Cornbread Taco Bake

Heavy fall now. The leaves are down on half the trees. I wore a flannel Monday at 5 a.m. when I went out to the truck. I drove a Fargo run Tuesday-Thursday with the heat on in the cab most of the way. Stopped in Sioux Falls to sign books at a small independent bookstore called Mitzi's Books & Grounds, whose owner Mitzi had read my book and invited me weeks ago. Fifty-three people came. Not huge. Perfect. I read a paragraph. I signed books for ninety minutes. I had a grilled cheese from the coffee shop at the store because it was there and it was pouring rain outside and the grilled cheese was the correct Brenda meal. Mitzi, 72, a retired librarian who has run the store for fifteen years, hugged me at the end. She said, "You wrote the book I needed when I was raising my kids and did not know I needed it." I said, "Thank you, Mitzi." I cried a little in the truck on the way back to the motel. This happens.

Justin scored twice Friday against North Platte. 11 carries, 94 yards, 2 touchdowns. He was interviewed by the high school newspaper after the game. He answered in one-word answers. He ate an entire pizza by himself at 10 p.m. in the kitchen.

Amber came home for the weekend — an unplanned visit, she said she wanted pot roast. I made pot roast. She ate two helpings. She slept in her own bed Saturday night. She showed me her social work homework — a case study she had written about a domestic violence survivor, a fictional character with a real Kearney backdrop. I read it. I did not say anything for a long time. She said, "Mom." I said, "Baby. This is very good." She said, "Thank you." I said, "This is your work. This is what you are doing. This is right." She hugged me. She went to bed. I stayed up at the kitchen table looking at her paper. My daughter is writing about the thing that took her mother from her. She is writing about it well. She is going to help people. I walked to the back porch at 11 and looked at the sky. Then I came inside and I slept.

That pot roast for Amber, the grilled cheese in Sioux Falls, Justin’s entire pizza at 10 p.m. — this week reminded me that food is never just food in this house, and probably not in yours either. When I make something warm and filling from scratch, I feel like I’m doing something. This Cornbread Taco Bake has that same energy: it’s hearty enough for a hungry teenager and personal enough to feel like it was made just for whoever showed up at the door. It’s the kind of thing I throw together when I need my hands to be busy and my kitchen to smell like home.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 45 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

1 lb lean ground beef
1 packet (1 oz) taco seasoning
1/2 cup water
1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with green chiles, undrained
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 cup shredded Mexican-blend cheese, divided
1 box (8.5 oz) cornbread mix (such as Jiffy)
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
Sour cream, sliced green onions, and pickled jalapeños for serving

Instructions

Preheat and prep. Preheat your oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish and set aside.
Brown the beef. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the ground beef, breaking it up with a spoon, until no pink remains, about 6–8 minutes. Drain any excess fat.
Build the filling. Stir in the taco seasoning and water. Simmer 2 minutes. Add the black beans, diced tomatoes with chiles, and corn. Stir to combine and cook another 2 minutes until heated through.
Layer the dish. Pour the meat mixture into the prepared baking dish and spread evenly. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese over the top.
Mix the cornbread. In a medium bowl, stir together the cornbread mix, egg, and milk until just combined — do not overmix. Fold in the remaining 1/2 cup cheese.
Top and bake. Spoon the cornbread batter over the meat layer and spread gently to the edges. Bake for 22–25 minutes, until the cornbread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Rest and serve. Let the bake rest 5 minutes before cutting. Serve with sour cream, green onions, and jalapeños as desired.

Nutrition (per serving)

Cornbread Taco Bake — The Kind of Meal That Holds a Family Together