Chili Cornbread Casserole

5 from 2 votes

Hearty chili cornbread casserole baked in one skillet with bold spices and a golden cornbread topping—easy, cozy comfort food ready in under an hour.

Prep Time10

Cook Time38

Total Time48

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 483kcal

Author: Joy Kincaid

Equipment

12-inch cast iron skillet

Ingredients

For the Chili

1 pound lean ground beef
3/4 cup red onion diced
1 green bell pepper chopped
3 cloves garlic minced
2 teaspoons chili powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon coarse ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 15 oz can kidney beans drained and rinsed
1 cup canned or frozen corn
1/2 tablespoon light brown sugar

For the Cornbread

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup cornmeal not self-rising
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup milk
2 eggs
6 tablespoons salted butter melted and cooled for a few minutes

Optional Toppings

Sour cream, chopped cilantro, sliced jalapenos or any favorite chili toppings, for garnish

Instructions

Set a 10-12 inch cast iron or oven-proof skillet over medium heat. *If you don't have an oven-proof skillet, see notes section below.
Add the ground beef, onion, and bell pepper. Cook until beef is cooked through and veggies are softened. Drain fat and add the garlic, chili powder, salt, cumin, pepper, oregano, and cook for 1 more minute. Add the crushed tomatoes, kidney beans, corn and brown sugar. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to keep a simmer. Simmer for about 10-15 minutes.
While the chili simmers, preheat the oven to 375 F and make the cornbread.
In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
In a liquid measuring cup or a small mixing bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, and melted butter until well combined. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not over-mix.
Remove the chili from the stove and gently spread the cornbread mix over the top, making sure to have the cornbread touch all the sides of the dish.
Place a baking sheet on the rack under the skillet in case the chili bubbles up and drips a bit. Bake for 18-22 minutes until the cornbread is golden brown on top.
Remove from the oven, let cool for 5-10 minutes before serving with your favorite chili garnishes.

Notes

*If you don’t have a large oven-proof skillet you can transfer the chili to a 10x10 inch baking dish (or slightly larger if needed). Then top and bake the same.

**Whole milk works best in cornbread. If you use skim milk your cornbread will be more crumbly. You can also use buttermilk instead of normal milk, adding 1 tablespoon extra because it’s thicker than milk.

Tips:

If you use unsalted butter in the cornbread recipe add an additional ¼ teaspoon salt. (1 teaspoon in total)
You can sub any kind of your favorite beans—kidney, pinto, or black beans all work great.
You can make this with lean ground turkey or ground chicken if desired. Add a tablespoon of oil to the pan before adding the meat if you do though because it doesn’t have the fat that ground beef has and may stick to the pan if you don’t.

Make Ahead Instructions: Make the chili part up to 2 days in advance and refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Remove from the fridge while you preheat the oven. Bake uncovered until the chili is hot. Remove from the oven, top with freshly made cornbread batter and bake the same as instructed.

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