Chili Stuffed Cornbread Casserole
Time for another pop quiz. Complete this phrase: “Chili and…”
If you said “Cornbread,” give yourself a perfect score. Chili and cornbread have been close pals ever since the days of the cattle trails in the Southwest. The slightly sweet cornbread balances out the spicy, meaty chili, and it’s perfect for soaking up the juices.
Now, cooking a pot of chili and a pan of cornbread separately is pretty simple. But it’s even easier, and more fun, to put them both together and make a one-dish meal. First, you start the chili cooking. Next, you mix up the cornbread batter and spoon it around the edges of a baking dish. Then you scoop the chili into the space in the center and pop the whole thing in the oven.
Email Me This Recipe!
Need to save time? Have this article emailed straight to your inbox + sign up for all the latest recipes!
As it bakes, all the flavors of the chili slowly seep into the cornbread, so all the juices are already soaked in when it comes out of the oven. And in the last few minutes, you can top it with a few handfuls of shredded Cheddar cheese, which melts beautifully over the whole pan.
When you pull it out, you’ve got spicy chili, golden cornbread, and hot, gooey melted cheese, all in one dish. All it needs is a sprinkle of green onion to make the meal complete.
Chili Stuffed Cornbread Casserole
Ingredients:
3/4 – 1pound lean ground beef (do not go over a lb)
salt and pepper to taste (I suggest 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper)
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 cup salsa
1 (15 oz) can dark red kidney beans, drained
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup corn
3 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 pouch (6.5 oz) cornbread & muffin mix
1/3 cup milk
3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, divided.
Optional Topping:
1 small green onion, sliced
Directions:
1 Heat oven to 400°F. In large skillet, cook ground beef over medium-high heat. While cooking, season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly cooked. Drain off any extra grease.
2. Stir in salsa, kidney beans, tomatoes, corn, chili powder and cumin. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly heated.
3. Meanwhile, make cornbread as directed on pouch, using the 1/3 cup of milk. Stir 1/3 cup of cheese into cornbread batter.
4. Spoon cornbread batter around outside edge of 12×8-inch baking dish. Using a slotted spoon, spoon the hot beef mixture into center. NOTE: make sure to drain off as much liquid as possible when using the slotted spoon. The casserole will be very full 🙂
5. Bake uncovered for 18 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake 4 to 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted and cornbread is deep golden brown. Sprinkle with green onion just before serving.
Do you love Family Fresh Meals? Never miss out on FUN new meals or Easy Lunchbox Ideas for the Family and SIGN UP to have my posts sent right to your inbox! It’s EASY PEASY! Just CLICK HERE and enter your email!
XO
Corey, Darryl, Big D & Little D
Chili Stuffed Cornbread Casserole
Email this recipe!
Get this recipe emailed straight to your inbox!
Ingredients
- 3/4 - 1 pound lean ground beef, do not go over a lb
- salt and pepper to taste, I suggest 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1 cup salsa
- 1 15 oz can dark red kidney beans, drained
- 1 can, 14.5 oz diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 cup corn
- 3 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 pouch, 6.5 oz cornbread & muffin mix
- 1/3 cup milk
- 3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
Toppings:
- 1 small green onion, sliced
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400°F. In large skillet, cook ground beef over medium-high heat. While cooking, season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly cooked. Drain off any extra grease.
- Stir in salsa, kidney beans, tomatoes, corn, chili powder and cumin. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly heated.
- Meanwhile, make cornbread as directed on pouch, using the 1/3 cup of milk. Stir 1/3 cup of cheese into cornbread batter. Spoon cornbread batter around outside edge of 12x8-inch baking dish. Using a slotted spoon, spoon the hot beef mixture into center. NOTE: make sure to drain off as much liquid as possible when using the slotted spoon.
- Bake uncovered for 18 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake 4 to 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted and cornbread is deep golden brown. Sprinkle with green onion just before serving.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer: Family Fresh Meals is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
Did You Make This Recipe?
Make sure to share it with me below!
is this diabetic friendly? how many carbs?
thanks Connie
I wouldn’t consider this recipe diabetic friendly in its current form. Legumes (beans) and corn are high carb foods. Corn isn’t a vegetable – it’s a starch. This will send your glycemic index sky high.
If you want to make this lower carb, reduce the amount of beans the recipe calls for – maybe by half and omit the 1 cup of corn. I would also compare the carb values of black beans to kidney beans and go with the lower carb bean for this recipe. Increase the meat and cheese by 1/4 cup and consider swapping the red meat with chicken. In place of the corn, substitute diced lower carb veggies such as red or green bell pepper and zucchini. I would also put in a chopped clove of garlic instead of garlic powder. It’ll give it lots of good flavor.
Hiii, first of all… thanks for the recipe! I’am a little confused tho. I see an egg in te picture for making the cornnbread mixture. But you don’t mention it in the recipe. Can you please help me out?
You want to make the cornbread according to the package. Some do call for an egg, while others do not. So please follow the directions for whatever brand you are using.
What kind of cornbread mix is best for this?
Can you put the corn bread on top?
I have only made this recipe as written. If you give that a try, please let us know how it turns out 🙂
What is considered a serving? 1 cup ,1/2 cup etc
You will want to divided the casserole into 6 servings. It’s about 1 & 1/3ish cups I believe