Chili Cornbread Casserole

Chili Cornbread Casserole is a hearty meal that’s bound to become a family favorite. Top beef chili with a slightly sweet homemade cornbread mix before baking to perfection. You can make it into individual chili pot pies, too! Perfect for a cold winter evening, this recipe makes the perfect dish to share on a chilly nights.

2025 Update: This recipe was originally shared in January 2016 as a chili pot pie situation. I have since changed it to a casserole to make it quicker. The recipe remains the same, though, and post include new photos, as well as a LOT more tips and tricks.

I made these promises to you, my dear reader, back in January, 2016, but they still hold true to this day.

Here they are: I promise 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.)
• Create some fun, new and exciting recipes.
• Continue to tell silly stories and laugh at myself daily.
• 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!

Since then, though, I have adapted these individual chili cornbread pot pies into a cornbread chili casserole… to make life a little easier.

That said, you can certainly still make them in individual ramekins if you’d prefer that. I have left the instructions in the recipe card below.

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Why I love this recipe:

This Chili Cornbread Casserole isn’t what I would call “health food” for January, but it is wonderfully comforting dish. However, the homemade chili features several vegetables and a tomato-based sauce, so it’s not like this recipe is akin to cake for dinner.

In my opinion, this is the best kind of cozy weeknight meal for the chilly days of winter. It comes together relatively quickly and has some hands-off time for the casserole to bake, and it can last a little while, assuming you aren’t feeding a large group of people.

When I initially developed this recipe, our older daughter was too young to enjoy this recipe and watched us enviously as we enjoyed it and while she ate her purees and various other solid foods that were 10-month-old approved.

The chili recipe is meaty and has a little kick, but you can adjust the heat level according to your taste buds. The cornbread topping has a little sweetness. And the balance is absolutely divine, especially since I love to crumble fresh cornbread (or tortilla chips if cornbread isn’t available) into my chili whenever given the option.

And while this recipe might not be the prettiest thing you’ve ever seen, I promise it’s delicious, and it tastes excellent as leftovers for the next day, too.

Love chili? Here are some of our favorite chili and cornbread recipes: Texas Chili | Honey Cornbread | Chili Cheese Biscuits | Sweet Cornbread Muffins | Shiner Bock Beer Chili | Honey Jalapeño Cornbread Muffins | Beef and Buffalo Chili

What you need to make this recipe:

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• Braiser, a large oven-proof skillet OR large skillet with high sides and a casserole dish
• Sharp knife
• Garlic press
• Liquid measuring cup
• Wooden spoon

Here is what you need to grab at the grocery store:

• Extra virgin olive oil — or another neutral oil.
• Onion — yellow or white onion is what you need for this recipe. You’ll need about a pound of onion, so weigh yours at the store!  3 cups chopped or about 1 lb.
• Garlic — freshly minced garlic is simply the best. If you need to go with the jarred kind, it’ll work in a pinch.
• Kosher salt — medium grain kosher salt is my go-to salt for cooking these days. Diamond Crystal is the brand that I love most. This is needed for both the chili and the cornbread.
• Chili powder — I keep a chili powder blend from Whole Foods in my pantry at all times, but you can use whatever you’ve got on hand. Keep in mind that some chili powders are spicier than others.
• Dried oregano — this adds some wonderful flavor! Don’t skip it.
• Ground beef — 85% lean ground beef is what I used for this recipe. It’s got more fat than leaner ground meat, but it’s not overwhelmingly fatty. You can probably replace it with ground turkey or ground chicken or even a vegan meat substitute for a plant-based option, though I have never tried that for this recipe. 
• Beer — lighter beer is what I like to cook with. A darker beer will change the flavor profile of the chili, and that is not what we are looking for. 
• Whole peeled tomatoes with their juices — this is going to be the base of our tomato sauce. You could use tomato puree if you can’t find this.
• Low-sodium chicken stock — or vegetable stock, if desired. 
• Black beans — or your favorite beans for chili. If you prefer other chili beans, canned kidney beans, pinto beans or cannellini beans work.
• Stoneground yellow cornmeal — this is the base of our fluffy cornbread topping. You could use white cornmeal in a pinch. Please note that this is not the same thing as cornbread mix… we’re making our own mix.
• All-purpose flour — also known as AP flour, this is the other base ingredient for the cornbread. We keep unbleached AP flour in our house, but bleached works just fine. I have not tried this recipe with a gluten-free flour blend and do not recommend it at this time. 
• Baking powder — this is the leavener for the cornbread. Make sure it’s fresh!
• Unsalted butter — while I’m sure you could swap this with a dairy-free butter situation, I really like the flavor regular butter adds to the cornbread. 
• Milk — I’ve made this recipe using whole milk, as well as various dairy milks. Whole milk is going to provide the most flavor, but it works with 1% or even fat free milk.
• Honey — this adds some sweetness to the cornbread because I like the juxtaposition of a sweet, crunchy cornbread topping over the slightly spicy, meaty chili. 
• Egg — use a large egg from the store (or your backyard chickens.)  

Toppings:

Listen. Everyone has their own thoughts and opinions when it comes to classic chili and cornbread and what needs to be served with ’em.

You’ll notice that I served mine with a dollop of sour cream, a sprinkling of sharp cheddar cheese and some fresh chives. You can add green onions, fresh cilantro, sliced avocados or chopped jalapeno to garnish, if you like ’em.

How to make Chili Cornbread Casserole

Make the chili: 

Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or braiser over medium-high heat. You can do this in a large skillet, as well, and then transfer the chili into an oven-safe baking dish. I used a braiser for this because it works on the stovetop and in the oven.

Add the onion, garlic, salt, chili powder and oregano. Cook until the onion and garlic are softened.

Next, add in the ground beef. Use the back of a wooden spoon to break it up and combine it with the vegetables.

Cook until the meat begins to brown. 

Pour in the beer and simmer until reduced by half.

Next, add the whole tomatoes (and their juices!) Break them up using the wooden spoon, then pour in the broth and drained and rinsed beans. Bring the mixture to a boil.

Cook, uncovered, until thickened.

Make the cornbread recipe:

We are essentially making corn muffin mix from scratch for this recipe, and it is delightful. Make this once you get the chili simmering so that it can be poured on top immediately after mixing.

Whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Set ’em aside.

Warm the butter and milk in a microwave-safe container in the microwave. Once the butter has melted, measure in the honey, and 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 the cornbread batter is just combined. Set aside.

Assemble and bake the chili cornbread bake:

Preheat the oven. You can use your Dutch oven/braiser as a your baking dish, so long as it is oven safe.

You could also spritz a 9″x13″ casserole dish OR six baking ramekins with nonstick cooking spray and set them on a baking sheet to make chili pot pies, if desired.

Spoon the cornbread layer 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 with your favorite toppings.

How to store:

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

Reheat in the microwave or a low-temperature oven until warmed through.

Erin’s Easy Entertaining Tips

This Chili Cornbread Casserole recipe is excellent for sharing and comforting for the wintertime and the chilly months ahead. This is also a hearty, delicious meal for busy weeknights.

Here are some things I would do if I wanted to share this recipe with people I love:

• Make the chili early​, and let it hang out in the fridge. That way, you can mix the cornbread mixture and top the chili right before baking it off.
• Offer various toppings​ for your guests. I like to set them out on our kitchen island so everyone can top their casserole with their favorites.
• Make a double batch ​and serve it casserole style in casserole dishes to make it easier.

Quick tips and tricks to the best cornbread chili casserole:

• Customize it to your tastebuds. The chili has a little kick, so if you prefer for yours to be milder, keep that in mind and adapt it as necessary. Relatedly, if you like it spicier, feel free to add some cayenne pepper to the mixture.
• While I personally love to make my own cornbread for the topping, you could use two packages of Jiffy Cornbread Mix to make it a quicker meal.
• How to store: ​store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

Here’s how you can make it…