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When I told my husband that I was going to make a tamale pie, he gave me a sideways glance and said, “Okaaaaaaay…” He’s an Arizonan with memories of church potluck tables full of authentic Mexican food, especially tamale pie. He was quite skeptical of some crazy AIP version of same.
Until he tried it.
I watched him taste it, careful not to appear too eager, to gauge his reaction. “It’s good!” he said, with the tone of voice someone uses when they are surprised by their own words. Yay! A win for the AIP!
I made a full pan of this recipe, and by the time we were done with dinner, three of us (including my daughter) left only one serving in the pan. Sooooo, I had to share it with you.
If you are familiar with tamale pie, you know that the topping is typically made from cornmeal. Of course, that is a no-go for us AIPers. But guess what? Plantains make a batter that is comparable in texture and slight sweetness. It works well enough that we all went back for seconds (thirds?).
Though it is now summer, this recipe is “evergreen.” I hope you enjoy it!
- 2 green plantains, peeled and sliced (about 2-3 cups)
- ½ cup cassava flour
- ¼ cup olive oil or avocado oil (preferably not green)
- ¼-1/2 cup full fat coconut milk (see instructions)
- 1 teaspoon + 1 teaspoon sea salt, divided
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 cup chopped onions
- ½ cup finely chopped celery
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper (omit for elimination phase of AIP)
- ½ cup sliced black olives
- ¼ cup pumpkin puree
- ¼ cup chopped green onions
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- ½ tablespoon large flake nutritional yeast
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place plantains, flour, oil, ¼ cup coconut milk and 1 teaspoon of salt in a food processor. Process until smooth, scraping down the bowl as necessary. You should have a thick batter. You may need to add more coconut milk to get this consistency. (See photo. The amount of coconut milk you need will depend on the size of your plantains and how fluffy your cassava flour is!) Set aside.
- In a large skillet, brown the ground beef over medium high heat with onions, celery, 1 teaspoon of salt, garlic powder, and pepper (if using). Once the beef is cooked through, add the rest of the ingredients. Stir to combine.
- Spread the skillet mixture evenly on the bottom of an ungreased 9 X 12 baking dish. Using the back of a spoon, press the mixture flat in the pan. Spoon the plantain dough over the meat in dollops, and spread with an offset spatula to even it out. (It does not need to be perfect!) Bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Serve next to a big green salad.
7 comments
This sounds soo good!! Growing up in the Dominican Republic we ate a lot of plantains and cassava or yuca. I will have to try this! Wondering if it can also be made with the yellow plantains (They are sweet) 🙂
This was delicious. I used leftover taco meat from the night before, but followed the crust recipe exactly. It ended up with a pleasing bread like texture. I will definitely will make this again. My family loved it, also.
I made this last night. It took a little getting used to, but in the end, I liked it. I’m on day six of AIP. My partner who seems to have an iron gut said it was “okay” and he would eat it again, but not enthused. I certainly would. It grows on you. I have leftovers for lunches.
I just finished making it today and it wasn’t bad. The one thing I didn’t like so much was the pumpkin puree mixed in with the meat. Other than that it was really good.
Texan fan here…
We always do tamales on Christmas Eve, but I’m a year into AIP, and discovered corn is a huge culprit in my psoriasis flares. I thought all hope was gone, until I tried this! Yes!!! The texture was JUST right. So much so that I’m coming up with a way to do baked tamales with it… so grateful for y’all. Made my holidays bright in a tough year.
P.S. your “Nutrient Dense Kitchen” was my Christmas gift to myself last year… and without it I would have thrown in the towel and taken all the medicine my dermatologist threw at me and continued to wonder why my gut was spastic… so thank you for all that you. It really changes lives.
Hey Paige! This wasn’t my recipe, but I am so happy it worked for your holiday meal! And thanks for the kind words about NDK, I am thrilled you have found it helpful 🙂
Is there something I could substitute for the plantains? They are not available in my local grocery store.