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Hey, hi! Happy Thanksgiving week!

One-Pot Cheesy Turkey Tamale Pie | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

And Happy 19th Birthday to my brother, who is closest in age to me, Kai (Malachi)!!

I can already tell it’s going to be a pretty awesome week. For one, it’s a super short week, so we have that going for us (hello four-day weekend!). Two, Thursday we get to eat till we just can’t eat anymore (bring on all the butternut squash, pomegranate salad and um pies!) and then Friday is the official start to the Christmas season.

I mean, over here we have officially been going hard-core Christmas since Saturday when we cut down the Christmas tree. But that’s just us, or the girls of the family anyway. I mean, it’s been like a winter wonderland here so it’s pretty hard NOT to get in the spirit. All the boys are disgusted in us, if it where up to them they’d put the tree up on Christmas Eve. They are all a bunch of Scrooges if you ask me.

But whatever, this week is still all about Thanksgiving… ok, maybe a little Christmas talk, but then back to Thanksgiving!!

One-Pot Cheesy Turkey Tamale Pie | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

Some years, our house is full of people for Thanksgiving and some years it is super small. Of course the year I do not even have a working oven, our table is pretty full. Not huge or anything, but still full. All of my siblings will be here so that’s nine of us, plus Blake who should probably just change his last name to Gerard by now and then three guests. There could definitely be more added on, but as of right now this is the head count.

Guaranteed there will be a handful of last-minute people who show up needing a good meal though. It happens every year. Especially since we eat dinner pretty late in the day. Like 7:30pm or 8:00pm. This gives people time to finds us, get comfy and stay a while. Mom and I always shoot for seven, but then gravy happens and well we honestly both suck at gravy so we never end up eating till like eight. But it’s ok because we kind of like late meals over here.

One-Pot Cheesy Turkey Tamale Pie | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

Also, it’s gonna be a crockpot Thanksgiving….should be interesting.

One-Pot Cheesy Turkey Tamale Pie | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

I wasn’t really sure I’d have a ton of turkey leftovers this year because I honestly never do, so I made some turkey breast the other week for the sole purpose of making this tamale pie. I have been thinking about it ever since October 31st. Waiting till Thanksgiving for this was not an option.

When cheesy polenta is involved you know it’s going to be good. Just sayin.

This pie could not be more perfect for the day after Thanksgiving dinner. It feeds all those lingering guests and it’s so easy to make. Plus, it’s saucy, creamy, cheesy and delicious. Perfect cozy, family comfort food.

It’s like a tamale, but better if you ask me, because well, you don’t have to do all the work of real tamales. FYI – if you’ve never made tamales before – they are work. I tried a few Christmases ago to make them for twenty plus people and I have regretted it ever since. So I now make tamale burrito bowls and tamale pies to get my tamale fix. It’s brilliant. <–Been watching too many Jamie Oliver you tube videos apparently.

I made this two ways, one family style and one, in cute little individual skillets. The mini skillets make such a fun presentation, but for some reason they didn’t seem to be as saucy as the big family style pie. Either way is good, but if you are only serving four, the skillets are always a crowd pleaser.

One-Pot Cheesy Turkey Tamale Pie | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

If you’re not cooking a turkey this year or you just don’t have any turkey leftovers, use chicken. Don’t let a lack of leftovers stop you from making this. This One-Pot Cheesy Turkey Tamale Pie is too good, and way too easy. You just need one-pot, one mixing bowl and an oven. Oh what I would do for an oven! Did I mention that if one of you guys somehow manages to get me an oven (by Thanksgiving) I will send you cookies in the mail for like a year? I really will.

And with that I am done. I need to go buy some crockpots or mini ovens or something to cook all my sides in. The turkey’s getting cooked in this thing. OMG. Someone send help (or ovens!).

One-Pot Cheesy Turkey Tamale Pie | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

One-Pot Cheesy Turkey Tamale Pie.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Resting time 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 835 kcal

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

Ingredients

Polenta

  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 2 cups milk
  • 1 cup polenta
  • 4 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese shredded plus 4 ounces more for topping
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt + pepper
  • 2-4 tablespoons butter

Turkey Mixture

To Serve

  • diced avocado
  • pomegranate salsa * or any salsa
  • 4 ounces crumbled queso fresco or cotija cheese
  • fresh cilantro chopped
  • in crushed tortilla chips (I forgot to add these the photos but you should do this!)

Instructions

  • Make the polenta. Pour the chicken broth and milk into a mediumpot and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium and slowly whisk in the polenta. Cook, stirring frequently, until the polenta is soft and thick, about 15 to 20 minutes. Keep warm and then just before serving, stir in the cheddar cheese and butter, season with salt and pepper. If the polenta seems a little thick you can add a tablespoon of butter or extra milk.
  • Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
  • Combine the turkey, gravy, red enchilada sauce, chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, salt, pepper, and cayenne in large bowl. Stir in the red pepper and black beans. Once the polenta is done cooking, smooth it out into a single layer and then pour the turkey tamale mixture over he polenta, spreading it in an even layer. Top with cheese. Transfer to the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the pie is bubbling and the cheese is melted. Allow to sit 5 to 10 minutes and then serve with fresh cilantro, salsa and queso fresco. Enjoy!

Notes

*To make a quick pomegranate salsa, combine 1 1/2 cups pomegranate arils with 1 small seeded + diced jalapeno, juice of 1 lime and 1/4 cup cilantro.
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One-Pot Cheesy Turkey Tamale Pie | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

Ok, now let’s grab some forks already!

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Comments

  1. I made this last night for dinner and it was a hit! My husband wants to put the leftovers over french fries to make chili cheese fries. A big thank you from our family for the awesome new recipe for leftover turkey!

  2. 5 stars
    This was a very easy meal to put together and extremely tasty!!! We were trying to think of something different to do with our leftover turkey. Five stars from me!!!

  3. I would like to say that I made this recipe today and the Polenta (corn meal mush) was the star of the show. The dry seasonings in the above quantities are a bit much for my taste and leave a bitter finish to an other wise tasty sauce. I would suggest using only 1/2 of the amount for each seasoning listed and then add to your desired taste. I made the Polenta using Quaker corn meal. A 15 oz can of chicken broth,
    2 cups milk and 8 oz frozen corn to 1 cup of cornmeal and 2 tsp salt plus 1/2 tsp. granulated garlic. Add all ingredients to gether cold in your 3qt pot and whisk gently until combined. Takes about 30 seconds. Turn on burner to high heat and continually whisk until thicken and combined about 5 min. This will ensure no lumps and will make creamy as well. Reduce heat to low and cover. Stir every 10 minutes while cooking an additional 20 min. In the final 10 min stir in 1/2 stick butter until melted and add 1/2 cup ( 4 oz) of your preferred cheese. At the end of 10 min stir to combine and serve. Keep pot covered and remove lid to stir only.
    I promise they are amazing!!!! (You can substitute 1 ear of fresh cut corn or 1/2 can of cream corn for the frozen) Enjoy!

  4. Thanks for answering so fast! So it didn’t turn out as I think it was supposed to…given that the polenta sort of just melded into the meat mixture? I will try again in the future with the right polenta so it’s a thick mixture. Just so I know…when it’s finished is it supposed to be the consistency of masa in a tamale? cake or bread like?

    1. Hey Linda! So when finished, it should be more like masa in a tamale. Hope it goes better the second time! Let me know if you have any other questions. Thank you!

    1. The cayenne goes in with the other spices, the recipe has been fixed. What is hard to follow? Let me know how I can help.

  5. As someone who has never used polenta before this recipe confused me. I ended up buying the little sausage like shaped package of polenta. I had no idea how thick this should have gotten but after cooking 20 min it was thickened to the consistency of cream of wheat. After this baked it looks watery. I’m hoping it tastes good. I have a feeling something is off. Also it says one red pepper. Is this a bell pepper? Because that’s what I had to assume. I’m sorry if these things should be common knowledge to people but perhaps a little more detail world have helped. Can you give me an idea…for the future…how thick is the polenta mixture supposed to be?

    1. Hey Linda! I am so sorry for the confusion. When I say polenta, I actually mean dry polenta. You cook it like you would rice. once it it finished cooking it should be the consistency of thick mashed potatoes. I am sure what you have is fine though and it should still taste good. And yes, I do mean a bell pepper. Again, so sorry for the confession. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you end loving this!

  6. I’m sorry if you already stated this somewhere, but would a 10 inch cast iron skillet work well for this? Or what size do you recommend? Thanks!

    1. Hey Amanda! A 10 or 12 inch skillet will both work great. Hope you love this and let me know if you have other questions. Thanks!

  7. Just made this for dinner, with leftover turkey. Incredible recipe! Thank you! Saucy, creamy, spicy. Just awesome!

  8. I made this tonight turned out super good, I used trader joes enchilada sauce and also added corn and black olives, just because we love them, it turned out really good.

  9. you may want to consider less milk or chicken broth. i did this recipe, added 1/2 cup extra polenta, and it was still soupy. tasted amazing. had to use nachos to spoon out.

  10. I’m not super experienced with polenta. I have seen the tube like things of polenta though. Can that be sliced and used instead of cooking it? What is the difference?

    1. Yes, sliced polenta will be fine, but it will not be creamy like you see in the photos…still delicious though. Homemade polenta is creamy like grits. Let me know if you have any other questions! Hope you love this!

  11. Fantastic recipe!!!!!!! I used chicken since I did a rotisserie last night and had a ton of left overs. Social media was a downer for me this time since somehow word got around of the food I cooked and people just kept dropping in inquiring about the wonderful smell coming from the stove.

  12. What other variations to The One-Pot Cheesy Turkey Tamale Pie are there. For example; could I replace beef for the turkey. It looks and sounds delicious.