Chili Cornbread Pot Pies
Hearty beef chili is topped with a slightly sweet homemade cornbread mix, then baked to perfection to make individual Chili Cornbread Pot Pies. Perfect for a cold winter evening, this recipe combines two well-loved chilly weather favorites: chili and cornbread.
My promises to you, my dear readers, for this new year:
To create a good balance of the good-for-you and not-so-good-for-you recipes.
Not to call a not-so-good-for-you recipe “healthy.” (Please someone tell me I’m not the only one who gets annoyed when she sees a recipe for a healthy version of a dessert and clicks over to find it’s actually NOT healthy at all.)
To create some fun, new and exciting recipes.
To continue to tell silly stories and laugh at myself daily.
To have a good time as I create dishes to serve and in life, and to inspire you to have a good time in your kitchen, too!
Love chili? Here are some of our favorites: Texas Chili | Chili Cheese Biscuits | Shiner Bock Chili | Beef and Buffalo Chili
I kiiiiiind of feel like a politician making promises in this here first recipe post of 2016, but I really wanted to get those off my chest, y’all.
I realize not everyone thinks the same way as I do about those aforementioned bullet points, but I hope we can all agree on having enjoying ourselves in life, as well as in the kitchen.
That’s something we should all resolve to do in 2016, right?
Right.
These here individual Chili Cornbread Pot Pies… they’re on the less-than-healthy side of the spectrum, but they feature several vegetables and a tomato-based sauce, so it’s not like this recipe is akin to cake for dinner.
They are a super comforting weeknight meal, and since you make several individual pot pies, this meal can last you a little while, assuming you aren’t feeding a family of six. Our family of three — with my husband and me eating these pot pies and our daughter staring at us in envy because we thought she was too young at the time — enjoyed these for three nights in a row.
The chili has a little kick. The cornbread has a little sweetness. And the balance is absolutely divine, especially since I love to crumble fresh cornbread into my chili whenever given the option.
And while these pot pies might not be the prettiest things you’ve ever seen, I promise they’re delicious. Here’s how you can make your own:
Chili Cornbread Pot Pies
Ingredients
Quick Beef Chili
- 1 ½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion 3 cups chopped or about 1 lb.
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt 4g
- 2 teaspoons chili powder 8g
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1g
- 1 lb. ground beef 85% lean
- 12 oz. beer
- 28 oz. whole peeled tomatoes with their juices
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken stock
- 15 oz. black beans rinsed and drained
Quick Cornbread Mix
- ½ cup stoneground yellow cornmeal 75g
- ½ cup all-purpose flour 60g
- 1 teaspoon baking powder 6g
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt 2g
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup milk
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 egg ~50g
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Instructions
Prepare the Chili
- Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or braiser over medium-high heat.
- Add the onion, garlic, salt, chili powder and oregano and cook. Stir frequently until softened, about 8-10 minutes.
- Add the beef. Use the back of a wooden spoon to break it up, and cook until the meat begins to brown, about 5-8 minutes.
- Add the beer and simmer until reduced by half, about 5 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes and break them up using the wooden spoon. Don't forget to add their juices to the mix, too!
- Next, pour in the broth and the beans to the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil.
- Cook, uncovered, until thickened, about 15-20 minutes.
Make the Cornbread Mix
- Whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Warm the butter and milk in a microwave-safe container in the microwave. Once the butter has melted, measure in the honey. Stir to combine.
- Add the egg to the wet ingredients. Be sure to break the yolk with a fork and really incorporate it into the mixture.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and stir until just combined. Set aside.
Make the pot pies
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. You can use your Dutch oven/braiser as a your baking dish, so long as it is oven safe. You could also spritz six baking ramekins with nonstick baking spray and set them on a baking sheet to make individual pot pies, if desired.
- Spoon the cornbread mixture over the chili.
- Transfer to the preheated oven, and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the cornbread has browned slightly and cooked through.
- Enjoy warm!
Notes
Nutrition
Do you like chili in your cornbread?
About the Author:
Erin Parker is a Southern gal living in Texas with her husband and two daughters. She started The Speckled Palate to share what she was cooking as a newlywed… and over the years, it’s evolved to capture her love for hosting. Specifically, the EASIEST, lowest key entertaining because everyone deserves to see their people and connect over good food. Learn more about her…
These are so adorable and fun! I love this concept. I do the same with “pizza” and it makes eating foods so much more fun when you switch them up like this. Yum!
You know what makes everything better? Cornbread!
This is such a fun idea! I absolutely love corn bread, so this is a must try for me 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Who doesn’t love chili and corn bread! Such a cute idea!
Genius! Chili and pot pie in one!!! Sign me up! <3