By: Franchesca Livraghi | @breakthrukitchen

Tamal en cazuela is a quick and easy way to enjoy all the flavors of traditional Cuban tamales without the long hours of prep. If you’ve got 40 minutes and the basic ingredients for tamales Cubanos, you’re all set to enjoy this nostalgic dish. 

What’s the difference between tamales and tamal en cazuela?

The main difference between tamales and tamal en cazuela comes down to how they're made. With traditional tamales, the cornmeal dough is spread around a tasty filling, wrapped up in corn husks or banana leaves, and steamed until perfectly cooked. It’s delicious but definitely a labor of love since each tamal is individually wrapped, it can easily take an entire day to prepare tamales.

Tamal en cazuela, though, is like a lazy version of tamales (in the best way!) You just throw all the ingredients you’d find in traditional tamal into a caldero and cook it up like a one pot casserole. Plus, with Loisa's Classic Sofrito, a lot of the work is already done for you so no need to chop up extra veggies. Similarly, some people like to make their own Adobo to add in, but I like using Loisa's Organic Adobo to cut out that additional step. You get the same comforting flavors, but it’s way easier and faster without all that wrapping and steaming. 

Use medium grain cornmeal

When making tamal en cazuela, you’re going to want to go with medium grain cornmeal. Coarse cornmeal will be too gritty and fine cornmeal will be too smooth, but medium grain will be just right.

Medium grain cornmeal thickens up perfectly without turning into mush, giving you that rich, hearty consistency that makes tamal en cazuela so comforting. If you go too fine, you'll end up with something closer to porridge than a casserole, so medium grain is definitely the way to go!

Adjust the consistency to your liking

Adjusting the consistency of your tamal en cazuela is all about personal preference. If you like a thicker, more solid casserole, cook it a bit longer to reduce the mixture. For a creamier or looser texture, just add an extra ¼ cup water while it's cooking until you get the texture you prefer.

Remember, the casserole will thicken up a bit more as it cools, so tweak the consistency to your liking while it's still cooking.

Easily make it vegetarian

Making a vegetarian version of tamal en cazuela is super easy. Just swap the pork for something hearty like mushrooms or black beans. You could also throw in some more veggies while it’s cooking, like sliced bell peppers and onions.

How to store leftover tamal en cazuela

If you’ve got leftover tamal en cazuela, just let it cool to room temperature, then store it in an airtight container. It’ll stay good in the fridge for 3-4 days and when you’re ready to dig in again, just reheat it on the stove with a little water to loosen the mixture and get it nice and creamy. 

Broth works really well too to refresh the flavors and get the tamal en cazuela back to the right consistency. It will thicken up quite a bit in the fridge, so this step is crucial!

You can also freeze it for up to 2 months, just be sure to thaw it in the fridge the night before you plan on reheating. And if you like to add extra pork chunks on top, store those separately so you can easily assemble everything fresh when you're ready to eat.