Have you ever had tamales? They’re SO bomb. You wanna know what else is bomb too? Tamal Casserole aka Tamal en Cazuela!
Tamal en cazuela [pronounced tah-mahl en kah-sweh-lah] is essentially Cuban tamales in stew form. A stovetop tamal, if you will.
Cuban tamales are made with cornmeal dough and roast pork is wrapped up in corn husks. So imagine all the delicious flavors of Cuban tamales without all the chore of making the actual tamales which can be very time-consuming. HECK YEAH!
Just picture tender, braised mojo-marinated pork chunks cooked in sweet and savory cornmeal and tomato-based stew. YUM!
This traditional stew is similar to a porridge or polenta-like consistency; it’s thick, and smooth but not gritty. And as with most Latin American dishes, everyone has their own variation. This one is my Cuban family’s recipe.
Let me show you how to make it!
5-Star Recipe
“It was so easy and it tasted just like a tamal without the hard work!”
—Sylvia
Ingredients You’ll Need
Boneless pork shoulder. I like boneless so it’s easier to cut into pieces. You can also use leftover lechon asado (Cuban roast pork). I wouldn’t recommend pork butt since it has more fat than pork shoulder.
Mojo marinade. This citrus marinade is made of orange, lemon, and lime juice, amongst other ingredients, and it gives the pork that classic Cuban citrus flavor. You can use the store-bought kind or make your own using this recipe.
Finely ground yellow corn meal + Cream-style sweet corn. The traditional way to make this recipe is to use real corn kernels and fresh ground corn however, my goal is always to make recipes that are approachable and accessible to anyone in the country. After testing a few variations, I found that using a mixture of finely ground yellow cornmeal with creamy canned sweet corn provided a great consistency and delicious flavor.
Sofrito. Green peppers, onions, and garlic. The base of most Cuban dishes – learn more about Cuban sofrito.
Recommended For This Recipe
Food Processor
If you are making salsas or sauces or simply prepping ingredients, a food processor is a must have! It chops and blends so quickly, saving you so much time!
Dutch Oven
I use a 6-quart Dutch Oven often when I’m making soups and stews and even when I’m cooking other recipes that require long hours of cooking.
How To Make Tamal en Cazuela
Don’t let this recipe intimidate you! This recipe cooks low and slow and the result will be well worth the wait.
- Marinate the pork. In a bowl, add the pork and the mojo marinade. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Marinate for 1 hour.
- Start the corn puree. In a food processor, pulse the cornmeal, cream-style sweet corn, salt, cumin, and black pepper until you get a thick consistency. Set aside.
- Brown the pork. In a large pan or Dutch oven, heat olive oil at medium-high heat. Remove pork from marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Brown the pieces of pork on all sides, in batches, for about 8-10 minutes. Remove the cooked pork pieces with a slotted spoon. Set aside.
- Sauté the sofrito. In the same Dutch oven with the pork drippings, add the onions and green peppers. Sauté at medium heat until tender, about 5 minutes, then add the minced garlic. Sauté for 1 minute.
- Add the rest of the ingredients. Next, stir in corn mixture from the food processor, cooked pork pieces, dry cooking wine, tomato sauce, and water. Reduce heat to low.
- Simmer and stir! Simmer for 30-35 minutes, at low heat, until the mixture has thickened, stirring regularly to keep the mixture from sticking to the bottom of the Dutch oven. When your wooden spoon can stand up straight in the Dutch oven, it’s ready. Taste and adjust salt again.
- Serve immediately with white rice, sweet plantains, and/or sliced avocado.
Tips & Tricks
- Stir regularly. The tamal mixture can stick to the bottom of the pot and burn very quickly so don’t forget to stir.
- Make sure it’s a thick consistency. The consistency should be smooth and thick like porridge or polenta rather than runny or gritty. If the stew is not thick, stir in cornmeal in 1/4 cup increments (or less) until thickened. If it’s too thick, add water in 1/4 cup increments (or less) until smooth. Eyeball it until you get a perfectly thick consistency.
- Wooden spoon trick. This trick will help you figure out when the tamal en cazuela is ready. When you place a wooden spoon in the middle of the pot and it can stand up straight on its own, it’s ready!
Storage Tips
You can transfer any leftovers to an airtight container and place them in the fridge for up to 4 days. I would not recommend freezing this dish as it will not freeze well.
Tamal en Cazuela (Cuban Tamal Casserole)
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless pork shoulder cut into 1/2-inch pieces or shredded
- 1/2 cup mojo marinade
- 2 cups finely ground yellow cornmeal
- 2 cans cream-style sweet corn (14-ounce each)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 small white onion finely diced
- 1 small green pepper finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 cup Spanish cooking wine
- 4 ounces tomato sauce
- 2 cups water
- Chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions
- In a food processor, pulse the cornmeal, cream-style sweet corn, salt, cumin, and black pepper until you get a thick consistency. Set aside.
- In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, heat olive oil at medium heat. Remove pork from marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Brown the pieces of pork on all sides, in batches, for about 8-10 minutes. Remove the cooked pork pieces with a slotted spoon. Set aside.
- In the same Dutch oven with the pork drippings, add the onions and green peppers. Sauté at medium heat until tender, about 5 minutes, then add the minced garlic. Sauté for 1 minute.
- Next, stir in corn mixture from the food processor, cooked pork pieces, dry cooking wine, tomato sauce, and water. Reduce heat to low.
- Simmer for 30-35 minutes, until the mixture has thickened, stirring continuously to keep the mixture from sticking to the bottom of the Dutch oven. This mixture can burn very quickly so be sure to keep stirring!
- The consistency should be smooth and thick like porridge or polenta rather than runny or gritty. If it’s not thick, stir in cornmeal in 1/4 cup increments until thickened. If it’s too thick, add water in 1/4 cup increments until smooth.
- When your wooden spoon can stand up straight in the Dutch oven, it’s ready! Taste and adjust salt again. Serve immediately and garnish with chopped parsley. Enjoy!
Jack says
Hi. Love your recipes. a friend says his mother makes Tamal en Cazuela using beef. I’ve never heard of that. Do you think it would work with your recipe? If so, beef shoulder?
Thanks.
Jamie Silva says
I’ve never used beef for tamal en cazuela but try it out and report back! :)
Laura says
Tremendo!! I’ve been looking for a recipe that was easy but still tasted traditional. Can’t wait to make it! Thank you for this!!
Maria Beyra says
I’m trying to make it but I don’t understand wwhat you do with the marinating. Do you throw that away?😳. Why can’t you use that as part of the sofrito? Do you mean to use a new onion, new garlic? Why can’t you just add the green peppers to marinate and use that as your base?
Jamie Silva says
Hi Maria, yes, I personally recommend you discard the marinade because of the raw meat that was marinating in it. When marinade comes into contact with raw meat, it can pick up harmful bacteria that can make you very sick. You, however, can do whatever you’d like. :)
Sylvia Johnson says
IT WAS SO EASY AND IT TASTED JUST LIKE A TAMAL WITHOUT THE HARD WORK.
Jamie Silva says
So happy you enjoyed it!!
Alex says
What kind of pepper? Jalapeño?
Jamie Silva says
Green bell peppers!
Alb0315 says
I would really love to make this and I just wanted to ask if I can use the instant Masa meal in place of the corn meal? I bought a bunch of it and I figured I’d ask if it would work here. Thank you so much!!
Jamie Silva says
Hi! I’ve never used instant masa meal so I can’t say that it will work for this recipe.
ALB0315 says
I think I called it by the wrong name. It’s the masa harina mix and the ingredients are corn and hydrated lime? I think it’s actually called Masa Harina? Thank you!
Jamie Silva says
You can try it but like I said, I’ve never used it before so I can’t really predict how it will turn out. Good luck! :)
Louis Gonzalez says
YOU ARE THE BEST
Jamie Silva says
Thank you!
Sylvia says
Hi, I’d love to make this Tamal en Cazuela recipe, however, I don’t eat any kind of meat, have you any suggestions to incorporate the flavor I’d be missing by not using pork?
Thank you in advance,
Sylvia B
Jamie Silva says
Hi! All you will be missing is pork flavor by not adding pork. It will still taste like a corn tamal by itself. Enjoy!