This Chili Cornbread Casserole has an easy homemade chili topped with a fluffy Jiffy cornbread topping! This dish is so easy to assemble and bake for a cozy night in, football watching, and entertaining! 

Chili Corn Casserole in a white bowl with a spoon on the side and cheese on top.

Chili Cornbread Casserole

This Chili Cornbread Casserole has been on my must-make list for a while now! It was a reader request and I’m so thrilled that I finally nailed down the perfect recipe! The homemade chili is so easy to make and the fluffy cornbread topping comes together in minutes! It’s the best dinner idea for a cozy night in, watching the game with friends, or entertaining guests! Everyone will come back for just one more scoop! 

I love serving this with sour cream (that’s a must), along with shredded cheese, diced green onions, avocado, and more! Don’t miss my PRO TIPS below!

How to Make It

Note: This is an overview. See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.

Season the ground beef with salt/pepper and brown in a skillet with onions. Drain the grease. Add bell peppers and garlic, followed by the chili seasoning mixture, the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce. Add chicken broth, beef bouillon, crushed tomatoes, and diced tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add the kidney beans.

A pot of cooked and seasoned ground beef with onions and peppers next to a skillet with kidney beans being added to chili.

Combine the cornbread topping ingredients. Transfer the chili to a deep 9 x 13-inch casserole dish.

A bowl of cornbread mixture next to a casserole dish filled with chili.

Spoon the cornbread mixture on top and gently spread it across the top. Bake uncovered at 375° for 45 minutes. Cover the top with foil during the last 5-10 minutes or so. Let stand for 5 minutes prior to serving.

Chili Cornbread Casserole in a baking dish before and after being baked.

Make Ahead Method

  • Prepare the chili up to 2 days ahead of time (this will allow the flavors to meld nicely!)
  • Heat the chili until just warmed through on the stovetop or microwave before baking.
  • Don’t combine the cornbread topping ingredients until ready to bake– the leavening agents are activated once combined with the liquid so you want to bake it right away.

Pro Tips

  • Adding Cheese: Feel free to top the cornbread with freshly shredded cheese during the last 10 minutes of baking! You may also choose to add a layer of shredded cheese on top of the chili before topping with cornbread!
  • Bean Options: Black beans, Pinto beans, and Kidney beans are the best options for chili.
  • Meat: Ground turkey, beef, sausage, pork, and/or veal are all good meat choices/combinations.
  • The Worcestershire sauce, mustard powder, and hot sauce act as flavor enhancers and can’t be tasted outright. The hot sauce won’t make it spicy, I use Frank’s hot sauce for this recipe.
  • Spice Lovers: If you like heat, I would double or triple the hot sauce and use a little more cayenne as well. Consider adding additional spice gradually and tasting until desired level is obtained.
  • Chicken Broth: I like the depth of flavor from using chicken broth as it adds a nice contrast to the beef, but feel free to use beef broth or a combination of both.
  • This recipe makes 8-9 cups of chili. The amount of liquid in this recipe was designed to allow the cornbread topping to properly set, keep this in mind if using your own chili recipe or store-bought chili. 
  • Cornbread: Feel free to make this with my Homemade Cornbread Recipe as well!
  • For Serving: Sour cream, shredded cheese, sliced jalapeno, green onions, cilantro, diced avocado, Fritos, and tortilla chips pair very well with this! I love using tortilla chips to scoop up the filling!

Storage

  • Let the casserole cool completely and cover with foil. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. 

Overhead view of Chili Cornbread Casserole in a baking dish with a spoon scooping it up.

Tools For This Recipe

(Amazon affiliate links*)- Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.

  • Deep Casserole Dish: This one will fit this casserole perfectly.
  • Spice Rack–This is the one I have, it’s a snap to measure out your seasonings quickly and easily. (Big time saver.)
  • Measuring Spoons– I have these magnetic ones which stay nice and organized in my utensil drawer.
  • Silicone Spatulas– I have these, they’re so gentle on your cookware and are the perfect tool for stirring throughout this recipe.
  • Better Than Bouillon– This is what I always use for broth in my recipes. It takes very little space and makes it easy to measure out customized amounts.
  • Garlic Peeler& Garlic Twister– Makes it really easy to peel fresh garlic, definitely use fresh coves for this recipe.

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Chili Cornbread Casserole in a white bowl with a spoon on the side and shredded cheese on top.

Chili Cornbread Casserole

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
4.86 from 7 ratings
Servings: 8 people
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This Chili Cornbread Casserole has an easy homemade chili topped with an irresistible Jiffy cornbread topping! This dish is so easy to assemble and bake for a cozy night in.

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

Seasoning

  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon EACH: salt, ground cumin, dried oregano, mustard powder, brown sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Chili

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 2 lbs. ground beef
  • salt/pepper
  • 1 green bell pepper, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 teaspoons hot sauce
  • ½ cup chicken broth
  • 1 beef bouillon cube
  • 28 oz. crushed tomatoes
  • 14.5 oz. diced tomatoes, drained well
  • 16 oz. kidney beans, drained

Cornbread Topping

  • 2 (8.5 oz.) boxes Jiffy corn muffin mix
  • 1 (15.25 oz.) can whole kernel sweet corn, drained
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 1/3 cup sour cream
  • 3 tablespoon melted butter
  • 2 large eggs, whisked

Instructions

  • Combine the seasoning mixture and set aside. Measure out the remaining chili ingredients before beginning.
  • Preheat oven to 375° F.
  • Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and soften for 3-4 minutes. Season the ground beef (generously) with salt and pepper and add it to the pot. Cook and crumble the beef, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes.
  • Add the bell peppers and garlic and stir to combine. Heat through for 5 more minutes, or until the beef is cooked through. Drain grease well.
  • Reduce heat to medium. Sprinkle the combined seasoning mixture (from step 1) over the meat. Add the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce and stir to combine.
  • Add the chicken broth and use a silicone spatula to “clean” the bottom and sides of the pot, this will give the chili more flavor.
  • Add the beef bouillon cube, crushed tomatoes and drained diced tomatoes and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Stir in the kidney beans.
  • Cover partially while you combine the cornbread topping ingredients in a large bowl until just combined, don’t overmix.
  • Transfer the chili to a deep, 9 x 13-inch casserole dish, gently pressing down to form a firm layer.
  • Gently spoon the cornbread topping over the chili, placing dollops along the perimeter and in the middle, Once finished, use a silicone spatula to lightly smooth out the top in an even layer. Do this slowly and gently.
  • Transfer to the oven and bake uncovered for 45 minutes. Tent the top with foil during the last 5-10 minutes of baking if the top begins to brown too much.
  • Remove and let it sit for 5 minutes prior to serving.

Notes

Pro Tips:
  • Adding Cheese: Feel free to top the cornbread with freshly shredded cheese during the last 10 minutes of baking! You may also choose to add a layer of shredded cheese on top of the chili before topping with cornbread!
  • Bean Options: Black beans, Pinto beans, and Kidney beans are the best options for chili.
  • Meat: Ground turkey, beef, sausage, pork, and/or veal are all good meat choices/combinations.
  • The Worcestershire sauce, mustard powder, and hot sauce act as flavor enhancers and can’t be tasted outright. The hot sauce won’t make it spicy, I use Frank’s hot sauce for this recipe.
  • Spice Lovers: If you like heat, I would double or triple the hot sauce and use a little more cayenne as well. Consider adding additional spice gradually and tasting until desired level is obtained.
  • Chicken Broth: I like the depth of flavor from using chicken broth as it adds a nice contrast to the beef, but feel free to use beef broth or a combination of both.
  • This recipe makes 8-9 cups of chili. The amount of liquid in this recipe was designed to allow the cornbread topping to properly set, keep this in mind if using your own chili recipe or store-bought chili. 
  • Cornbread: Feel free to make this with my Homemade Cornbread Recipe as well!
  • For Serving: Sour cream, shredded cheese, sliced jalapeno, green onions, cilantro, diced avocado, Fritos, and tortilla chips pair very well with this! I love using tortilla chips to scoop up the filling!
Make Ahead Method:
  • Prepare the chili up to 2 days ahead of time (this will allow the flavors to meld nicely!)
  • Heat the chili until just warmed through on the stovetop or microwave before baking.
  • Don't combine the cornbread topping ingredients until ready to bake- the leavening agents are activated once combined with the liquid so you want to bake it right away.
Storage:
  • Let the casserole cool completely and cover with foil. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Nutritional information is an estimate and is per serving. There are 8 servings in this recipe.

Nutrition

Calories: 704kcal, Carbohydrates: 81g, Protein: 40g, Fat: 26g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 11g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 131mg, Sodium: 1422mg, Potassium: 1406mg, Fiber: 13g, Sugar: 23g, Vitamin A: 1518IU, Vitamin C: 33mg, Calcium: 160mg, Iron: 9mg
Did you try this recipe?Mention @TheCozyCook on Instagram or tag #thecozycook!
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Author: Stephanie