Chili Pie with Cornbread Topping

Look no further for a delicious one-pot dinner that's packed with flavor and made in just over an hour! This Chili Pie with Cornbread Topping is exactly what you need for a hearty meal that'll feed your entire family. Filled with ground beef, sautéed bell pepper and onion, and chili seasonings, then topped with a homemade cheesy cornbread, you'll want to make this meal on repeat all fall and winter long!

A one-pot dinner hero!

Serve as a simple dinner, a tailgate and football game main dish, or even a filling meal before Trick-or-Treating! This one-pot chili pie is exactly what you need when you're looking for something special, yet easy to make.

With our numerous rounds of testing, we made sure the chili was perfectly flavored, had the best ratio of meat to beans, and the cornbread topping remained light and fluffy without turning soggy from the chili underneath.

Just like with our homemade shepherd's pie, we had to ensure the filling had enough moisture to keep it rich and tasty without creating issues for the mashed potatoes or the cornbread on top of each. Luckily, we succeeded and both are made to perfection with just the right thickness in the filling and a stable topping that didn't compromise on texture either!

Key Ingredients Needed for Chili Pie

• Ground Beef: We used lean 90/10 ground beef, but if you prefer you can also use ground turkey or ground chicken.
• Diced green chiles: Mild canned diced green chiles adds a punch of flavor. If you like to increase the heat, you can use a can of hot green chiles or add in some cayenne pepper.
• Fire roasted tomatoes: We also like to use fire roasted tomatoes for their smokiness, but if you only have regular, canned diced tomatoes on hand, those should work too.

How to Make our Chili Pie with Cornbread Topping

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. 

2. Prep the cornbread topping: In a large bowl, stir together cornmeal, all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together buttermilk, eggs, oil, and cheese. Set aside.
4. Make the chili filling: Heat a deep 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add ground beef and cook until the meat is crumbled and no longer pink.

5. Add oil, onions, and peppers. Cook, stirring intermittently, for about 4 minutes.
6. Stir in the garlic and cook 1 more minute.
7. Add in tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, dried oregano, paprika, and salt. Stir well to coat the meat and the veggies.
8. Pour in the beef broth and bring to a boil. Let the broth cook down for about 2 to 3 minutes.
9. Turn the heat down to medium-low and stir in the green chilies, fire roasted tomatoes, and beans. Cook, stirring again intermittently, for about 5 minutes. It should be a bit thicker than normal chili to prevent the cornbread from getting soggy.

10. While waiting for the chili to thicken, pour the wet ingredients for the cornbread into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Use a large spatula to stir the mixture together until just combined. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl until there is no dry flour remaining, but do not overmix!
11. When the chili is ready, remove it from the heat. Carefully spread the cornbread batter evenly to the edges of the pan on top of the hot chili. Do not mix it in. It may look thin but it will rise as it bakes!
12. Bake in the oven for 25 to 27 minutes, or until golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cornbread comes out clean with just a few moist crumbs. If it begins to brown too quickly, you can loosely cover the top with foil for the remaining bake time.

Top Tips from the CK Test Kitchen!

• Don't overmix the cornbread! If you overmix it, it'll create too much gluten, causing the final product to be tough and dense instead of light and cake-like.
• Make sure to prep the cornbread ingredients first and then add the cornbread mixture while the chili is hot. Add the cornbread batter right after cooking the chili on the stovetop. If the filling is no longer hot, then you'll risk that the cornbread will be raw and gummy on the bottom after baking.
• If you don't have an oven-safe skillet, this recipe works in a 9x13 baking dish too. Spray the baking dish with nonstick spray. Pour the cooked chili filling into the dish after cooking, then immediately top with the cornbread batter from edge to edge. Bake according to the same recipe instructions.

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We can't wait for you to bake up this Chili Pie with Cornbread Topping in your own home! If you do, be sure to let us know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo and tag @crowded_kitchen on Instagram. We can't wait to see what you're cooking!

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