A cousin of the cornbread cottage pie, tilted toward Tex-Mex with chili spices, beans, and corn. Cheesy cornbread on top makes it a full meal in one pan.
Ingredients
Filling
- 1½ lb ground beef
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 bell pepper, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp Smokehouse rub
- 1 can (10 oz) red enchilada sauce (or 1 can diced tomatoes)
- 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained
- 1 cup corn
- Salt
Cornbread topping
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup milk
- 1 egg
- 3 tbsp melted butter or lard
- ½ cup shredded cheddar (stirred into batter)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Brown the beef with the onion, pepper, and garlic; drain.
- Stir in the chili powder, cumin, and Smokehouse rub and cook 1 minute. Add the enchilada sauce, beans, corn, and a pinch of salt. Simmer 5 minutes until slightly thickened.
- Spread the filling into two 8" foil pans.
- Whisk the dry cornbread ingredients; separately whisk milk, egg, and butter. Combine, then fold in the cheddar. Spread over the filling.
- Bake 22–25 minutes until the cornbread is golden and set.
Make-Ahead & Storage
Freeze the filling on its own and top with fresh batter when baking for the best cornbread texture. Assembled and frozen, bake from frozen at 375°F for ~50 minutes. Reheat baked portions in the toaster oven at 350°F for ~20 minutes (the cornbread softens slightly but stays good).
Notes
Top servings with sour cream, pickled jalapeños, or hot sauce. For more heat, add a diced jalapeño to the filling. No cilantro anywhere, in keeping with the household rules.