Easy and Quick Green Tamale Casserole

We are still trying to get used to the back to school routine. After homework and sports when the time finally comes for dinner I usually find myself too exhausted to spend too much time in the kitchen cooking but I still want my family to eat healthy home made meals. Casseroles are the perfect dinner alternative. When I make them, I prefer using Country Crock instead of butter because it has 0 trans fat per serving, has no cholesterol or partially hydrogenated oils, and has 70% less fat and 30% fewer calories than butter per serving.

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I want to share with you this easy tamale casserole, which is a dish that has a lot of meaning in our home.  I move to the US from Guatemala just 5 years ago and one of the things I miss the most is the food. Tamales are a traditional Guatemalan dish but they are so hard to make and time consuming so I rarely eat them. One day as I was wondering what to do for dinner and missing home I though it would be great to make a tamale casserole, I researched a bit and found some recipes and tweaked them to make my own version.

The best part of this recipe is that you can change the filling, in this case I used a chicken and green tomatillo filling, and make so many kinds of tamale casseroles: from tamales colorados (red tamaloes) to tamales negros (sweet black tamales).

To make this recipe even easier I used a rotisserie chicken from my grocery store and store bought green tomatillo sauce.  So preparing this took me about 15 minutes and then I just put it in the oven and we had a hearty, one dish, traditional meal on the table without me having to spend hours in the kitchen!

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Green Tamale Casserole

Yield: 8

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

A baked tamale casserole with shredded chicken, salsa verde and Cotija cheese between layers of masa. All the flavor of tamales without the wrapping!

5.0 Stars (5 Reviews)

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Ingredients

• For the filling
• 2 16-oz bottles of Salsa Verde (tomatillo sauce found in your regular grocery store or in Mexican grocery stores)
• 1 rotisserie chicken
• ½ cup Queso Cotija, Cotija Mexican Parmesan Cheese
• For the Masa
• 1 cup Country Crock butter
• 3 cups masa harina flour, corn tortilla flour
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• no-stick cooking spray

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375F .

2. Remove all meat from the chicken and shred it using two forks.

3. Pour one 16-ounce bottle of tomatillo sauce into a medium saucepan, add chicken, and cook on medium heat, constantly moving until the sauce thickens, about ten minutes.

4. Mix masa harina flour, chicken broth, and Country Crock using your hands until you have masa with a sticky consistency.

5. Coat a medium casserole dish with cooking spray.

6. Put half of the masa on the bottom of the casserole and spread evenly with a spatula.

7. Pour chicken mixture and spread evenly.

8. Sprinkle cheese on top of the chicken.

9. Add the rest of the masa distributing it evenly with a spatula.

10. Cover the casserole dish with aluminum foil to prevent the masa from drying out.

11. Warm up the rest of the tomatillo sauce.

12. Place casserole on the lowest rack of the oven and cook for 30 minutes. Check to see if top of the casserole feels dry to the touch. If still soft uncover and leave a few minutes longer but make sure the masa does not over dry.

13. Remove from oven and let stand covered for 5 minutes before serving.

14. Serve topped with warm tomatillo sauce and sour cream.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 462Total Fat: 25gSaturated Fat: 7gUnsaturated Fat: 19gCholesterol: 52mgSodium: 756mgCarbohydrates: 44gFiber: 6gSugar: 1gProtein: 19g

Nutritional values are estimates calculated using standard databases. Actual values may vary based on specific ingredients and brands used.

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Paula Bendfeldt-Diaz

Paula Bendfeldt-Díaz is a Guatemalan travel writer, photographer, and founder of Growing Up Bilingual. After spending more than 15 years in the United States, she now lives in Guatemala and shares detailed travel guides, traditional Guatemalan recipes, and cultural insights based on a lifetime of firsthand experience.

Through her writing, Paula helps travelers discover Guatemala beyond the typical tourist route with practical advice, local recommendations, and authentic experiences that connect visitors with the country’s people, culture, and traditions.

Planning a trip to Guatemala? Paula offers personalized Guatemala itinerary planning and trip consultation services tailored to your interests, travel style, and budget. Contact her at [email protected] to learn more.

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