Chili Casserole

Christmas week 2019. The first Christmas with Dustin at the table. Four people. Mama is at the head, Cody to her right, Dustin next to me, me to her left. The recipe Sunday was chili casserole — thick chili layered with crushed Fritos and cheese, baked.

The recipe is below.

Chili Casserole

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 40 min | Total Time: 55 min | Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can (15 oz) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can (15 oz) pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 can (10 oz) Rotel diced tomatoes with green chiles
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
• Cornbread Topping:
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons honey

Instructions

1. Preheat and prep. Preheat your oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish and set aside.
2. Brown the beef. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the ground beef, onion, and garlic until the meat is no longer pink, about 8–10 minutes. Drain excess fat.
3. Build the chili layer. Stir in the kidney beans, pinto beans, diced tomatoes, Rotel, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes, letting the flavors come together.
4. Transfer and top with cheese. Pour the chili mixture evenly into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the shredded cheddar over the top.
5. Make the cornbread batter. In a medium bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt. In a separate small bowl, combine the buttermilk, egg, melted butter, and honey. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir just until combined — do not overmix.
6. Add the cornbread topping. Spread the cornbread batter evenly over the chili layer in the baking dish, covering it edge to edge.
7. Bake. Bake uncovered for 25–30 minutes, until the cornbread topping is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
8. Finish and serve. Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup cheddar over the top. Let rest 5 minutes before scooping. Serve with sour cream if desired.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 420 | Protein: 26g | Fat: 16g | Carbs: 42g | Fiber: 7g | Sodium: 680mg