In large saucepan, combine contents of all the cans and simmer uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes. Serve in bowls, topped with 2 TB. cheddar cheese and a handful of corn chips.

This recipe is so mid-'60s, "The I Hate To Cook Cookbook," with everything out of cans. Not even added salt and pepper in the the original recipe! Jack and I call this kind of dish a "can-can-casserole."

Combine chili, cream cheese and cottage cheese in saucepan, and heat through, stirring to blend. Stir in sour cream and a dash of salt and heat through, but do not let boil. Serve over squares of hot cornbread.

OMG! I imagine this would look like a chili-tinged white glop. Perhaps it would be more authentic to serve it over Wonder Bread.

Lightly brown meat and drain off excess fat. Add onion and green pepper and cook until tender. Stir in macaroni and next five ingredients. Cover and simmer 20 minutes. Stir in sour cream and heat through, but do not boil. Top with grated Parmesan cheese.

Looks to be a goulash-like Hamburger Helper, but with pork. If I were making this, I'd halve the amount of sugar and double the amount of chili powder.

This cookbook appears to be deathly afraid of boiling the sour cream.

In large skillet, cook onion and pepper in butter until tender. Stir in chili, corn and olives, bring to boil. Add cheese and stir to melt. Pour into baking pan. Prepare muffin mix according to package directions. Spoon dough in diagonal bands across top of casserole. Bake at 400° for 15-20 minutes.

This one seems very much like a tamale pie, although named differently. Note how no additional spices, even salt and pepper, are required ... I guess that's what makes it "jiffy" cooking.

Combine half of the chips with 3/4 of the cheese, the chili, the sauces and the onion. Pour into baking pan. Bake uncovered at 375° for 30 minutes. Spread top of mixture with sour cream, then sprinkle with cheese and corn chips and bake five minutes longer.

Corn chips -- check. Sour cream -- check. Also: instant onion!

I imagine this casserole would come out of the oven rather soupy.

Combine soup, cheese and milk, and beat until smooth. Stir in chicken, chilis and onion. In a baking dish, layer half the corn chips, then half the cheese mixture, then half the corn chips, then finish with the cheese. Bake uncovered at 350° for 30 minutes.

Seems like an excuse to eat a lot of corn chips. And nothing says "Mexico!" like pasteurized process cheese spread and a can of condensed cream soup.

Reserve one cup of the corn chips and 1/2 cup of the cheese. Combine remaining chips and cheese with the chili, enchilada sauce, tomato sauce and onion. Pour into baking dish and bake uncoverd at 375° for 30 minutes. Spread top with remaining sour cream, then top with cheese and corn chips and bake for 5 more minutes.

Hey! This recipe is practically identical with Jiffy Cooking's "Enchilada Casserole!" What a gyp!

Sauté beef in the shortening. Add onion, garlic, salt and majoram, and cook for five minutes. Stir in flour, then stir in chili sauce and water. Cover and simmer until tender. Stir in raisins and olives. In another pan, heat more shortening. Dip each tortilla in hot fat, then in the chili, then arrange in a 9" x 13" backing dish overlapping five on bottom and extending up both ends, with two on each side. Fill with chili, saving 1/2 cup of the liquid. Top with remaining three tortillas. Lap side and end tortillas over top. Moisten top with chili liquid. Bake, uncovered, at 325° for 30 minutes.

Sunset Magazine is about "Western living," with an associated proximity to Mexico, so it's no wonder this one seems more authentic than the Better Homes and Gardens recipes.

In a skillet, sauté onion and green pepper in oil until onion is golden. Blend in flour. Stir in garlic, ham, corn, tomato juice, raisins and chili powder, and heat to boiling. Meanwhile, prepare muffin mix as directed on package. Pour hot ham mixture into a greased baking dish, then spoon muffin batter around edges. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes.

This is the only tamale pie recipe I've come across where ham is the featured meat.

In oven-going skillet blend cheese sauce with milk over low heat, then stir in enchilada sauce. Add frozen meatballs, hominy and chilis. Bring to boiling, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with corn chips and transfer to oven. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes.

First appearances of hominy and meatballs, second appearance of process cheese spread.

Drain canned vegetables and toss with celery and eggs. Blend remaining ingredients together and toss with vegetables. Cover and chill thoroughly.

This Mexican-inspired salad is ... um ... well .. frankly, I just can't picture it.

Cook onion, green pepper and meat until vegetables are just tender. Add the next 7 ingredients and a dash of pepper. Simmer 20 to 25 minutes or until thickened. Add cheese and stir until melted. Pour into 9" x 9" baking dish. For cornmeal topper, stir corn meal and salt into cold water. Cook and stir until thick. Add butter and mix well. Spoon over meat mixture, making narrow stripes. Bake at 375° for 40 minutes or until top is browned.

This recipe is pretty much what I think of, when I think of classic tamale pie. Note how this recipe, from an earlier series of Better Homes and Gardens cookbooks, is a little more involved and doesn't rely as much on canned ingredients as the later '60s cookbooks.

Divide beef, onion and green pepper between two large skillets. Cook until meat is browned and vegetables are tender, then drain off excess fat. Divide next six ingredients and 4 cups of the chips between the two skillets; mix. Simmer for 5 minutes. Turn into two baking dishes and bake, uncovered, ar 350° for 35 minutes. Sprinkle remaining chips and cheese atop casseroles. Bake five minutes longer.

I was wondering why this recipe made so much food, but then I noticed it was in the "quantity cooking" chapter. I'd increase the amount of chili powder, since it's supposed to serve 24.

In skillet cook meat and onion until meat is browned, then drain off fat. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, raisins, eggs, salt, Worcestershire and hot pepper sauce. Bring to boiling and boil uncovered for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, using two cups biscuit mix, prepare dumplings following directions on biscuit mix package. Turn boiling meat mixture into baking dish, and top with with dumplings. Sprinkle dumplings with cornmeal. Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 20 minutes, or until dumplings are done.

No longer just Mexican-Style, possibly by the addition of such stereotypical Mexican ingredients as Worcestershire sauce, hardboiled eggs and dumplings.

In skillet cook meat, onion and peppers until meat is browned. Stir in tomato sauce, corn, olives, garlic, sugar, salt, chili powder and pepper. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes or until thick. Add cheese and stir until cheese is melted. Turn into greased baking dish. For cornmeal topper, stir cornmeal and salt into water and cook and stir until thick. Mix in butter. Spoon over boiling meat mixture, and bake at 375° for 40 minutes.

Another classic tamale pie recipe, with another cornmeal topping. I'd make this today ... although I'd use something other than American cheese.

Fry tortillas in hot oil until crisp. Drain and break into pieces. Cook beef and onion in skillet until meat is lightly browned. Stir in soup. Add remaining ingredients and tortillas. Turn into casserole dish and bake at 350° for 1 hour, stirring once or twice while baking.

Somehow I can't picture this one either. I may have to make it just to find out.

I just finished inputting all the preceding recipes, and it was time for lunch. Guess what I was hungry for ...

For this tamale pie, I browned ground sausage with chopped onions and red bell peppers, and added cans of corn, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, kidney beans and chopped black olives. Seasoned it with chili powder, salt and pepper. Then I put it in a baking dish and topped with thinly sliced polenta (pre-made, from the supermarket) and then topped that with pepper jack cheese. Baked at 375° for 35 minutes, sprinkled some chopped green onions, and there you have it.

I served it to Jack with a green salad with poppyseed dressing, and he was pleased with the result. I think I could have upped the spice/heat level of the tamale pie a bit. Some sour cream would have been a nice addition at the end, but the main problem was a too-soft texture. Some crumbled corn chips would have provided a much-appreciated crunchiness ... which proves that those vintage cookbook authors knew what they were doing.

In large skillet, cook ground beef, onion and garlic until meat is browned and onion is tender. Stir in the remaining ingredients, and turn into baking dish. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until knife inserted comes out clean. Cut in squares.

Hmm, this firmer version of the traditional recipe sounds interestingly modular, like a Bisquick "impossible pie."

In large skillet, cook onion in butter until tender. Add sauce from canned tamales. Stir in corn, tomato sauce, chili powder and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer uncovered for five minutes, then add 1/2 cup of the cheese. Cut tamales in half lengthwise, arrange cut side up on corn mixture. Heat, then trim with remaining cheese and olives.

Vintage cookbooks, especially from this era, often take a canned product and dress it up a bit ... with other canned items. You're rarely going to see that in any modern, "serious" cookbook ... although it is still how many people in this country cook.

Cook onion in butter, then add spaghetti and chili and heat through. Top with cheese and serve over corn chips.

This, frankly, doesn't sound very appetizing. Canned spaghetti ... ugh.

A Google search of "chiletti" turns up no reference to a food of that name.

Cook onion, green pepper and meat until the vegetables are just tender. Add the next 7 ingredients and a dash of pepper. Simmer 20 to 25 minutes or until thickened. Add cheese and stir until it is melted. Pour into a baking dish and bake at 375° for 1 hour and 15 minutes. For cornmeal topper, stir corn meal and salt into cold water. Cook and stir until thick. Add butter and mix well. Spoon over the hot meat mixture, making narrow stripes. Bake for another 40 minutes or until top is browned.

This Tamale Pie version is very similar to the Meals With A Foreign Flair version, although this one calls for slightly less meat and a much longer cooking time. I like that idea -- I prefer a firmer texture to a soupier one.

Combine meat with beaten egg, onion and 3/4 tsp. salt. Shape into small meatballs. Brown in melted shortening in a large skillet. Drain off excess fat, then sprinkle flour over meat, stirring lightly. Add remaining ingredients except for beans and cheese. Simmer until slightly thickened. Stir in drained beans and spoon into greased casserole dish. Bake at 400° for 30 minutes. Several minutes before end of baking time, top with cheese triangles.

What this recipe gains in Mexican authenticity with the cumin and the cinnamon, it loses with the wax beans and the American cheese triangles.

If I were to make this today, I'd replace the wax beans with kidney, pinto or black beans.

Brown beef and onion in small amount of shortening. Sauté cut tortillas until crisp. Drain. Combine all ingredients except half of cheese. Spoon into greased casserole dish, then top with remaining cheese. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.

Hmm ... this might be my mother's taco pie recipe, if you substituted Fritos for the tortilla strips.

In medium skillet combine cheese soup, tomato sauce, chicken and rice. Simmer over low heat for 5 minutes. Place tamales over mixture, cover, and cook until tamales are hot, about 10 minutes.

I can't recall the last time I bought, used or ate packaged precooked rice.

Heat the butter and oil in a skillet and fry the onion until golden. Add the ground beef and sausage and brown slightly. In another pan, heat tomatoes, corn, salt and chili powder and simmer for 20 minutes. Combine with the meat and pour into a casserole dish. Press olives into the mixture. Combine the cornmeal, milk and eggs and spread with a spoon over the filling. Sprinkle grated cheese over top, and bake at 350° for an hour.

This earlier cookbook presumes a little bit more experience and knowledge of cooking. And look! Olive oil!

Mix everything together and bake at 375° for 40 minutes.

The editors of this Sunset All-Western Foods cookbook have kindly provided the easier, canned version of the preceding recipe.

Brown the ground turkey or beef and pork in a skillet. Add onion, garlic, tomatoes, corn, chili powder, salt and cayenne pepper. Cook 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Turn mixture into casserole dish. In a medium bowl, stir together corn muffin mix, egg and milk. Spread batter over meat mixture in casserole. Bake for 30 minutes at 350°.

Leap ahead a few decades, even to a willingly retro cookbook, like this Midwestern one I picked up in Wall, South Dakota, in the summer of 2008, and you see a few ingredients you wouldn't have seen back in the day, such as cayenne and ground turkey.

Brown beef and onion in skillet, then spoon into baking pan and mix in seasoning mix, tomato sauce and corn. Sprinkle with cheese and set aside. Mix all topping ingredients and pour over beef mixture. Bake for 35 minutes at 350°.

This fascinating cookbook is one of my favorites. Author Jean Anderson even chronicles the history of tamale pie, noting that the earliest references were during World War One, when women were urged to save meat. Tamale pie as it later became known probably first appeared in print around 1943, when both Sunset Magazine and The Joy of Cooking published recipes. And tamale pie then became the postwar "darling of potluck suppers," according to Gerry Schremp of Kitchen Culture: Fifty Years of Food Fads (which sounds like a book I'd like to read).

Grease pie plate. Brown beef and onion in skillet, then drain of excess fat. Stir in seasoning mix and spread in pie plate. Sprinkle with chilis. Stir Bisquick, milk and eggs until blended. Pour into pie plate. Bake 25 minutes at 400°. Sprinkle with cheese, then bake 10 minutes more. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Hardly anything is more suburban than dinner entrees made with Bisquick. I'm surprised at the lack of tomato sauce in this recipe, though.

In a skillet, heat and saute onions. Add garlic and ground beef. Blend in tomatoes, then enchilada sauce and olives, including their liquid. Add salt and pepper to taste. When mixture comes to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, heat the 1/4 cup oil in a small frying pan and saute the tortillas, a few seconds on each side, until they are just soft. Drain on paper towels and cut in half. Beat together the cottage cheese and the egg. Once the meat has cooked, grease a baking dish and spread in layers first 1/3 of the meat topped with the jack cheese, then half the cottage cheese, finished with half the tortillas. Repeat, using 1/3 of the meat, the remaining jack cheese, the remaining cottage cheese, and the rest of the tortilla halves. Spread with the remaining meat and top with the cheddar and a border of crushed tortilla chips. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 20 minutes.

A little more involved (and "gourmet") than the usual tamale pie.

In a mixing bowl stir together the undrained tomatoes, sugar, oregano, Worcestershire sauce, hot pepper sauce, and salt and pepper. Using a spoon, break up the tomato pieces. Stir in the onion and green pepper and set aside. In a skillet, brown the sausage and drain off the excess fat. Coarsely crush the corn chips and place in a baking dish. Spoon hot meat over corn chips and top with cheese slices. Bake at 350° for 12 minutes. Sprinkle with lettuce and tomato mixture. Add taco sauce if desired.

A comment by the recipe notes that "This casserole offers all the flavors of traditional tacos, without the hassle." Possibly, if your traditional tacos include Worcestershire sauce, stewed tomatoes and American cheese.

Cook onion and green pepper in butter until tender, then add chili. Remove shucks from tamales, and arrange spoke-fashion on top. Cover and heat 15 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese before serving.

This also has a recipe for "Mexican Tamale Pie" similar to the other BH&G recipes, but with black olive slices on top. It also notes: "For a Mexican meal, serve with refried beans, lettuce and tomato salad, crisp tortillas, jam-filled turnovers, and hot coffee."

Mix together all the ingredients except for the crescent rolls and 1/3 cup of the tortilla chips. Take the crescent rolls and unroll each individual piece. On a round baking pan, make a circle by connecting all the large ends together. Press together. With an ice cream scoop, place scoop of enchilada mixture on each fat side of the triangle. When all triangles have mixture on them. take the small side of the triangle and fold over the mixture, pressing it into the fat side to seal. Before cooking, put remaining chips on top of the ring. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.

Courtesy of my cousin Vivian, from the cookbook produced by my mom's side of the family.

Heat oil in skillet and brown the meat. Add onion, jalapeno and salt and cook until onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in chili powder, garlic, tomato paste, oregano, cumin and cayenne and cook for a minute. Stir in diced tomatoes. Off the heat, stir in balck beans, corn, cheese, cilantro and lime juice, and season with salt and pepper. Place in a baking dish and spread the cornbread mix (prepared as directed) evenly over the filling. Bake at 375° for 45 minutes.

As befits the authors' name and reputation, this is probably the best and most complete tamale pie recipe you're likely to come across. Just look: lime juice! Cilantro! Cayenne and cumin!

Commentary accompanying the recipe notes that tasters preferred a cornbread topping to a tamale topping made with masa. Also: "A good pie contains a juicy, spicy mixture of meat and vegetables encased in or topped with a cornmeal crust. The flavors please adults and children alike, making it a popular weeknight supper option."

Cook salt pork in skillet for several minutes, then add onion and garlic and saute until onion is soft. Stir in tomatoes, corn, olives, bell pepper and cayenne. Stir cornmeal into the milk, then beat in the eggs. Slowly add cornmeal mixture to the skillet with the salt pork mixture, stirring constantly. Bring to a slow boil, then cook over low heat for 15 minutes. Pour into greased loaf pans and bake for 45 minutes. To serve, pour white sauce over each slice, scattering ripe olives on top.

The author denigrates this recipe ("The tamale loaf ... was an example of Domestic Scientist cookery at its highest and worst") and notes that it hasn't been tested, but is of historical interest as an early (1920s) version of tamale pie.

Heat oven to 425°. Combine 1/4 cup flour, 1 tsp. chili powder, salt and pepper in 2-qt. casserole dish. Add stew meat and coat with flour mixture. Add oil. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes, then remove from oven and decrease oven temperature to 300°. Add rest of flour and chili powder, plus onion soup mix and hot water. Mix well, then cover and bake at 300° for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until meat is tender. Add kidney beans and corn. Return to oven for 15 minutes.

The recipe recommends serving with Pillsbury biscuits that have been dipped in milk and then corn meal before baking.

Heat oven to 425°. Beat egg slightly in mixing bowl, then add ground beef, corn, cracker crumbs, chili sauce, pepper flakes, onion and oregano. Mix well. Press meat mixture into pastry-lined pie pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Mix the topping, then spread on the filling, top with olives and optional bacon, and bake an additional five minutes or until cheese melts.

Original recipe called for sweet pepper flakes, which I've never seen. Must be a 1968 thing. I've substituted a smaller amount of red pepper flakes.

Heat oven to 425°. Place butter and cream cheese in 9" pie pan. Place in oven to melt butter. Remove from oven and add flour, and mix until a dough forms. Press in bottom and sides of pie pan. Combine hash, green pepper, chili sauce, chili powder and onion powder. Spoon into pastry, then sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown.

I think I've seen onion powder around, but you could substitute real onion. Note how all these Pillsbury recipes take a number of shortcuts by using already-prepared foods, like the canned hash.

For sauce, cook chopped onion in oil until tender. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, garlic, chilis, sugar, salt, and chili powder; simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. For filling, combine chicken and next four ingredients. Top each tortilla with 2 to 3 TB. filling and 1 TB. cheese, and roll up. Arrange in baking dish. Pour sauce over all. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and olive slices. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until heated.

This recipe was seeming fairly authentic, right up until the American sharp process cheese.

This cookbook also has a "Jiffy Mexican Dinner" recipe that is identical to the Better Homes and Gardens Casserole Cook Book's "Jiffy Tamale Chili," with the exception of a substitution of butter for shortening.

For sauce, cook in a skillet the mushrooms, green pepper and onion in butter until the mushrooms are tender. Stir in flour, then add milk all at once. Cook and stir until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 2 minutes more. Add the 1 cup shredded cheese, pimento and hot pepper sauce, stirring until the cheese is melted. Gradually stir some of the hot mixture into the sour cream. Return the sour cream mixture to the skillet and stir. Break one egg into a small dish. Slide egg into skillet, holding edge of dish as close to the sauce as possible. Repeat with remaining eggs, and let eggs simmer, covered, for 3 to 5 minutes or until eggs are soft-cooked. Top each toasted English muffin half with an egg, then spoon the sauce over. Top the eggs with remaining 1/2 cup cheese and a little paprika.

Even up to the '80s, American cheese beats out the alternatives in the land of Better Homes and Gardens.

Sprinkle broken tortilla chips over bottom of a greased baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese. In a medium bowl beat together eggs, milk, chili peppers, onion, catsup, salt and hot pepper sauce, and pour over cheese in dish. Cover and refrigerate several hours or overnight. Bake in a 325° oven for 55 minutes. Garnish with whole tortilla chips and halved tomato slices.

One step forward towards a better dish, with the Monterey Jack cheese ... and a step backwards, with the catsup.

In a large frying pan, heat enchilada sauce with green pepper. Carefully break eggs into the bubbling sauce. Cover pan, lower heat, and cook until eggs are set. Serve each egg on top of a roasted English muffin half, with some of the sauce spooned over.

Original recipe called for dried bell pepper ... ick.
This looks to be a much simpler version of Mexicali Poached Eggs.

Heat oven to 375°. Spray 8-in. glass baking dish with cooking spray. In a skillet, cook ground beef and onion over medium-high heat for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cooked. Drain off fat. Stir in taco seasoning mix. In bowl, stir Bisquick and water until soft dough forms. Put dough in bottom of baking dish and create a bottom crust, allowing dough to extend up 1/2 inch up sides of the dish. In same bowl, mix sour cream, cheese and mayonnaise. Layer beef mixture, tomato and chilies over dough, then spoon sour cream mixture over top. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until edges of dough are light golden-brown.

This looks very pizza-like to me ... but a lot of Bisquick recipes do.

Heat oven to 400°. Spray 9" glass pie plate with cooking spray. In a skillet, cook turkey and onion over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until turkey is browned. Sprinkle in taco seasoning, then spread in pie plate. Top with chilies. In bowl, mix the Bisquick, milk and eggs together. Pour into pie plate. Bake 25 minutes. Top with cheese and tomato, and bake 3 minutes more. Let stand 5 minutes before serving, then sprinkle with lettuce and onions.

Again, this looks very pizza-like ...

Sauté the onion and garlic in the oil for five minutes, then add the beef and brown it. Add salt, chili powder, tomatoes and Tabasco, then cover and cook for 15 minutes. Stir in the cornmeal and milk and cook for another 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the corn and the olives. Pack mixture into two greased loaf pans, brush the tops with oil, and bake at 325° for an hour.

This unusual recipe is from a cookbook notorious for its "why make it from scratch when you can open a can?" philosophy.

Preheat oven to 400°. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and cok the tortillas until golden, about 3 minutes. Remove to a paper towel and drain. Add onion to pan and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add cayenne and garlic then the pork and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook and break up the meat until browned. Stir in tomatoes, chilies and corn. Bring to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Season with salt. Remove from heat and stir in the cilantro. Arrange tortillas in bottom of a pie plate. Top with half the meat micture, then half the cheese. Repeat wth remaining tortillas, meat and cheese. Cover loosely with foil and bake about 10 minutes.

Faux Mexican survives even until 2011 ... but I guess it's slowly becoming more and more indistinguishable from a rather ordinary authentic Mexican recipe.