Cowboy Cornbread Casserole Recipe

A casserole is a beautiful thing, a convenient way to pack a nearly complete meal — along with a whole lot of flavor — into one cohesive dish. There's a whole spectrum of dinner-appropriate casseroles to choose from, but the ones that leave the most lasting impression in my book are the ones that are ultra-savory, comforting, and diverse in their ingredients and toppings. This cowboy cornbread casserole recipe is one rib-sticking casserole! The beefy-beany base is succulent and savory with a fun blend of bell peppers and corn kernels for texture variance and flavorful pops, and the tender-crispy cornbread forms the perfect comforting topper.

Something I particularly love about this recipe (aside from the fact that it's such an easy weeknight dinner) is the harmony of flavor between the savory-spicy beef and the cornbread on top. The hearty ground beef and bean mixture features seasoning that's somewhat similar to chili con carne, meaning all of those essential aromatics like garlic, onion, jalapeño, chili powder, and cumin are going to work their magic — your kitchen will smell amazing for a couple days. The cheesy cornbread topping is that perfect balance of sweet and buttery, really making this a delightful "meal-in-one" casserole, and one that I'm especially looking forward to revisiting during tailgating season.

For the beefy bean filling portion of this casserole, you'll need olive oil, diced yellow onion, diced green and red bell pepper, seeded and minced jalapeño, minced garlic, chili powder, cumin, ground beef, a can of diced tomatoes, tomato paste, beef bouillon paste, a can of pinto beans, and a can of corn. Then, for the cornbread topping, you'll need eggs, olive oil, sour cream, honey, two boxes of corn muffin mix, grated cheddar cheese, and melted butter.

To make the beefy filling, heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

Once hot, add the onion, bell peppers, jalapeño, and garlic.

Stir to combine and saute for 5 minutes.

Season the veggies with chili powder and cumin.

Stir to combine and saute for 1 minute.

Add the ground beef to the pot, stir to combine with the veggies and seasoning, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 6 minutes or until the beef has browned.

Add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and bouillon to the pot.

Stir to combine and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove the pot from the heat and add the beans and corn. Stir to combine.

Transfer the filling to a deep casserole dish and spread it out evenly.

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

To make the cornbread topping, place the eggs, oil, milk, sour cream, and honey in a large bowl.

Whisk to combine.

Add the two boxes of corn muffin mix to the bowl and stir to combine the batter.

Sprinkle the beef filling with 2 cups of the grated cheddar cheese.

Spoon the cornbread batter over the cheddar and gently spread it out evenly.

Drizzle the cornbread batter with melted butter.

Sprinkle the casserole with the remaining cheese and place it in the oven.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until the cornbread topping is cooked through and golden. Tent the casserole with foil if the cornbread topping is browning too quickly.

Remove from the oven and serve.

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Since we are working with a chili-like base in this casserole recipe, there are all sorts of substitutions you can make without compromising the overall appeal of this dish. A sort of chile Colorado-hybrid approach would work well here, and you could swap out the ground beef for slow-cooked, tender pieces of steak instead. A fajita theme would also work well here, with thin pieces of skirt steak as the meaty base and a more taco seasoning-inspired blend. There's also room to experiment in the realm of ground meats, with chorizo or a beef blend being viable substitutes. If you'd prefer to make the casserole base a little lighter and leaner, ground chicken or turkey are good options.

Another easy way to tweak this casserole is by adjusting the heat level. As is, the heat is relatively mild in the beef base, with a single jalapeño responsible for any spice. If you'd like to increase the heat level, you could easily double the amount of jalapeño you add or opt for a spicier pepper like a habanero. Conversely, to keep the casserole super mild, opt for a poblano pepper in place of the jalapeño. 

When crafting this casserole recipe, I really wanted there to be an even ratio of beef-bean filling and cornbread, which is why we use two boxes of corn muffin mix and end up with a super thick layer on top. If you want a thinner cornbread representation, feel free to halve the cornbread ratio in this recipe and use a more shallow casserole dish. 

As a way to make a somewhat lengthy recipe a little more manageable, I reached for pre-made corn muffin mix. If you use a brand other than Jiffy (which is what I used), make sure to look at the package's called-for ingredients and make any necessary adjustments as required or recommended. One cornbread ingredient addition I did go rogue on was the sour cream, which adds flavor, moisture, and some extra fluff — all components that work well since the cornbread is serving as a casserole topper. You can, of course, make the cornbread from scratch and use a favorite recipe if desired; just make sure that you make a batch big enough to thickly cover the entire top of the casserole. And, when the casserole is baking, check the cornbread's doneness at around the 30-minute mark to ensure that it doesn't dry out. 

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