Spinach Tamal With Jalapeño & Cheese!

Spinach tamal? Then add jalapeño and cheese? I’m in! And here I thought I was all done with preparing tamales for a minute. The thing is I love preparing tamales and do find myself preparing them several time a year. Another more traditional combination is swiss chard(aceglas) and cheese tamal. Lucky for me, I had a huge container of baby spinach in my refrigerator and plenty of cheese. I am all for using what’s available and making it work.

Several days ahead I start planning in my head when it comes to preparing tamales!

I promise, I am not a freak, lol! You could probably walk into my pantry and refrigerator and find all of the ingredients to prepare tamales, mole, pozole and all kinds of homemade salsa. Besides the fact that I love to cook, I am not a fan of running to the market every two days. I learned to prepare masa for tamales using masa harina because I had no other choice. I lived in an area where there was no Hispanic community ands no Mexican markets. The masa harina version is quite delicious and prefer it over masa that comes prepared already. Millions of people use masa preparada(prepared masa), but the few times I used it, the masa was just not quite right. My parents purchased masa quebrada (fresh ground coarse masa) when they prepared hundreds of tamales back in the day.

What are my favorite brands?

In the height of tamal season I always get asked these questions over and over. What is my favorite masa harina, lard and cheese for tamales? My favorite masa harina for it’s flavor is Masienda yellow corn variety and a course masa harina that is prepared by the local Mexican market in northern California. The combination of the two yields a delicious tamal! Natural rendered pork lard sold in most Mexican markets is my lard of choice for most of my tamales. In this case, the spinach tamal is prepared with avocado oil because of it’s neutral flavor. One melting cheese like Oaxaca or Chihuahua combined with queso fresco or panela are my favorites for cheese tamales. Not all Oaxaca cheese is the same though. Look for the kind sold by the pound at the Mexican markets. In my experience, some brands turn rubbery and yellow when steamed.

This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. If you are looking for organic, non gmo masa harina prepared from heirloom corn check out Masienda!

1. Measure out the dry ingredients in the bowl of the stand mixer. Gradually mix in the broth until masa looks uniform. Gradually mix in the avocado oil. Turn the speed up on the mixer and mix for 7-8 minutes. Taste for salt. Cover and reserve.

2. Wash the spinach and dry it as well as you can. Chop small. Remove seeds from jalapeños and finely dice.

3. Taste the masa for salt after it sat for a while.

4. Fold in the jalapeños and spinach to the masa.

5. Try to slice the cheese so they are about the same size. I only had 12 oz. of queso fresco, but made it work for the 1 lb. of monterey jack.

6. I purposely wanted to prepare these tamales a little bigger, so added more masa than I usually do in the center of the corn husk. Roughly it is slightly over 1/4 c. Leave a small edge at the bottom of the corn husk with no masa. Add the two varieties of cheese in the center.

7. Prep the steamer pot by filling the bottom 3/4 ways up with water. Place steamer insert in place. Add some torn pieces of corn husk at the bottom. You never want the water to come up to the level of the tamales. This could prevent the masa from cooking through and be soft in spots. Preheat steamer pot while you finish filling the tamales.

8. Overwrapping the filled tamales with a sheet of deli paper is completely optional. I learned this trick from my older sister many years ago when she prepared chile and cheese tamales. In my experience, the paper keep the cheese from going into the steamer pot. It holds in the moisture better and it helps keep the tamal shape nicely. It’s optional, but I do this for most of my tamales now.

9. Especially when I prepare cheese filled tamales, I make sure the tamales are standing upright. The tamales are snug, but not tight in the steamer pot.

10. Because I am using the overwrap, just a few large corn husks is enough to keep extra moisture out of the tamales. Raise the heat to high, to start. Once the water begins to boil and steam rapidly, reduce the heat to right below medium. Set your timer for 1 hour.

11. After 55 minutes, I carefully remove one tamal and let it cool for 3-4 minutes. After a few minutes, I pull the corn husk away. If it comes away easily, the tamales are ready. The masa will be soft and appear uncooked, but the longer they sit, the masa will set up.

12. How long can I keep the tamales refrigerated? I get that question a lot! If you know you are not going to eat the tamales in a timely matter, here is what I do. I freeze some uncooked. If you freeze the masa harina cooked tamales, the masa tends to dry out. I learned that the hard way! In my experience, the cooked tamales are good for 10-12 days refrigerated. Just keep them tightly covered. Frozen tamales can be steamed frozen. They just will require more cooking time. Add on an extra 35-40 minutes then check one.

As I sit here gazing at these last two photos, I am craving this spinach tamal! I am happy because I know there are still a few left in my refrigerator!! Lol!!

Let’s get to the recipe already!!

It looks like a hot mess, but it was so delicious!!!!!!!!! This was after 5 days and it tasted 10 times better!