This Cornbread Cowboy Casserole is the perfect combo of hearty, flavorful chili with beans, topped with a flavorful, tender cheesy cornbread mixture. Serve them in small skillets for extra fun presentation, or in a large casserole dish if desired!
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Just like our chicken and pumpkin risotto, this maple glazed chicken and harvest vegetables and our honey sriracha shrimp, this recipe is a paid partnership with our friends at Roland Foods, a leading global importer of premium ingredients. Thanks for supporting brands that allow us to bring fresh new content to A Full Living!
When it's casserole season, and the weather is chilly, these cozy cowboy chili cornbread skillets are the PERFECT meal!
We combined two of our favorite foods that we normally eat together anyway, and baked them up in small skillets for the perfect serving size for guests, or just a personal pan meal.
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❤️Why We Love This Recipe
- Easy recipe. Simply make your favorite chili recipe on the stove and mix up the cornbread batter while you wait. Place the cornbread batter on top of the chili inside of small skillets or in a casserole dish, and bake until the cornbread is golden.
- Hearty and comforting. Chili loaded up with tons of flavor, that gets topped with a cheesy cornbread? What's not to love? The small skillets just add to the personal serving size and appeal, and it's truly a delicious meal that's a true favorite in the colder months.
- Made with simple ingredients. All you need are simple, straightforward ingredients that you probably already have on hand to make this recipe, and Roland® Salsa Macha is now available on Amazon! It adds a complex smoky, deep, and spicy flavor that's perfect for mixing into the chili and for topping the cornbread to add intense heat and flavor!
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients we used for this recipe. You can find more information for substitutions below.
🧅Chili Ingredients
Feel free to use any recipe you'd like. You may also enjoy our beanless chili recipe!
- Seasonings. We use a blend of chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, red pepper flakes, and cayenne pepper for this recipe. We do like to season things a bit on the spicy side, so keep this in mind, and feel free to scale back on the hotter spices or adjust if you prefer!
- Jalapenos. Leave the seeds in for a spicier chili, or remove them to scale back on some of the heat.
- Beans. You can leave them in or take them out, the choice is yours, but we think it makes this chili extra hearty! Use any beans you'd like here. We opted for pinto and black beans.
- Tomato paste. This recipe uses quite a bit of tomato paste compared to some of our other chili recipes. This gives us a rich, concentrated tomato flavor, without adding too much liquid. We want this chili recipe to have less liquid because of the cornbread topping.
- Roland®Foods Salsa Macha. We stir some into our chili before adding the cornbread topping, as well as serve it alongside the meal to add a deep fiery heat, smokiness, and amazing depth of flavor.
🌽Cornbread Ingredients
- Butter. We'd recommend using unsalted butter so you have more control of the salt in the cornbread.
- Cheese. Optional, but we added a bit of cheese to our cornbread because it went so well with the chili!
- Buttermilk. For extra tender cornbread.
Visit the recipe card for the full quantities and nutritional information.
✨Substitutions & Variations
Here are a few suggestions on additional flavors to try, or simple variations to this recipe.
- No buttermilk. If you don't have buttermilk, no worries, just swap it with regular milk. You can add a tablespoon of vinegar, and let it sit for 10 minutes or so, to make your own buttermilk.
- Swap the beef broth. For extra depth of flavor, use beer instead!
- Extra spicy. Add extra cayenne pepper, chili powder, salsa macha, or jalapenos to the chili.
- Add-ins to the cornbread. Feel free to mix in your favorite things like bacon, jalapenos, corn kernels, or different types of cheese to the cornbread.
- Swap the sweetener in the cornbread. Switch out the brown sugar for white sugar, or even honey in this recipe.
- Swap the cornbread. Use our sweet honey cornbread muffins recipe or this sweet potato cornbread recipe to top the chili for extra sweetness and flavor.
- Swap the meat. Feel free to use turkey, chicken, or pork instead! You may enjoy our spicy turkey chili recipe.
- Vegetarian. Use a meat substitute in place of meat, and a veggie broth in place of beef.
- Gluten-free. To make the cornbread gluten-free, use a gluten-free corn meal, and a gluten-free 1:1 all-purpose flour substitute.
This recipe hasn't been tested with any other substitutions or variations, so we can't guarantee any results. If you make a change, let us know how it goes in the comments below!
🔪Prep Work
- Allow the eggs and buttermilk to sit out at room temperature.
- Melt the butter for the cornbread and set it aside to cool briefly.
- Mince garlic.
- Chop onions, jalapenos, and bell peppers.
- Drain the liquid from the beans.
- Measure out the seasonings and the remaining ingredients.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Heat a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat.
📋Instructions
Make the chili
Add oil to a Dutch oven, then sauté bell peppers, jalapeños, and onions with a pinch of salt until softened, about 5-7 minutes.
Add garlic, the seasonings, and tomato paste to the pot. (Image 1)
Cook until the tomato paste has deepened in color, stirring often, about 3-4 minutes. (Image 2)
*Pro tip: Stir often to prevent the garlic or tomato paste from burning.
Add the ground beef with lots of salt, and break the beef into chunks. Cook until the beef is browned. (Image 3)
Add the tomatoes, beans, and beef stock. Lower the heat to a simmer, and cover. Allow the chili to simmer for at least 20 minutes. (Image 4)
⭑Pro tip: The longer the chili simmers, the better for a deeper flavor!
Make the cornbread topping
While the chili simmers, work on the cornbread topping.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients of flour, cornmeal, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt. (Image 5)
In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, and melted and cooled butter. (Image 6)
Combine the wet and the dry gently, being careful not to overmix. When there are still a few streaks of flour left, fold in the optional cheese. (Image 7)
⭑Pro tip: Make sure to combine wet and dry ingredients gently! Overmixing is the enemy of tender cornbread. It's okay if there are still a few streaks of flour left in the mixture.
Assemble & bake!
*Please note, that for the photos, we've made the whole batch, but only 4 of the skillets were pictured. This recipe makes eight 6.5-inch skillet servings!
Add the chili to your chosen baking vessel(s). Make sure to leave room to top with cornbread. Stir in a bit of salsa macha to taste. (Image 8)
Top with the cornbread batter, leaving a bit of room for the cornbread to rise. (Image 9)
Bake until the cornbread is golden brown and cooked through. (In small skillets, this took about 18 minutes). (Image 10)
*Pro tip: The size of the baking vessels will impact the bake time. The larger the vessel, the longer the bake time.
Top the cornbread with a bit of butter if desired, followed by sour cream, cheese, jalapenos, green onions, and more salsa macha. Enjoy!
✨Top Tips
- Use room-temperature ingredients for the cornbread. They help create a tender, even texture, and allow the
- Don't overwork the cornbread batter; a few lumps are perfectly fine. This will help ensure the cornbread stays tender.
- Keep in mind that baking vessel size will impact the bake time. The larger the vessel, the longer the cornbread will need to bake through.
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💭Frequently Asked Questions
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the oven, or in the microwave in a microwave-safe container.
Of course! Use a 9x13-inch dish or a large cast iron skillet and proceed with the instructions. The bake time will need to increase to 30-40 minutes, however, or until the cornbread topping is golden brown and cooked through.
Leftovers reheat well! The chili base can be made up to 3 days ahead and stored in the refrigerator. When ready to serve, reheat the chili, top with fresh cornbread batter, and bake. We don't recommend making the cornbread batter in advance, however.
More Recipes To Consider
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📖 Recipe
Cowboy Cornbread Casserole
Equipment
- dutch oven for cooking the chili
- 8 6.5-inch mini skillets (or a 9x13 inch casserole dish)
Ingredients
Chili
- 3 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1 large yellow onion diced
- 2 medium bell peppers diced
- 3 large jalapenos diced
- 2.5 - 3 tablespoons kosher salt, divided add slowly and to taste
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional and to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 can tomato paste 6 ounces
- 12 cloves garlic minced (add as much or as little garlic as you want)
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 28 ounces diced tomatoes 2 cans, or 1 large can
- 1 cup beef stock as needed to thin
- 2 cans chili beans 15 ounces each, drained and rinsed, (we used pinto and black beans)
Cornbread topping
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour 170 grams
- 1 cup cornmeal 152 grams
- ½ cup brown sugar can sub white sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1.5 cups buttermilk room temperature
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted ½ stick
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 cup Colby jack cheese shredded (optional)
Toppings
- sour cream
- green onions
- jalapenos
- Roland®Foods Salsa Macha
- shredded cheese
Instructions
Chili
- Over medium heat, add oil, bell peppers, jalapenos, and onions to a large Dutch oven with a good pinch of salt. Cook until translucent, about 5-7 minutes.2 medium bell peppers, 3 large jalapenos, 1 large yellow onion, 3 tablespoons avocado oil, 2.5 - 3 tablespoons kosher salt, divided
- Add the seasonings, tomato paste, and fresh garlic. Cook until the tomato paste has deepened in color, about 3 minutes.1 tablespoon cumin, 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, ½ teaspoon black pepper, ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, 1 can tomato paste, 12 cloves garlic
- Add ground beef and add most of the salt, reserving some for later. Using a spoon, break the beef into large chunks and brown it completely. This will take roughly 5-7 minutes.2 pounds ground beef
- Add diced tomatoes and beans, along with the beef stock. Stir and cover. Simmer for at least 20 minutes, but up to 2 hours or more.1 cup beef stock, 28 ounces diced tomatoes, 2 cans chili beans
Cornbread topping
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400°F.
- In a bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt.1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup cornmeal, ½ cup brown sugar, 1 tablespoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, and melted butter. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and gently mix together with a rubber spatula, being careful not to overmix.1.5 cups buttermilk, 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted, 3 large eggs
- When the dry is almost all the way incorporated, fold in the shredded cheese, and mix to combine.1 cup Colby jack cheese
Assemble and bake
- Divide the chili between 6.5-inch skillets. This recipe will make 8 small skillets (6.5-inch size), or, you can transfer the mixture into a 9x13-inch casserole dish or to a large skillet.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the cornbread is golden brown and cooked through.
- Top with butter and your favorite toppings, including sour cream, green onions, cheese, jalapenos, and Roland Foods salsa macha!sour cream, green onions, jalapenos, shredded cheese, Roland®Foods Salsa Macha
- Store leftover ingredients in an airtight container in the fridge for up to to 4 days. Reheat gently in the microwave, or in the oven or air fryer. Enjoy!
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Notes
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- Use room-temperature ingredients for the cornbread. They help create a tender, even texture, and allow the batter to come together more evenly without lumps.
-
- Don't overwork the cornbread batter; a few lumps are perfectly fine. This will help ensure the cornbread stays tender.
-
- Keep in mind that baking vessel size will impact the bake time. The larger the vessel, the longer the cornbread will need to bake through.
Briana says
This is the ultimate mashup of our favorite comfort foods! So delicious and easy to make too!