Tamale Casserole

I recently made a Tamale Casserole, inspired by this recipe that I found on Pinterest. It was different but definitely good. I did alter the recipe a bit (don't I always?!). 

• I used one pound of grass fed organic ground beef and omitted the sausage altogether. 
• To add more fiber, flavor, texture and to offset the loss of the half pound of sausage, I added a batch of homemade beans that I usually have on hand in my freezer. Obviously I have to remember to defrost ahead of time; when I know I am going to want beans I just move a jar from the freezer to the fridge a couple days prior. If I have forgotten to take beans out of the freezer or don't have a homemade batch on hand, I keep spare cans in the pantry for emergencies! On this night I probably added about 1-2 cups of cooked beans. 
• I added diced zucchini and yellow squash to enhance the vegetable/nutrition content. 
• I did not add the tomatoes or tomato paste bc this would not bc conducive to hubby's tummy however I did add a couple spoonfuls of salsa. For whatever reason, he does ok eating salsa. And it was a pretty small amount in comparison to the giant pan full of ingredients that I added it to. 
• I did include everything else mentioned in the recipe; onions, olives, spices, bell pepper, garlic, corn, etc. 
• As for the cornbread, I used organic cornmeal (corn is one of the worst GMO crops in our country-always buy organic corn anything) and I used whole wheat flour instead of white. I don't even have white in my cupboard anymore. I am either just used to it or you really just can't tell the difference.  

I pretty much followed the recipe as far as cooking the dish. And I added a lot of cheese at the end. Never too much cheese! I had invited my parents over for dinner than night so between them, my husband, kids and I, we ate the entire dish. While the dish was fairly simple to make, the prep took a little bit of time but I was able to clean up after that mess while it cooked in the oven. It came out pretty darn good! I will definitely make this one again!

The filling. 

The finished dish. Sorry but we were too busy eating the entire thing and I neglected to take pictures of what it looked like. Trust me when I say that it was darn tasty! Something different but definitely a worthy dinner.