These Hot Tamales have a bean and cheese filling that is a little spicy! For under $6.50, this is a great dinner recipe that keeps well in the freezer. Tamales are definitely a time consuming dish to make so they are usually filled with love and only for special occasions! Or, you can make a huge batch and have them on hand when you want a quick meal!

Use the same masa recipe and fill with left over picadillo or chorizo queso fundido!

Print Recipe

Bean and Cheese Hot Tamales

Cuisine

Mexican

Keyword

Cheese, Dinner, Tamales

Prep Time

1 Hour

Cook Time

2 Hours

Servings

Tamales

Ingredients

Bean & Cheese Filling

• 1 16 oz can Refried Beans
• 1 4 oz can Diced Green Chilis
• 1 4 oz can Diced Jalapeños
• 1 8 oz bag Shredded Cheese I used a Mexican blend but pepper jack or cheddar or a colby jack would be good.

Masa (dough)

• 4 oz Lard
• 1 oz Butter room temperature, I used salted but unsalted works too
• 1.75 cups Masa Flour instant corn flour - can be called Maseca or Masa Harina
• 1/2 teaspoon Cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
• 16 oz Beef Broth I used the low sodium from Kroger.
• Water
• 20 Corn Husks dried, for tamales

Cuisine Mexican Keyword Cheese, Dinner, Tamales Prep Time 1 Hour Cook Time 2 Hours Servings Tamales Ingredients Bean & Cheese Filling 1 16 oz can Refried Beans 1 4 oz can Diced Green Chilis 1 4 oz can Diced Jalapeños 1 8 oz bag Shredded Cheese I used a Mexican blend but pepper jack or cheddar or a colby jack would be good. Masa (dough) 4 oz Lard 1 oz Butter room temperature, I used salted but unsalted works too 1.75 cups Masa Flour instant corn flour - can be called Maseca or Masa Harina 1/2 teaspoon Cumin 1/2 teaspoon Salt 1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper 16 oz Beef Broth I used the low sodium from Kroger. Water 20 Corn Husks dried, for tamales

Instructions

Masa

1. With an electric or stand mixer blend the lard and butter together until smooth.
2. In a separate bowl combine the masa flour, cumin, salt, pepper, and beef broth. Mix together until a thick paste is formed.
3. Add the masa paste a little at a time to the lard mixture and blend until combined. The dough should be the consistency of a grainy play-doh. If it is crumbly or too thick add a little water.

Bean & Cheese Filling

1. Combine the beans, green chilis, and jalapeños in a bowl. Stir to combine.

Tamales

1. Soak the corn husks in water for 30 minutes before filling to make them pliable. Drain before filling.
2. Spread a large dollop (about 1/4 cup) of masa onto the bottom half of the smooth side of a corn husk. Spread the masa into a thin layer (I like more filling than masa so I spread the masa fairly thin). Leave about 1/4" of corn husk uncovered on the right and left for wrapping.
3. Sprinkle a large handful of cheese down the middle of the masa.
4. Spoon a thick line of bean and pepper mixture on top of the cheese (about 1/4 cup, depending how big your corn husks are). Don't take the filling all the way to the edge of the masa because the masa needs to touch together when you roll the tamale or all of the filling will explode out when you cook it.
5. To roll the tamale, bring both sides (right and left) of the corn husk together so that the masa on both sides touches. Gently squeeze this together and then fold the seam over to one side. Fold part of the corn husk with no masa (the top of the triangle) up so that it meets the tamale. Optional: tie this together with a strip of corn husk or string.
6. Place all of the tamales, with the open ends up, in a steamer. Steam with a lid for 1.5-2.5 hours, until the masa peels away from the husk easily. If they are still sticking after 1.5 hours, continue to steam. The more you pack your steamer the longer it will take.

Recipe Notes

Total Recipe Cost: $6.34

Masa Cost: $2.64 Here's a link to the masa I used.

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