Description
This hearty Chili Cornbread Casserole features a flavorful, veggie-packed chili base topped with a sweet cornbread crust for a comforting one-dish meal that's easy to make and perfect for family dinners.
Ingredients
Scale
Chili Base
- Cooking spray
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 small yellow onion, diced (1 cup)
- 1 small bell pepper, any color, diced (1 cup)
- 1 small jalapeno, diced (seeds and membranes removed for less heat)
- 3-4 garlic cloves, minced (1 ½ tablespoons)
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
- ¾ teaspoon fine salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 (14-ounce) can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
- 1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans or black beans, drained and rinsed
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup frozen corn
Cornbread Topping
- ¾ cup yellow cornmeal
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour (use 1:1 gluten-free baking flour blend, if needed)
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
- ½ cup milk of choice (2% recommended)
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- ½ teaspoon white vinegar
- ¾ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- Additional 2 tablespoons sliced jalapeno for topping, optional
Optional for Serving
- Sour cream
- Fresh cilantro
- Diced avocado
- Sliced jalapeño
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Preheat oven: Preheat the oven to 400℉ to prepare for baking the casserole.
- Cook chili base: Heat a large oven-proof skillet (3.5–4 quart capacity) over medium-high heat and mist with cooking spray. Add the ground beef, diced onion, bell pepper, jalapeno (if using), and minced garlic. Cook for 8-9 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the beef is cooked through and the onions soften. Use a spatula to break up the meat and mix vegetables evenly.
- Season chili: Stir in chili powder, ground cumin, dried oregano, salt, and black pepper to the skillet and combine well.
- Add tomatoes and beans: Add tomato sauce, diced fire-roasted tomatoes, drained beans, tomato paste, and frozen corn to the beef mixture. Stir well and bring almost to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Simmer chili: Reduce heat to medium-low, cover with the lid, and simmer for 8 minutes. Then remove the lid and continue cooking for another 4 minutes to thicken the chili.
- Prepare cornbread batter: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add milk, egg, avocado oil, and white vinegar, stirring just until smooth to create the cornbread batter.
- Assemble casserole: Drop the cornbread batter onto the chili base in 6-8 mounds. Optionally top each mound with a sliced jalapeno for extra heat.
- Bake initial: Bake the skillet uncovered in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.
- Add cheese and finish baking: Remove from oven briefly, sprinkle shredded sharp cheddar cheese evenly over the cornbread topping and chili, then return to the oven for an additional 6-8 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cornbread comes out clean.
- Rest and serve: Remove the skillet from the oven and allow it to rest for 10 minutes. Serve warm with optional sour cream, fresh cilantro, diced avocado, sliced jalapeño, and lime wedges.
Notes
- Use a 3.5 to 4 quart oven-proof skillet for best results.
- Removing seeds and membranes from jalapeno reduces heat but keeps flavor.
- Gluten-free flour blend can be substituted for all-purpose flour to make the dish gluten-free.
- Leftover casserole can be refrigerated for up to 3 days and reheated thoroughly before serving.
- For dairy-free version, substitute milk and cheese with plant-based alternatives.
- Adjust the number of jalapeños based on your heat preference.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/8 of the recipe
- Calories: 336 kcal
- Sugar: 12 g
- Sodium: 970 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 40 g
- Fiber: 8 g
- Protein: 21 g
- Cholesterol: 57 mg
