A Minnesota-kind of Mexican

I came across a great looking slow cooker recipe for "tamale pie"- basically spicy seasoned ground beef topped with cornbread, cooked for 5 hours.  Sounds wonderful.  Except I didn't have five hours to sit around and wait for dinner.  Goooood thing I have an oven.

I am not claiming that this is in any way an authentic Mexican dish.  In true Minnesotan form, if a recipe contains anything spicier than ketchup, we can call it "Mexican." 

Oven-baked Tamale Pie
1 pound lean ground beef
1 8 oz container salsa (I used black bean and corn)
1 can diced tomato with onion (or tomato with chiles)
1 Tbsp hot sauce
1 box Jiffy cornbread mix
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar

-Saute lean ground beef and soak up grease with a paper towel and discard.  Add salsa, tomato, and hot sauce. 
-Spray an 8x8 or round casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.  Dump in meat mixture.  Top with cheese.
-In a medium bowl mix cornbread with milk.  Spread over the meat & cheese. 
-Bake at 400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes, or until cornbread has fully baked.

Super easy to prepare- total prep + cooking time is about 30 minutes.  This makes about 5 servings.   It's a versatile recipe- dump in whatever veggies you like.  Swap out lean ground turkey for the beef.  If you are looking for a more authentic Mexican dining experience, wear a sombrero while eating. 

Per serving: 380 calories, 25 g carbs, 15 g fat, 30 g protein.