{April 20, 2013}
Chili Cornbread Casserole

Chili Cornbread Casserole

Kimchi: This was an experimental meal because it sounded like a tasty idea, but I knew it could easily end up without much taste, especially since my mom would always just use a chili seasoning packet and not actually make the seasoning. The inspiration came from Eating Well. I am always so thorough with reading reviews (can that be an obsession?), and after reading them for the recipe, the general consensus seemed to be positive with a few comments about the chili tasting bland. I paid more attention to the negative comments because Eating Well is dedicated to healthier cooking, after all. And to be honest with you, my home diet is fairly healthy and I eat in moderation so I don’t have to worry about health-ifying every recipe I want to make.

Anyway, I decided to mesh together different chili recipes and incorporate what I had in our pantry. Here is what I ended up with for the chili:

  • 1.5 lbs ground beef
  • 15 oz white kidney beans
  • 1 chopped onion
  • 1 green bell pepper
  • 4 garlic cloves minced
  • 15 oz diced tomatos
  • 8 oz tomato sauce
  • 2 tbsp chili powder
  • 1 tbsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp red chili flakes
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 tsp cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • Salt and pepper to taste

So I browned the ground beef and drained the liquid. Sauteed the onions, bell peppers and garlic. Added them both together and added the other ingredients listed above. I drained the cans of the liquid into a bowl before adding the canned contents into the pot and added some of the reserved liquid when it seemed like it needed more. Brought it to a boil and simmered for 30 min while the oven preheated at 400F. I added salt and pepper to taste at the end because all of my canned beans and tomatos were reduced sodium, so it was lacking some saltiness. Mixed 2 boxes of Jiffy cornbread according to instructions on the box, and added 1-2 minced jalapenos into the mix. I spooned the chili mixture onto the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish and then spooned the cornbread mixture on top, leaving a little room along the sides so any steam from the chili can escape. I baked it for 25 minutes.

Inside

A slice eaten

It was a success in my house! Usually my mom is hard to please but she gave it extra compliments. I thought it was tasty. The meaty chili is interesting when paired with the sweet cornbread. The jalapenos give the cornbread a little extra flavor and spicy kick. I would add 2 jalapeno peppers next time instead of the 1 I added. If you like your chili spicy you should add in some cayenne because the recipe as written isn’t very spicy at all.