Imagine sinking your fork into a warm, comforting pie filled with savory, shredded beef chili.
Now, picture that chili nestled beneath a blanket of golden, fluffy cornbread.
Intrigued? Preheat your oven to 180C/350F because you're about to discover the secrets to layering this taste explosion.
Ingredients
Alright, let's gather what we need to make this awesome chili con carne cornbread pie! You'll need 4 cups of shredded beef chili con carne. Parsley—fresh, finely chopped—is optional, but adds a nice touch!
For the cornbread topping, you'll need ½ cup of melted butter. Three eggs—yes, three!—plus 1 cup of milk and ½ cup of polenta, which is basically cornmeal, gotta love those names, I guess. Remember that for a good chili, you'll want to ensure that your ground beef is nicely browned for the best flavor.
Next, grab 1 ½ cups of self-raising flour or use 1 ¼ cups + 3 tbsp plain flour with 3 tsp baking powder. Add ½ cup sugar, ¼ tsp salt – just a pinch! Finally, 1 cup of creamed corn! That's all you need to pull this off!
Instructions
Now, I'll guide you through the steps to bring this Chili Con Carne Corn Bread Pie to life! First, preheat that oven to 180C/350F—we want it nice and toasty! Pop 1 cup of the Shredded Beef Chili Con Carne into individual pie dishes or use one larger dish, your call!
Next, grab a bowl, and let's get mixing! Combine the dry ingredients for the corn bread topping—give 'em a quick stir so they get to know each other. Wanna make sure all the lumps are gone—trust me, nobody wants lumpy corn bread!
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones.
- Mix until everything is just combined smoothly.
- Pour this lovely concoction over your chili, aiming for about 1.5 cm (1/2") thick.
Then, bake the pie in the oven for 20–30 minutes, until the top is beautifully golden brown. Much like a baked ziti, the baking time depends on your oven and desired level of golden brown. Insert a skewer to check; if it comes out clean, you're golden! Let it rest for 5 minutes before serving—garnish with parsley if you want to be fancy!
Recipe Notes
Because I want you to love this recipe, let me share a few notes that will help you avoid common pitfalls! Don't pour too much batter—keep it around 1/2" thick. Baking it too thick means you'll end up with a super-brown top before the middle's cooked!
Make this pie in a flatter dish—it cooks better that way. My rectangle dishes are 6" x 5" and 1.4" deep but any size will do!
You'll probably have batter leftover – about 1/4 to 1/3 of it. It's tough to make the exact amount! Spoon extra batter into greased muffin tins and you can bake individual corn bread muffins for about 15 to 20 minutes!
Polenta isn't really an ingredient—it's more like a cooked porridge! Though here cornmeal is sold as polenta, which is confusing!
Substitutions
Let's explore into substitutions, because I know we all need them sometimes! Don't have self-raising flour? No sweat—I've got you covered! Use 1 1/4 cups plus 3 tablespoons of plain flour and 3 teaspoons of baking powder instead. It's almost the same thing, and it works like a charm!
If you're missing an ingredient, here are a few ideas:
* Don't have creamed corn? Use regular canned corn – or even frozen corn. Just make sure to mash it up a bit first!
Running low on butter**? Don't worry; just use oil.
**And if you don't have beef chili, you can use any chili you would like.
Nutrition Information
Okay, so one serving – roughly 387 grams – clocks in at about 591 calories! That's 30% of your daily intake, but remember, this is comfort food, not rabbit food.
Carbohydrates? We're talking 78.5 grams – that's about 26%. Protein's a respectable 22.9 grams, or 46%. Fat sits at 21.2 grams – about 33%, and yes, 11.2 grams are saturated; treat yourself!
Now, for the minerals and vitamins, we've got 1050 IU of Vitamin A (that's 21%!), 4.1 mg of Vitamin C (5%) – hey, every little bit helps! – and 110 mg of calcium at 11%. Finally, iron contributes 4.3 mg – about 24%. Not bad, right?
Short Recipe Version
Chili Con Carne Cornbread Pie Recipe (Concise)
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 30-35 minutes
Serving Size: 6-8
Ingredients:
- 1 lb Ground Beef
- 1 Onion, chopped
- 1 Bell Pepper, chopped
- 1 (15 oz) can Kidney Beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (15 oz) can Diced Tomatoes, undrained
- 1 packet Chili Seasoning
- 1 cup Cornmeal
- 1 cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1/4 cup Sugar
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 cup Milk
- 1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
- 1 Egg
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Brown ground beef in a skillet. Drain excess grease.
- Add onion and bell pepper to the skillet and cook until softened.
- Stir in kidney beans, diced tomatoes, and chili seasoning. Simmer for 10 minutes.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In another bowl, whisk together milk, vegetable oil, and egg.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
- Pour the chili mixture into a greased 9-inch pie dish.
- Pour the cornbread batter over the chili.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the cornbread comes out clean.
- Let cool slightly before serving.
Nutrition Information (Per Serving, Estimated):
- Calories: 400-450
- Protein: 20-25g
- Fat: 20-25g
- Carbohydrates: 40-45g