Tamale casserole with masa is a tasty dish that blends the savory flavors of tamales effortlessly. Simple to make, it offers a delightful twist on traditional tamales.
Ingredients for Tamale Casserole
For the Tamale Base & Topping:
- 2 cups masa harina
- 2 cups chicken broth (warm)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup canola oil
For the Filling:
- 1½ pounds pork shoulder, lean and shredded
- 1 cup salsa verde
- 1 cup fiesta corn
- 1/4 cup green olives, sliced
- 1/2 cup onion, finely diced
Optional Garnishes:
- Chopped cilantro
- Pico de gallo
- Sour cream
- Extra salsa verde
- Enchilada sauce
- White cheese sauce
- Cotija cheese
Shortcut Tip: Shredded rotisserie chicken works beautifully in place of pork for an easy weeknight version.
How to Make Tamale Casserole
1️⃣ Preheat the Oven & Prep the Pan
Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly oil a 9×9-inch (2½-quart) casserole dish.
If you don’t have one, use a 13×9-inch dish to prevent overflow.
Create a steam bath by filling a large roasting pan [paid link] with about 2 inches of hot water. Place the uncovered casserole dish inside the water bath.
2️⃣ Prepare the Filling
In a large bowl, combine the shredded pork with salsa verde.
Stir in the corn, onions, and olives if using. Set aside.
3️⃣ Make the Masa Dough
In a large bowl, combine:
- Masa harina
- Warm chicken broth
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Oil
Mix until the dough becomes a soft, spreadable paste.
Cover and let rest for 15 minutes so the masa fully absorbs the liquid.
4️⃣ Form the Bottom Tamale Layer
Press half of the masa dough into the bottom of the prepared casserole dish.
Spread evenly across the bottom and about halfway up the sides, roughly ¼-inch thick.
5️⃣ Add the Filling
Spoon the prepared meat mixture evenly over the entire masa layer.
6️⃣ Add the Top Tamale Layer
Spread the remaining masa over the filling.
For easier handling:
- Spread the dough onto plastic wrap
- Invert over the casserole
- Peel off the plastic and gently smooth
Don’t worry if it tears—it will come together as it bakes.
7️⃣ Cover and Bake
Place the casserole (still in the water bath) into the oven.
Cover both the casserole dish and roasting pan [paid link] tightly with foil.
Bake for 45–60 minutes, or until the masa is set and fully cooked.
8️⃣ Rest and Serve
Let cool for 10 minutes before slicing so it holds its shape.
Serve warm with your favorite toppings—salsa, sour cream, cheese sauce, enchilada sauce, or fresh pico de gallo. There’s truly no wrong way to eat a tamale.
Tips for Success
- Use warm broth for the smoothest masa texture.
- Don’t skip the resting time for the dough—it makes the masa tender.
- Water bath = fluffy tamale texture. This prevents dryness.
- Let it rest before slicing for clean layers.
Variations
- Chicken Tamale Casserole – Swap the pork for shredded rotisserie chicken.
- Beef Tamale Casserole – Use shredded beef or barbacoa for a richer flavor.
- Vegetarian Tamale Casserole – Replace meat with black beans, roasted peppers, and extra corn.
Storage & Reheating
- Refrigerator: Store covered up to 4 days
- Freezer: Freeze portions up to 2 months
- Reheat: Oven at 325°F or microwave until warmed through
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this ahead of time?
Yes! Assemble the casserole, refrigerate, and bake when ready.
Do I have to use a water bath?
For best texture, yes. It steams the masa so it cooks evenly and stays soft.
What’s the texture like?
Soft, tender, and sliceable—just like a traditional tamale, but layered.
Why This Recipe Works
This tamale casserole with masa harina delivers everything you love about classic tamales—without the time and effort. It’s comforting, customizable, and perfect for busy families who still want big flavor at the table.
Tamale Casserole with Masa – delightful tamale taste with less effort
Ingredients
For the Tamale Topping and Base:
- 2 cups Masa Harina [See Note 1]
- 2 cups Chicken broth [See Note 2]
- 1 teaspoon Baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 cup Canola oil
For the Filling:
- 1-1/2 lbs. Pork shoulder, lean, shredded [See Note 3]
- 1 cup Salsa Verde [See Note 4]
- 1 cup Fiesta Corn [See Note 5]
- 1/4 cup Green olives, sliced [See Note 6]
- 1/2 cup Onion, diced small [See Note 7]
Optional Garnishes:
- Chopped Cilantro
- Pico de Gallo (Fresh Salsa)
- Sour Cream
- Additional Salsa Verde
- Enchilada sauce
- White Cheese Sauce
- Cojita Cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and lightly oil a 9 x 9-inch (2-1/2 quart) casserole dish. This will not quite fit in an 8 x 8-inch (2-quart) dish. NOTE: If you do not have a 2-1/2 quart casserole, move up to a 13×9-inch (3-quart) dish to prevent spillage.
- Create the Steam Bath. Fill a large roasting pan [paid link] with about 2 inches of hot water. Place the uncovered tamale casserole into the water bath.
- Prepare the filling. Combine 1 to 1-1/2 lbs of shredded meat with 1 cup of Salsa Verde. If you are using diced onions, fiesta corn, and sliced olives, adds them here.
Note: Shredded rotisserie chicken makes this recipe super easy for any weeknight meal. - Prepare Dough. Combine masa, warm chicken broth, baking powder, salt, and oil in a large bowl, Mix together until the dough has the consistency of a soft paste. Cover & let rest for at least 15 minutes at room temperature so the dough can thoroughly absorb the liquid ingredients
- Form the Bottom Tamale Layer. Press half of the tamale dough into the casserole dish forming a thin bottom layer. With your fingers, a fork, or a small spatula, press the mixture evenly across the bottom of the pan and halfway up the sides, about 1/4- inch thick.
- Add the Filling. Spoon the meat mixture prepared earlier evenly over the entire dough surface.
- Prepare the top tamale layer. Spread the remaining tamale dough over the filling, trying to make the top portion about the same thickness as the bottom. Do this by spreading the dough out on a piece of plastic wrap and then inverting it over the tamale casserole and then peeling back the plastic wrap. If it tears a little bit, don’t worry! It will come together during baking.
- Cover: Place the casserole pan into the hot water bath. Cover both the tamale casserole and roaster pan with one layer aluminum foil. The water will steam the tamale and cook it all the way through.
- Bake. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes or until the Masa layer is set. Let it cool slightly (10 minutes) before serving so it holds its form.
- Serve. Serve warm with pico de gallo, salsa verde, sour cream, cheese sauce, enchilada sauce, crumbled cheese, chopped onions, or a traditional red salsa. There’s no wrong way to eat a tamale!
Notes
- Masa Harina is the traditional fine corn flour used to make tortillas, tamales, and other Mexican dishes.
- Chicken broth – may substitute water or drippings from cooking the shredded pork.
- Pork Shoulder, shredded – Shredded chicken or beef may also be used.
- Salsa Verde – Also called Green Salsa is made with green tomatillos, onion, garlic, Chile peppers and seasoned with cumin, cilantro and salt. There really isn’t a substitute for this sauce! If you absolutely must, try a red salsa.
- Fiesta Corn – Corn mixed with red & green peppers. Sold both canned and frozen. This ingredient is optional and may be omitted without substitution or alteration to the rest of the recipe.
- Stuffed Green Olives – If you do not care for olives, feel free to omit them without substitution. This ingredient is optional and may be omitted without substitution or alteration to the rest of the recipe.
- Onions – Spanish white onions, diced small. This ingredient is optional and may be omitted without substitution or alteration to the rest of the recipe.
I live where you cannot buy traditionally made tamales, so this recipe was a great way to get a similar entree. I had left over turkey, so I added the cooked turkey to homemade enchilada sauce instead of following the filling recipe. I prefer maseca for a traditional tamale flavor, so it was substituted for the masa harina flour. I don’t use canola oil, so avocado oil was substituted. It took longer than 1 hour to steam the maseca, but turned out good. The next time I make it, I will use lard to give the masa a more traditional flavor.
Hi Jinny,
#1, thanks for taking the time to posting all this goodness!
I used a pork shoulder and slow roasted it in a dutch over for a few hours. I used a lot of dry seasonings and put it in the fridge over-night until I was ready to roast it.
I SHOULD have used, Goya Mojo and put the Pork Shoulder in a zip lock over-night. It would made this go a lot faster!
When making the Masa Top, I’m going to use the juices from the Pork Shoulder and omit the water! I will try to post after the bake is complete! (I’ve been wanting to do this for years!!!)
Thanks again, jimi
I just made this for dinner tonight and it’s very flavorful, but I do have a question that I hope someone will answer. What’s the texture of the masa cornmeal topping supposed to be like when it’s all cooked? I was expecting a more solid top like a regular tamale since there were so many comments about this tasting like a real pork tamale. Thanks.
Fantastico! We use vegan chik’n broth cubes, mix in a bag of vegan cheese, a can of green chilis and a bag of frozen corn. Honestly, just as good as green corn tamales without all of the work with the hojas. I have actually used parchment paper with the above described filling made using your fantastico recipe when we were in the mood for tamale shape. But now I just cut the casserole into rectangle shapes and that is tamale shaped enough. BTW, I use an 8×8 glass rectangular baking dish and it fits just perfectly. Also uncover and cook some extra time until top is a little browned and not so wet. Thank you so much for sharing this! Fantastico!
Can you steam them like regular tamale?
Perhaps anyone looking online for tamale pie recipe may still see this…I just happened to come back to look at the recipe and see this question from Linda from a good while back! Anyways- tonight I made the vegan version noted above and YES! it worked perfectly deliciously steaming them like regular tamales!
I used parchment paper as we had no Hojas. I actually also quartered the recipe and just made 4! And that also worked deliciously! I steamed them for about 35-40 minutes to get the firmness we like. Thank you again for this fantastico! recipe, Dear Ronda.
I love this recipe! I always double the recipe and make it with braised short rib meat. I braise the short ribs and use the juices and fat for the masa. We used to buy tamales every Christmas but this is so much better! Thanks for a great recipe
Made this recently with half blackened poblano and jack cheese and half red pork. Turned out fantastic! Added 2 ears fresh corn to the masa. It went so well, I tried breakfast tamales–eggs, cheese, bacon and spinach. Equally delicious! Things I did differently: used a 9 x 13 dish with the original portion of masa and it needed to cook for almost 3 hours (I took the foil off for the last 30 minutes). Thank you so much for the recipe! I will be making this again and again.
Made this in smaller dishes for quicker cooking and it was amazing.
Made this tonight with some pulled rotisserie chicken I needed to use up. I doubled it and made it in a 4qt rectangular casserole dish. Cooked it as directed but I’m not sure the center of the masa set completely. It’s resting/cooling now – will report back after we try it!
This recipe is a keeper! Just made this with some adjustments. For the dough, because I used water, I added some onion powder, garlic powder, and seasoning salt to create some stock like flavors. The dough seemed very wet so I added a little more Masa after it rested. For the filling, I used a large can (20 something oz) of green chiles and cheese. I checked it after 50 minutes but it seemed a bit undercooked so I turned up the heat to 400 and left it in for another 20 minutes. Family is already looking forward to the next time. Next time I plan to use ramekins and let people individualize their fillings as I’ve had requests for a black bean and corn one as well as a pork one. Last time I made tamales, I made mincemeat filled ones and I think this will make a nice twist on mincemeat pie at Thanksgiving. Thanks for sharing.
Making it in ramekins sounds like a great idea – would cook faster too?
Thanks for this recipe – it was just what I wanted! I was craving the flavor and aroma of masa harina with dinner. My filling was a bit different – bulk sausage, beans, and a bit of cheese – but it’s a great recipe for any filling, which makes this a real keeper, and perfect for our shelter-in-place time. I look forward to making it many more times! Thanks again.
This recipe was tasty. I made a few tweaks to fit my family. I cooked some chicken breast in broth before using the broth in the dough and shredding the chicken for the meal. I like to add more vegetables and added about 4 cups zucchini and spinach to the filling (I used a 9 x 13 pan). The flavors were good and it was still pretty healthy overall.
This looks wonderful! Do you think it could be made ahead and frozen? If so, would you freeze before or after baking? Thanks so much for sharing.
Wow! This is a great recipe!
We made a couple tweaks: Instead of pork, we made pulled chicken breast in a crock pot with the salsa the day before. When we assembled the casserole, we added a layer of shredded zucchini (shredded the night before, tossed with a sprinkle of salt and refrigerated overnight in a strainer over a bowl to release excess moisture) under the chicken.
Thank you for posting this delicious recipe! It’s so inexpensive to make, too!!
Hi Brenda!
Your tweaks sound amazing. I am a sucker for sweet corn tamales, so your addition of zucchini sounds delicious. I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe.
I had left a over Cuban pork from the Christmas Eve party. Added green chilies, onion, garlic, cumin ,pepper, oregano and diced tomatoes to the pork meat. The Masa I added sauteed onions , garlic and cumin.Easy peasy and it came out great.
I just made this. It is really good. I tweaked the recipe and made a green chili and cheese and a sweet tamale casserole.
So glad you enjoyed this Katana. Your tweaks sound great!
Looks amazing! Have you ever tried doubling this? I was thinking of doubling the ingredients and using a 9 x 13” dish.
Hi Gloria,
I have never doubled the recipe into a 13×9-inch pan, but I cannot think of a reason why you couldn’t do that. I hope you enjoy.
I’m doubling (and then some) as I type this (5C masa/5C broth). It’s in the oven with about one half of an hour left.
I wonder if you have ever tried making this in a slow cooker? Seems like that would be easier, would you have ideas on how to convert this to a slow cooker friendly recipe? I can veganize this easily; replace meat with beans or vegan chorizo and veggies, vegan cheeze, swap in veg stock and vegan butter or just oil. I made super yummy vegan tamales filled with refried black beans, roasted jalapenos, mild green chiles, vegan cheddar & enchilada sauce, BUT I’d love to turn that into a quicker, easier version like you have here! And, I echo the feedback of others: masa layers/topping farrrrrrrr superior to boring cornbread. Thanks!
Hi Leah,
I have never tried this in the slow cooker. It seems like it could work though. If I was going to tray and convert this I’d try a 4 or 6-qt. slow cooker, layer it in and then cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until heated through.
I’m worried about excess moisture but I think it will be okay.
You should put a kitchen towel under the lid of the slow cooker to catch the moisture. I plan to try this,as well.
I keep wanting to add cheese on top of this recipe but don’t see it mentioned anywhere. Must not be a legitimate tamale with cheese cooked on top! Is it best to wait until it is cooked (I’m mid-recipe right now) and then just throw on some sprinkled cheese? Or add to filling? Or not at all? So far, I’m enjoying the recipe and excited to taste it soon. If for some reason you see this in real time, I’d love to hear your feedback on the usage of cheese in the recipe.
Hi Elizabeth,
I’ve never eaten it with cheese but you can eat it any wAy you like. If I were to add cheese over the top, I’d go about 15-20 minutes before it’s finished so the cheese has time to get hot and bubbly but not burn.
Let me know how you liked it with cheese!!
Thank you for taking the time to ask. I hope you enjoy.
The type of cheese would make a difference. I think.
Hi – the recipe sounds good but I’m confused. Where do the chopped onions go? Where do the green olives go? Maybe I’m just not an experienced cook, but I don’t improvise well when I’m trying to follow a recipe, and I don’t want to just guess. Thanks!
Hi, I’ve updated the recipe to reflect that the onions and olives are mixed in with the meat and salsa verde.
This was so delicious! I can’t wait to make it again. Thanks for posting!!
I absolutely loved every bit of it.
So tasty and easy too. best of both worlds
Thanks, Delmar! I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
We really liked that this was made w masa and not cornbread
Thanks. I’m so glad you enjoyed it!!
Very tasty without the hassle of rolling individual tamales.
Hi Raleigh – so glad you enjoyed it
Eliza shared the recipe she found with my family and we also loved it. Thanks for sharing.
This was AMAZING! Wow. Just wow. My entire family gobbled it up. It was easy and tasted just like a pork tamale and I was so happy it was less labor intensive. Absolute winner with this recipe. Thank you!
Thrilled you enjoyed it. I enjoy that it’s so no fuss. :)
Being pregnant with twins and perhaps a bit lazy (as if the pregnancy is the real reason hahaha), I am so glad I came across this. I’ve tried the cornmeal type as well I was left unsatsfied. I am gonna prepare this in hopes of feeding these cravings I’m having for tamales, (Which could very well be due to the pregnancy, smiles). Although I am gonna try it with cheese on the inside which I became accustomed to in San Antonio Texas where my favorite tamales are. Unfortunately here in N.C. I hope this works! I will post back and let ya know. I’m just tickled pink over the concept. I don’t know if ive been this excited since “chocolate crack pie” lol.
Oh my gosh, congrats on the little one. I’m all smiles for you. I do hope you enjoy this recipe – if not, let me know how we can improve it! I’m happy to hear your suggestions being a tamale fan yourself. I bet my daughter and I would love the cheese tamales, too. We tried some sweet corn ones recently and those were also a favorite.
I am a twin!!! God Bless you … you go girl!
I will immediately grab your rss feed as I can not find your e-mail subscription link or newsletter service. Do you’ve any? Kindly let me know in order that I could subscribe. Thanks.
Hi Nan! It’s located right on the side of the page near the top right.
This sounds great! I’m going to try it this weekend. I have no desire to stuff 100 tamales when I can get it done in a casserole. :)
Let me know how it turns out, Jinny.
This is exactly what I was looking for! I also wanted a non-cornbread-type-topping aka real-tamale-flavor version because weeknights are just not conducive to making real tamales. I make my tamales with this filling: http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/chicken-with-salsa-verde
but I’ll have to give the pork a try! Thanks!!
Now that chicken verde looks like a delicious filling and I bet it will be perfect in a tamale pie. Thank you for coming by today and for taking the time to comment.