Chili Cornbread Cobbler

4.34 from 3 reviews

Chili Cornbread Cobbler is a savory take on traditional fruit cobbler. Slightly spicy beef chili is baked under lightly sweetened cornbread for a one pot meal that couldn't be easier to make.

Prep Time40

Bake Time20

Total Time1

Servings:8 servings

Ingredients

Chili (or use your own recipe)

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion (chopped)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1 large red bell pepper (chopped)
1 jalapeno or habanero pepper (chopped (optional))
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dry oregano
1 tsp ground Chipotle powder (optional)
1 pound lean ground beef
3 tablespoons tomato paste
15 oz canned chopped tomatoes
1 cup water
1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)

Topping

2 ½ oz cornmeal (⅔ cup)
2 oz all purpose flour (⅓ cup, see note)
1 oz sugar (2 Tbsp)
½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
4 oz buttermilk (½ cup)
2 oz melted butter
1 egg

Instructions

Make the chili

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil In a 10" or 12" cast iron skillet over medium heat. Saute 1 medium onion, 2 cloves garlic, 1 large red bell pepper, 1 jalapeno or habanero pepper, 1 tsp kosher salt, 1 tsp ground cumin1 tsp dry oregano, 1 tsp ground Chipotle powder until the veggies are soft.
Add 1 pound lean ground beef and cook until the meat is no longer pink. Stir in 3 tablespoons tomato paste, 15 oz canned chopped tomatoes, 1 cup water. Reduce the heat to medium/low and cook for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and add 1 can black beans. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Assembly

Preheat the oven to 375 °F.
Whisk together 2 ½ oz cornmeal, 2 oz all purpose flour, 1 oz sugar, ½ teaspoons baking powder, ¼ tsp baking soda, ½ tsp salt in a mixing bowl. Combine 4 oz buttermilk, 2 oz melted butter, and 1 egg. Pour the buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients and stir just until combined.
Drop dollops of the batter all over the chili and spread to an even layer. If you use a larger pan it might not cover the entire surface, that's OK.
Bake until the topping is golden brown and the chili is bubbling, about 20 minutes if the chili was warm when you put it in the oven, a little longer if you start with cold chili.
Serve warm. I like it sprinkled with chopped cilantro, queso fresco and sliced avocado sprinkled with lime juice.

Notes

If measuring the flour by volume use the “dip & sweep” method. That is, dip the measuring cup into the flour bin, overfill it, then sweep away the excess.

Nutrition