Southwestern flavours for your beef recipes

There's something truly transportive about Southwestern flavours, so why not sample these beef recipes for a dinner that feels like vacation?

Everyone should have tamale pie in their Tex-Mex repertoire. The combination of corn and chili is a real crowd-pleaser. Pre-cooked polenta makes an easy and tasty "crust" for the pie. Corn chips are the perfect crunchy topping, but tortilla chips work as well.

Preparation time: 15 minutes 

Cooking time: 35 minutes 

Serves 6

• 350 g (12 oz) lean ground pork or beef
• 15 g (1 tbsp) chili powder
• 10 g (2 tsp) ground cumin
• 5 g (1 tsp) ground coriander
• 1 g (1/4 tsp) ground chipotle chile pepper
• 2 cans (500 g/16 oz each) refried beans
• 1 jar (500 g/16 oz) mild salsa
• 1 can (400 g/14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 tube (500 g/1 lb) prepared polenta, cut into 0.5 cm (1/4 in) thick slices
• 725-750 g (3 c) corn chips
• 500 g (2 c) shredded Pepper Jack cheese1.Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Coat a 23 x 30 centimetre (9 x 12 inch) baking dish with cooking spray.
  2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork or beef and cook, breaking into smaller pieces with a wooden spoon, until starting to brown, four to five minutes.
  3. Add the chili powder, cumin, coriander and chipotle; cook until fragrant, about 45 seconds.
  4. Add the refried beans, salsa and tomatoes. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, five minutes.
  5. Line the bottom of the baking dish with the polenta slices. Top with the pork mixture then sprinkle with the corn chips and the cheese.
  6. Bake until bubbly and the cheese has melted, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

• If you have a great chili recipe, make this dish your own by substituting your favourite chili for the filling given here.
• If pork or beef are not your favourites, you can substitute ground chicken or turkey or leave the meat out all together and add in a can of red kidney beans as a replacement.

In Italy, they make lasagna with pasta. But in the Southwest United States, they make it with corn tortillas. The results are delicious and the dish is easy to make if you use canned enchilada sauce to get a jump on things.

Prep Time: 25 min 

Cook Time: 1 hr 

Serves 6

• 750 g (1 1/2 lb) ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 can (425 ml/15 oz) enchilada sauce
• 1 can (420 ml/14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes (with juice)
• 1 can (66 ml/2 1/4 oz) sliced ripe olives, drained
• 5 g (1 tsp) salt
• 1 g (1/4 tsp) garlic powder
• 1 g (1/4 tsp) freshly ground black pepper
• 250 g (1 c) small-curd cottage cheese
• 1 egg
• 250 g (1/2 lb) Monterey Jack cheese, thinly sliced
• 8 corn tortillas (18 cm/8 inch), halved
• 125 g (1/2 c) shredded cheddar cheese1. In a large nonstick skillet, brown the beef and onion; drain.
  2. Stir in the enchilada sauce, tomatoes (with juice), olives, salt, garlic powder and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the liquid reduces slightly, about 20 minutes.
  3.In a small bowl, combine the cottage cheese and egg; set aside.
  4. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease a 23 x 35 centimetre (9 x 13 inch) baking dish.
  5. Spread one-third of the meat sauce in the baking dish. Top with half the Monterey Jack, half the cottage cheese mixture and half the tortillas. Repeat the layers, ending with meat sauce. Sprinkle with the cheddar cheese.
  6. Cover and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until bubbly and golden brown, 10 minutes longer.

For bolder flavour, use a mixture of ground beef and ground pork for the sauce and crumble in 125 grams (1/2 cup) spicy chorizo sausage, too.

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