Taco Cornbread Pie

Taco Cornbread Pie is the best kind of cozy comfort food and a one-pot dinner! Store-bought cornbread mix and taco seasoning keep this recipe simple and easy.

Two of my favorite foods are chili and ground beef tacos. They are both easy and delicious. The filling for Taco Cornbread Pie is the perfect combination of the flavors of both dishes with some added veggies for a complete one-pot meal.

Whenever I make chili, I always serve it with cornbread, so this mashup came naturally to me. That’s because I grew up eating southern-style cornbread. My mammaw literally made it with every supper. I think she would approve of Taco Cornbread Pie.

Ingredients

Store-bought cornbread mix is the secret to making this recipe quickly. The ingredients for this recipe are easy to find and inexpensive.

• Cornbread mix- any brand will work; choose your favorite
• Ground beef- lean ground beef works best
• Corn- fresh or frozen
• Poblano pepper
• Red Onion
• Jalapeno pepper- optional for those of us that like it spicy
• Taco seasoning- any brand will work; choose your favorite
• Colby jack cheese
• Green onions- optional garnish
• Cilantro- optional garnish
• Sour Cream- optional garnish

Instructions

Taco Cornbread Pie takes three simple steps to make.

1. Prepare the cornbread batter according to package instructions. Add the cheese and set aside. Do not bake!
2. Brown the beef and veggies with taco seasoning. Add water to create a sauce.
3. Top the meat with the cornbread batter and bake.

It’s really that simple to make!

Substitutions

You could easily switch up the meat in Taco Cornbread Pie to suit your taste. Want to make it vegetarian? Your favorite meat substitute like Impossible or Beyond would work easily in this recipe. For a healthier alternative, ground chicken is also a great substitute.

Variations

My favorite variation on this recipe is to make it spicy! In addition to the optional jalapeno in the filling recipe, you could add an additional finely diced jalapeno to the cornbread batter. A pinch or two of cayenne pepper would also give the filling some heat.

Equipment

I love baking Taco Cornbread Pie in a cast iron skillet. Cornbread is always more delicious when baked in a cast iron, but more importantly, using the same pan to cook the filling and bake the pie makes this recipe a one-pot dish. Who doesn’t love that?!

If you don’t have a cast iron pan, you can also prepare the filling in your normal sauté pan and then add to a 9” x 13” oven-safe casserole dish before topping with cornbread and baking.

Storage

• Serve: Allow the pie to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving. Top with garnishes.
• Store: Store the prepared dish (without garnishes) in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
• Freeze: This recipe freezes well, but it must be thawed completely before reheating.
• Defrost: Once frozen, the pie will take 24-48 hours to thaw completely in the fridge.
• Reheat: Before reheating, let the pie sit at room temperature for 30 minutes and then heat in a 350°F oven for 20 minutes or until warmed through.

Top tip

You can make the filling for Taco Cornbread Pie up to three days in advance. Once prepared and cooled, store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. That means all you need do is throw together the cornbread, pour it on top of the filling and bake.

Don’t miss out on this recipe! Be sure to also check out my Creamy Avocado Sauce, Chipotle Sour Cream, or Cilantro Lime Sauce recipes. Any of these sauces would be a delicious swap out for the optional sour cream garnish. Let me know what you think of the recipe in the comments section below.

Helpful Utensils

Ground Meat Chopper

Taco Cornbread Pie

Taco Cornbread Pie is made with a base of ground beef spiced with taco seasoning topped with fluffy cheesy cornbread. Using your favorite cornbread mix makes it quick and easy.

5 from 7 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Servings 8

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 box prepared cornbread mix*
• 1 lb lean ground beef, 90/10
• 2 Tb oil
• 2 ears of corn shucked, removed from cob**
• 1 medium red onion finely diced
• 1 medium poblano pepper seeds and stem removed, finely diced
• 1 small jalapeno optional, finely diced
• 1 1-ounce packet taco seasoning
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• 1 C water
• ½ C grated colby jack

Garnish

• 3 green onions
• cilantro
• sour cream

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Add the recommended wet ingredients to the dry cornbread mix per the package instructions.* Fold in the grated cheese and set the prepared cornbread batter aside.
• Heat a 10-inch cast iron skillet*** over medium-heat and add the oil. Once hot, add onion and cook for 2 minutes. Add ground beef and break up meat while cooking. Brown the meat for 6-8 minutes until no pink remains.
• Once the meat is browned, add the poblano, jalapeno, and corn kernels. Let cook for another 3-4 minutes. Add the taco seasoning, salt, and pepper, and mix until well combined.
• Add 1C of water and stir. Let simmer for another 2-3 minutes to thicken. If the mixture gets too thick, just add a little more water and stir to combine.
• Add the prepared cornbread mix on top of the beef. It's okay if you have some holes where filling peaks through or if some shows around the edges.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes or until cornbread is golden brown and the center is set.
• Chop the green portion of green onions and cilantro. Serve each portion with a dollop of sour cream and a spring of green onions and cilantro.

Notes

* Prepared cornbread mix means mixing the dry ingredients with the recommended wet ingredients on the package. It's usually some combination of eggs, oil, and milk but follow the instructions on your package. Different brands come in different size packages. I have made this recipe with Jiffy brand which comes in an 8.5-ounce package and Krusteaz brand which comes in a 15-ounce package. The cornbread layer may vary in thickness but not enough to change the baking time.

** If fresh corn is not in season, substitute with 1½ cups frozen corn. 

*** If you do not have a cast iron skillet, you can prepare the meat in any skillet and pour the cooked filling into a 9" x 13" casserole dish before topping it with the cornbread batter and baking. 

Keyword corn, mexican, peppers, taco, tex-mex

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Hailey

Hey-ooo! I'm Hailey, and I'm a number cruncher by day and cussing cook by night. I created this site to share my love for delicious food that feeds the soul as well as the belly. I hope my recipes have you running to the kitchen to cook some damn good grub!

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