

• gluten-free
• grain-free
• tree nut free
• dairy-free
• corn free
• soy free
• sugar free
• low inflammation

Recipe Conversion Notes

Enchilada Sauce:

Making a homemade, healthier enchilada sauce was actually easier to create than I first thought. For this tamale pie, I didn’t follow an actual enchilada sauce recipe. I mostly just combined the main flavorful components of a sauce into the pie. That included various spices, herbs, vegetables, and tomatoes. Having never had a traditional tamale pie before, I am not able to give an adequate comparison. However, I think this tamale pie has the most wonderful bold flavor that literally makes my mouth water just thinking about it!

Dairy-free Cheese:

The dairy-free cheese wasn’t too much of an issue thanks to the numerous dairy-free cheese brands I have tried over the years! Daiya brand makes dairy-free cheese shreds that are also nut free, however, some of their ingredients are not the healthiest. I also love using Miyoko’s dairy-free cheeses that are made with oat milk and Earth Grown Vegan cheese that I find at Aldi. Using dairy-free cheese does provide a little stronger of a cheesy taste, but I don’t mind the extra flavor that it adds to the pie.

You may also consider using some homemade dairy-free cheese sauce instead of store-bought cheese shreds! Check out my cheese sauce recipe in this dairy-free mac’n’cheese recipe!

Cornbread:

Lastly, I had to convert the traditional cornbread to corn-less ‘cornbread’. You may say, “What’s cornbread without the corn!?”, but I think you will be pleasantly surprised with the corn free ‘cornbread’ recipe that I created. I’ll admit, I was very surprised myself when I tasted my ‘cornbread’. Before I went on a low-inflammation diet my mom would make cornbread and cornmeal muffins that were to die for! I loved cornbread! Then we realized that both my sister and I had a sensitivity to corn, so that meant no more corn products, which was really rough!

I have since learned to live without corn and actually don’t mind it all! Whenever I see corn in an ingredient label, I just put the product back on the shelf and look for an alternative (or make my own!). For years I had stalled on trying to make a grain-free, corn free, and tree nut free cornbread. All the recipes I saw called for lots of coconut flour, and I am not a huge fan of coconut flour.

Finally, I decided I was just going to give it a try and see how it turned out. I was shocked by the results! The taste was not overwhelmingly coconut flavored, and it actually resembled real cornbread! Since then, I have made this ‘cornbread’ recipe several times and have even turned it into cornmeal muffins!

Ingredient Guide

The ingredients in a traditional tamale pie were already pretty healthy, so I just had to make a few adaptions to this gluten-free tamale pie version. In case you are wondering about the ingredients, here is a little guide to some of the ingredients in this pie:

• Venison– I used ground venison for two reasons 1.) We have a lot of it in our freezer! 2.) Venison is my favorite meat! However, you can feel free to use whatever ground meat you prefer or even combine different meats for a blend of flavors!
• Onion- I have seen recipes where they use shallots instead of onions, I just used an onion because that was what I had on hand at the time! You can even use onion powder instead if you don’t have an onion stocked in your pantry.
• Garlic- Garlic is a must in this recipe! It adds flavor to the meat and provides great health benefits! If you don’t have fresh garlic on hand, at least add a teaspoon of garlic powder to the meat.
• Bell Pepper- I tend not to use a lot of peppers in my recipes because they are expensive and my family has varying preferences for what color peppers they like. I used a bell pepper in my pie but you can feel free to experiment with whatever peppers are your favorite! I have even made the pie without adding any peppers and couldn’t tell the difference.
• Salsa– The salsa provides the tomatoes (and extra peppers and onion) in this recipe. It adds great flavor and moisture to the pie. I didn’t use a lot in the pie because tomatoes can actually cause inflammation when they are consumed in large quantities.
• Dairy-free Cheese- I have used Daiya cheese shreds and Earth Grown Vegan cheddar shreds in this tamale pie recipe because they are my favorite dairy-free cheese alternatives. You can use your favorite cheese alternative instead or even use mashed butternut squash mixed with nutritional yeast to mimic cheese!

Recipe Tips

I found this tamale pie to be a fairly straight forward recipe to make. It is quick, easy, simple, and healthy! How could a meal get any better?! Afterwards, there is only one dish to clean up because this pie contains everything needed for a well-rounded meal (meat, vegetables, and a healthier carb)! Despite being a simple dinner option, I do have a few tips for you if you are making this tamale pie for the first time.

• If you are using a meat that is high in fat, drain the excess fat from the meat before adding the spices, pepper, and salsa. The meat does need a little fat to keep it moist, but too much fat could make it unhealthy and too moist.
• Sautéing the onions before adding the meat will help caramelize them and add an amazing, subtle flavor to the pie.
• Simmering the chili until it is thick is important. That will help the pie stay together when it is scooped out to be served.
• Adding the tapioca flour to the chili helps the mixture thicken and keeps the pie together. You can also use arrowroot flour instead.
• You can easily bake this pie up ahead of time and store it in the fridge until you are ready to serve it. It is good cold, but you can re-heat it in the oven at a low temperature as well.

Want to check out some more simple pie-based meal ideas? Make sure you try my dairy-free mac’n’cheese pie or this amazing cheesy ham quiche!

Gluten-free tamale pie is an amazing dinner that is simple, healthy, and packed with flavor! I love the combination of spicy chili mixed with the homemade ‘cornbread’. It truly is a southern meal, but it can easily be enjoyed in any part of the country! I think it is a perfect meal served by itself, but if you want to serve a side-dish with it, consider small salads or canned vegetables as a nice accompaniment.

Where to Find the Ingredients

• Organic chili powder
• Organic cumin
• Simply Organic cayenne pepper
• Smoked paprika
• Nutiva coconut flour
• Bob’s Red Mill tapioca flour
• Hain Pure Foods baking powder
• Pacific coconut milk beverage
• Supplies: 10″ cast iron skillet, 9″ glass pie plate, stainless steel spatula

Gluten-free tamale pie is loaded with nutritious ingredients and is made to be allergy friendly! It is the perfect modern pioneer meal to add to your menu! Venison is a lean meat that provides a great source of protein. The spices and herbs lend great flavor and health benefits. Bell peppers and salsa add some veggies to the mix to make a well-rounded meal. The cheese is dairy-free to help reduce inflammation and the cornbread is corn free! I think you will thoroughly enjoy making and eating this delicious tamale pie!

For more simple, healthy meal options, make sure you join our modern pioneer newsletter community! We love sharing recipes and tips for living a sustainable and self-sufficient lifestyle!

by Alexa