Cornbread Chili Casserole

This Cornbread Chili Casserole is an absolutely delicious, easy weeknight dinner. With tender macaroni, spicy chili, gooey cheese, and a crunchy cornbread crust, it's gonna be an instant favorite.

Do not take me to a fancy, fine dining restaurant. It's wasted on me. In fact, this witch doesn't really belong anywhere fancy. Exclusive bars and clubs? Hot pass. Fancy parties and events? No thank you. Please only take me to places where I can eat with my hands, laugh super loud, and hopefully take my shoes off. That's about as high vibe as it gets in my book.

My goal is always to bring you food that tastes outrageously good, no matter what it looks like. True, I aim to tempt you with my photos, that's part of the magic. But please know that many of my recipes are designed to be enjoyed in the eating and not the plating. Grab a big ol' spoon and just dig in. Allow yourself to really get into the pleasure of eating. Once it's in your mouth, you won't care if it's fancy. You'll just know it's good.

What makes Cornbread Chili Casserole so awesome?

I freakin' love this Cornbread Chili Casserole so much. It combines a downhome chili mac with a crunchy cornbread crust on top. Every spoonful has awesome flavor and texture. I'm always a little bit sad when I'm full because I want to keep eating it forever. And it's so easy to make, you could easily have it any night of the week, especially if you use canned chili. And you should.

It's also really easy to customize this recipe. You can change up the cheese, swap out pasta shapes, and of course use your favorite type of chili. If you're not going to use canned, this is a great opportunity to turn leftover homemade chili into something extra awesome. Use veggie chili, turkey chili, all beans, no beans, whatever floats your boat. And if you're feeling extra lazy, you could use store bought cornbread mix. But it's also super simple to mix up from scratch. I assure you, you're gonna want this all the time.

Make it magical

You can find the magical properties of the ingredients in this recipe on the Kitchen Magick page, but I think this recipe would make a lovely little protection spell. With the hard outer crust of cornbread protecting all the tender, juicy bits inside the casserole, it's a lovely little metaphor.

As you spread the cornbread batter on top of you other ingredients, visualize a protective barrier being spread over your home and the people you love. Call on the fire energy of your oven to strengthen the intention of your home as the casserole breaks. Then when you serve the dish and break the crust, you can say something like, "only love can cross the barrier of this home."

Ingredients

Here's everything you'll need for this dish. All the details are in the recipe card below.

• Macaroni
• Chili - your favorite brand or recipe, pre-cooked or canned
• Cheese - grated cheddar is easiest, but pepper jack or any cheese with chili peppers would also be awesome
• Flour - all-purpose or plain
• Cornmeal
• Sugar
• Baking powder
• Salt
• Vegetable oil - any neutral flavored oil
• Egg
• Milk

Tips for making Cornbread Chili Casserole

This dish is ridiculously easy. Cook some pasta. Make sure it's al dente because it will continue to cook a bit in the oven. While that's doing it's thing, mix up your cornbread batter. Everything just goes in a mixing bowl and gets stirred together. No big deal. Pop open a couple of cans of chili and grate some cheese if you didn't buy it that way.

Then to layer you casserole, add the cooked pasta first, then the chili. Spread it out evenly, then top that with the cheese. Then scoop your cornbread batter on the top. I like to dot it around rather than plopping it all in the middle. This make it easier to spread. Don't panic if you have a few holes or it doesn't go totally to the edge. Then just pop it in the oven until the cornbread is golden brown and crisp on top. Let it cool for about 10 minutes. The waiting is the hardest part. Top if with some sour cream if you like.

A little pro tip for leftovers if you have them. This can get a little bit dry on the second day because the pasta will absorb a lot of the juices from the chili while it sits in the fridge. Just warm up an extra can of chili and add a bit of that to each serving.

Get ready to crave this Cornbread Chili Casserole all the time. It's that awesome. You're welcome.

Looking for more awesome chili recipes? Try this Gnocchi Chili or some Black Bean Chili with Bacon.

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