Andrea sent me this recipe to make last night and turns out you have to make your crust for the casserole. It doesn’t sound like the easiest thing to do, but it actually wasn’t as hard as you would think. This recipe was a huge hit with the boys. Zander asked if I could make it again tonight and Fynn in his words said it was: “AWESOME”. I’ll be sharing the tamale recipe separate from the recipe on how to make the crust below. Hope you guys enjoy it as much as the boys and I did!
Easy-to-Make Homemade Crust
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cup Blanched almond flour
- 1/3 cup Erythritol or any sweetener of choice*; omit for savory pie crust
- 1/4 tsp Sea salt or 1/2 for savory pie crust
- 1/4 cup Ghee (measured solid then melted)
- 1 tbsp large Egg or ~2 additional ghee
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Line the bottom of a 9 in (23 cm) round pie pan with parchment paper, or grease well.
- In a large bowl, mix together the almond flour, erythritol (if using), and sea salt.
- Stir in the melted ghee and egg, until well combined. (If using vanilla, stir that into the melted ghee before adding to the dry ingredients.) The "dough" will be dry and crumbly. Just keep mixing, pressing and stirring, until it's uniform and there is no almond flour powder left. (Alternatively, you can use a food processor to mix it all together.)
- Press the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan. You can flute the edges of desired; if it crumbles when doing this, just press it back together. Carefully poke holes in the surface using a fork to prevent bubbling.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, until lightly golden. (Add fillings only after pre-baking.)
Notes
For the crust, I only used the flour, salt, and ghee because we wanted a savory crust and not a sweet one.
Tamale Pie Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 lb Ground beef
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 4- oz can Green chiles drained
- 1/2 cup Gluten-free enchilada sauce or any kind you like
- 1 cup Cheddar cheese shredded
- Fresh cilantro for garnish - optional
Instructions
- Make the savory almond flour pie crust according to the directions. (After it's done, remove from the oven and leave the oven on at 350 degrees F (177 degrees C).)
- Meanwhile, heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and saute for a minute, until fragrant.
- Add ground beef to the pan. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Increase heat to medium-high. Cook for 7-10 minutes, breaking apart with a spoon or spatula, until the meat is browned and fat cooks away. (If the beef is browned but you still have liquid left, drain it before proceeding.)
- When the beef is cooked through, stir in the green chiles (drained) and enchilada sauce. Cook for another 3 minutes.
- Transfer the meat mixture evenly into the baked pie crust and compress the top. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top. Bake for 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted. Garnish with fresh cilantro, if desired.
After this recipe, I recommend giving my Chicken & Rice Casserole a try next – it’s a family favorite!
xo, Jaime
Credits to Wholesome Yum for the casserole and crust recipe.