Is anyone else out there a fan of Amy’s products? I have a special place in my heart for their Mexican Tamale Pie and their Shepherd’s Pie.
They are both delicious, not too high in calories, and have an amazing ingredient list. I love to have them with a salad for lunch. However, I rarely see these products for less than $4 a pop and for some reason spending more than $4 on a frozen meal seems too much. I also have the same $4 threshold for cereal. Don’t ask me where that came from.
Today I decided to check out the ingredient list for the Mexican Tamale Pie. Upon seeing that I recognized all the ingredients, I decided to try to make a 4 serving version of the dish. This is vegan and gluten-free.
Mexican Tamale Pie (aka Amy’s Copycat Pie)
Ingredients (for 4 small servings or 2 large servings):
- 1 cup of Pinto Beans
- ½ cup of can tomato sauce (I found a Goya can that had cilantro in it already)
- ½ cup of canned corn
- 1 small zucchini
- 1 clove of garlic
- ½ cup of chopped onion
- ½ cup of yellow cornmeal
- 1 tbsp of canola oil
- cilantro, salt and pepper
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350*.
- Bring 1.5 cups of water to a boil in a small saucepan. While you are waiting for the water to boil, add 1/2 a cup of cornmeal to 1/2 a cup of water. Add a large pinch of salt and mix well. Slowly add to boiling water.
- Stir constantly for a few minutes, as the cornmeal thickens. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Dice the onion, zucchini and garlic. Heat the oil in a medium pan on medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook for about 60 seconds. Add zucchini and onion.
- Cook until vegetables begin to brown, about 10 minutes. Mix in tomato sauce, corn and beans.
- Add spices, including cilantro, salt and pepper. I think cumin and red pepper flakes would also be great in this dish.
- Transfer veggie-bean mixture to a greased 8×8 baking dish.
- Cover with cornmeal mixture.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until cornmeal crust has hardened.
- Cool for 10 minutes before eating.
Nutritional Information for 4 servings: Calories – 176 Fat – 8.2 Carbs – 33.9 Protein – 6.3 Points Plus Value: 6
To compare, Amy’s version has 150 calories, 3 g of fat, 27 g of carbs, and 5 g of protein. I’m guessing they used less oil and less beans.
I may or may not have licked my plate clean. Ok…may.
I think this dish would also be delicious with some goat cheese mixed in. Mmmm already thinking about next time!
I also hate spending that kind of money on frozen meals, but they definitely are convenient. This recipe is the perfect substitute because it uses pantry staples and comes together quickly. Thanks for sharing!
That recipe looks fast and easy and delicious. Definitely trying it! And yes cheese is a neccesity for me! Hope you are feeling better!
This sounds delicious!! I’ve been trying to buy less frozen foods these days (even though they’re so convenient) because they can be so expensive. I love that you made this with simple, relatively cheap ingredients.
That looks awesome Liz!! I love the idea of having something you love and making your own version. I might have to copy you copying Amy and try this one! =)
Those are my 2 favorite Amy’s meals also! This looks so delicious and easy – I’m going to have to try this recipe out soon!
i love amys because unlike you, i totally can’t cook. But I agree, 4 dollars for a frozen meal is a little high. I can justify the 2 dollar amys burritos and her pizzas…but the entrees? Not so much.
That does sound really good! I get Amy’s meals when they are on sale, but when they’re not, they’re too expensive.
Looks yummy! I love those Amy meals but are definitely out of budget for regular consumption. I might have to copycat this recipe