Tex-Mex Beef and Sausage Pie

Halloween proper was Monday. The kids went trick-or-treating in the neighborhood in their costumes — rebuilt, adjusted, and duck-taped back into shape after the trunk-or-treat meltdown. Emma had given up on the horse and went as a witch, which required a hat from the dollar store and a black dress that I suspect is actually my black dress but I'm choosing not to investigate. Noah wore the robot again, having reinforced the structural weak points with additional duct tape and what I think was a piece of the recycling bin.

Jack was a farmer again. He will always be a farmer. I don't think he was wearing a costume. I think he was wearing his identity.

I made a big batch of chili mac for dinner before trick-or-treating — elbow macaroni with chili ladled over the top, shredded cheese melted on top of that. It's the fastest hot dinner I can make when the priority is getting food into children before they sprint into the dark and consume their body weight in candy. Fifteen minutes, start to finish. Feed the kids, wipe their faces, zip their coats, release them into the wild. Motherhood is logistics.

My birthday is next week. November 7th. I'll be thirty-seven. I don't feel thirty-seven. I feel simultaneously ninety and fourteen — old enough to have lost a farm and young enough to still be shocked by it. Kevin asked what I want for my birthday. I said nothing. He said that's not helpful. I said I want the kids to be happy and the hotdish to turn out and for Dad to eat a full meal for once. He said he meant a present. I said a new pair of garden gloves. He wrote it down. He'll get the gloves. He'll also get something else, because Kevin always gets something else — a card, a chocolate bar, a gesture that's small enough to be sincere. That's his way.

I sorted the kids' candy into piles: chocolate, sour, hard candy, "what is this and where did it come from." The mystery category always concerns me. Jack traded all his chocolate for Noah's sour candy and both of them thought they'd gotten the better deal. Emma organized hers by color because Emma organizes everything by everything. I ate three fun-size Snickers after they went to bed. Mother's tax. Non-negotiable.

The chili mac I made that Halloween was pure logistics—no recipe, no fuss, just the fastest hot food I could get into three wiggly costumed children before the candy sprint began. But when I have a few extra minutes and want that same Tex-Mex, beefy, cheesy satisfaction with a little more structure to it, this Tex-Mex Beef and Sausage Pie is exactly where I land. It has all the bold, savory flavors that make the kids sit down and eat without negotiating, and it still comes together fast enough that nobody’s standing at the door in their robot costume waiting on Mom.

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

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef
1/2 lb ground pork sausage
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with green chiles, drained
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 box (8.5 oz) cornbread mix, plus ingredients listed on box
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
2 tablespoons sour cream, for serving
2 green onions, sliced, for serving

Instructions

Preheat. Heat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish or deep oven-safe skillet and set aside.
Brown the meat. In a large oven-safe skillet or wide sauté pan over medium-high heat, cook the ground beef and sausage together, breaking it up as it cooks, until browned and cooked through, about 7–8 minutes. Drain off excess fat.
Build the filling. Add the diced onion to the meat and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add the drained diced tomatoes, black beans, corn, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and cayenne if using. Stir well and season with salt and pepper. Simmer 5 minutes over medium heat until flavors meld. Stir in 1 cup of the shredded cheddar and transfer mixture to the prepared baking dish if not already using an oven-safe pan.
Mix the cornbread topping. Prepare the cornbread batter according to package directions. Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup cheddar cheese. Pour and spread the batter evenly over the top of the beef and sausage filling.
Bake. Bake uncovered at 375°F for 22–26 minutes, until the cornbread topping is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Rest and serve. Let the pie rest 5 minutes before scooping. Serve topped with sour cream, sliced green onions, and extra shredded cheese if desired.

Nutrition (per serving)

Tex-Mex Beef and Sausage Pie — The Halloween Dinner That Gets Everyone Out the Door