Description
This hearty Chili Cornbread Casserole combines a flavorful, veggie-packed chili base with a sweet and tender cornbread topping. It's a comforting, one-dish meal perfect for a cozy dinner or meal prep that’s simple to make and full of satisfying flavors.
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)
- Additional 2 tablespoons sliced jalapeno for topping, optional
- 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
Optional for Serving
- Sour cream
- Fresh cilantro
- Diced avocado
- Sliced jalapeño
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 400℉ to get it ready for baking the casserole later.
- Prepare Skillet and Cook Beef Mixture: Place a large oven-proof skillet with lid (3.5 – 4 quart capacity) over medium-high heat and mist it with cooking spray. When hot, add ground beef, diced onion, bell pepper, jalapeno (if using), and minced garlic. Cook for 8-9 minutes until beef is cooked through and onions soften, stirring occasionally and breaking up the meat with a spatula.
- Add Spices: Stir in chili powder, ground cumin, dried oregano, salt, and black pepper to season the beef and vegetable mixture evenly.
- Add Tomato and Bean Ingredients: Pour in tomato sauce, diced fire-roasted tomatoes, drained beans, tomato paste, and frozen corn. Stir well and bring mixture almost to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Simmer Chili: Reduce heat to medium-low, cover with the lid, and simmer for 8 minutes. Remove the lid and cook uncovered for an additional 4 minutes to thicken slightly.
- Make Cornbread Batter: While chili simmers, mix flour, cornmeal, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Add milk, egg, avocado oil, and white vinegar, stirring just until smooth to form the cornbread batter.
- Top Chili with Cornbread: Drop the batter in 6-8 mounds evenly over the chili in the skillet. Place a jalapeno slice on each mound if desired for extra heat and flavor.
- Bake and Add Cheese: Bake uncovered in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Then sprinkle shredded sharp cheddar cheese over the cornbread mounds and return to the oven for another 6-8 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cornbread comes out clean.
- Rest and Serve: Remove skillet from oven and allow the casserole to rest for 10 minutes before serving. Serve optionally with sour cream, fresh cilantro, diced avocado, sliced jalapeño, and lime wedges for enhanced flavor and freshness.
Notes
- The dish is great for a filling, one-pot comfort meal that blends sweet and spicy flavors with satisfying textures.
- For a gluten-free version, substitute the all-purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour blend.
- To reduce heat, omit the jalapeno or remove seeds and membranes thoroughly.
- Use a 3.5–4 quart oven-proof skillet with lid to cook and bake the casserole in one dish.
- Allowing the casserole to rest before serving improves flavor melding and topping texture.
- This recipe can easily be doubled for larger gatherings; bake in a larger oven-safe dish accordingly.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/8 of the recipe
- Calories: 336 calories
- Sugar: 12 g
- Sodium: 970 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 40 g
- Fiber: 8 g
- Protein: 21 g
- Cholesterol: 57 mg
