Beef Taco Pie with Masa Crust

This Beef Taco Pie is like a combination between a classic (American) taco and a tamale. The crust is made up of a masarepa dough, it’s filled with a classic beef taco mixture and ooey-gooey melted cheese, then topped with all of your favorite fixings!

Beef Taco Pie Recipe

This is the taco pie of your dreams! Think of it as one giant taco baked in a pie dish with the best soft masa crust. It’s great for mixing it up for a fun weeknight taco Tuesday meal! There are a few steps involved: making and baking the crust, cooking the filling, then assembling and baking it. BUT I made it during a weeknight three times in less than two weeks, so I can confidently say this is a weeknight option. If you’ve got kids at home like I do, leaving the taco toppings a la carte on the table (instead of piling them on top of the finished pie) is a fun way to get the kids involved and dress up their slice!

Ingredients Needed to Make Taco Pie

Here is an overview of the ingredients needed to make this pie! Keeping scrolling down for the full recipe!

• masarepa
• spices
• butter
• ground beef
• onion
• cornstarch
• tomato paste
• beef broth
• refried beans
• salsa
• shredded cheese
• taco toppings

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So what is masarepa?

I was first introduced to masarepa from my Colombian husband John, who many years ago ran an arepa business back in his home country. Masarepa is the “flour” used to make arepas, which are traditional Colombian corn cakes. It also can be used to make empanadas or tamales. The masarepa is made from corn and treated with lime, and can be listed as “pre-cooked” or “instant”. It is similar to cornmeal, but not interchangeable.

Masarepa is made with both white corn and yellow corn and either will work here. The two most common brands out there are P.A.N. or Goya, and can be found in most grocery stores or small Latinx markets.

Can you use masa harina?

You can use masa harina with similar results, but the ratio of water to masa will be different. Try to find the masarepa if possible before you use masa harina. But with the masa it will be roughly a 1-1 ratio of water to masa.

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How do you make the masa crust:

The masarepa dough is really easy to work with. You mix the masarepa with some spices and salt and then add some hot water and optional butter. My husband’s family often adds butter to their arepas, so I picked up that trick from them. Using hot water is useful for a few reasons:

1. It helps dissolve the salt to evenly distribute it in the dough
2. It melts the butter to evenly distribute in the dough
3. And it makes the dough easier to work with

Make sure to mix the dough well. Then, give it minute or two to sit and thicken up. The dough should be soft, like playdough, but it shouldn’t be so wet that it sticks to your hand.

After you mix the dough together you can pat it into the 9″ pie plate. You could probably roll out the dough between two pieces of plastic, but patting it into the plate is quick and easy so I’ve always done it that way. Next, you’ll pre-bake the crust until it is cooked through. The crust isn’t the same as a traditional pie crust, it will be soft instead of crispy, which makes it more like a tamale.

Make Ahead Instructions for Beef Taco Pie

You can prepare the beef mixture up to 3 days ahead of time. However, make and bake the masa crust right before you plan to serve.

Suggestions for Topping the Taco Pie

• shredded lettuce
• diced tomato
• pickled jalapenos
• thinly sliced red onion
• diced avocado
• black olives
• hot sauce
• salsa
• shredded cheese

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