Frank Tamale Bake
Adapted from two different recipes. The original recipe called for chili-beef soup, which I could not find.
Adapted from two different recipes. The original recipe called for chili-beef soup, which I could not find.
- Carbohydrate 33.6504 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 18.7544 g
- Fiber 2.88400005340576 g
- Protein 4.0656 g
- Saturated Fat 2.43964 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (84g)
- Sodium 155.12 mg
- Sugar 30.7663999465942 g
- Trans Fat 1.65228 g
- Calories 319 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 350•F.
- Drain sauce from tamales, reserving the sauce. Shuck the tamales, remove and reserve the sauce.
- Combine chili sauce, chili beans, tomato sauce, reserved tamale sauce and franks into a casserole dish.
- Divide each tamale into thirds and layer across top of chili mixture.
- Cook for about 20 min.
- Top with shredded cheddar cheese and cook for about 10 min. more.
- Serve over hot cooked rice and garnish with corn chips.
Cooks frequently fail to account for moisture retention when substituting canned components in layered casseroles. Swapping out a specialty soup for tomato sauce and hot dog chili sauce alters the starch-to-liquid ratio significantly. Tomato sauce delivers high water content without thickeners, meaning excess moisture must evaporate during baking to prevent a watery final dish. Maintaining a proper 350-degree Fahrenheit oven temperature ensures that liquid reduces at a rate that allows the starches in the beans and corn masa to gelatinize fully without scorching the proteins in the sliced franks. Because canned tamales arrive pre-cooked in corn husks, their structural integrity depends entirely on careful handling during the shucking process. Removing the outer wrapper without tearing the masa casing allows you to divide each tamale into thirds cleanly, creating distinct pockets of corn dough that absorb the surrounding savory sauce during the initial twenty-minute bake. When layering these tamales across the top of the chili mixture, avoid pressing them deep into the liquid; exposing the upper surface of the masa to dry heat creates a contrasting crust while the submerged portion softens. Cheese addition requires precise timing to prevent fat separation. Applying the shredded cheddar during the final ten minutes of cooking exposes dairy fats to moderate heat just long enough to melt the proteins without releasing excessive oil that pools on the surface. Textural contrast relies heavily on mechanical barriers against sogginess. While an original variation suggested lining the dish with corn chips, placing them as a garnish at the moment of service preserves their structural crunch against the steaming hot chili base.
