I have to admit when I made these, I was seriously skeptical. But out of ideas for dinner. It sounded good and I figured the worse that could happen was it was messy and didn’t hold together. But it turned out – and turned out good. Plus it was easy, involved no foreign ingredients, and didn’t take 20 hours to complete.
The filling amounts don’t have to be exact – I used left over hamburger that I had already cooked, and salsa that we had canned years ago and it still turned out fine.
Mini Tamale Pies
Crust:
- 1 ½ cups Masa
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 1/3 cup oil
Mix together by hand until dough holds together when squeezed. Divide among 12 muffin tins and press evenly into the cups.
Filling:
- ¾ pound ground beef
- ½ onion
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- 2 Tablespoons vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon oregano
- 1 Teaspoon cumin
- ½ Teaspoon cayenne pepper (or 2 Teaspoons chili powder)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 can crushed tomatoes
- ½ cup chicken broth
Brown the hamburger, onion and garlic together.
Add vinegar and spices. Simmer together for one minute.
Add tomatoes and chicken broth and continue simmering until sauce thickens or evaporates.
Spoon into the masa lined cups.
Bake for 20 minutes.
Top with your favorite toppings.
Tangled Thoughts 
That sounds yummy. Was this the first time that you made them – or have you made them before?
Ive made similar things, but this is the first time like this.