Crockpot Cornbread Chili Bake Casserole Recipe

For months the crock pot my mother gave me has sat lonely and sad, high on a shelf in the kitchen. I don’t know why but something about them gives me this 1970’s vibe, with the wife and the apron, and the Brady Bunch milling about in the background. I guess it just screamed “all day cooking” at me which was interpreted somewhere in my head as “ a lot of work.” Of course this couldn’t be farther from the truth for most crock-pot recipes, they’re actually really convevient. This Crock-Pot Cornbread Chili Casserole combines two family feel good staples into one simple recipe. The best part of this dish is that it needs minimal supervision so you can go sans apron and spend more time with your favorite bunch. This crockpot cornbread chili bake recipe was adapted from Cooking Light cook book.

CrockPot Cornbread Chili Bake Casserole Recipe

Crockpot Cornbread Chili Bake Casserole Ingredients:

1 medium onion, chopped
1 lb ground turkey
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 (16 oz) can red kidney beans, drained
1 (16 oz) can black beans, drained
1 (16 oz) can diced tomatoes w/ jalepenos, undrained
1 (8 0z) can Mexicorn (optional)
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp red pepper powder
1 tbls sugar
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp hot sauce

Cornbread Topping Ingredients

1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tps baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbls sugar
1 1/4 cups milk
2 eggs, beaten
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 (8 1/2 oz) can cream-style corn

How To Make A Crockpot Cornbread Chili Bake

Lightly grease the crock pot bowl and set on HIGH.

In a large skillet brown turkey all the way through (it will be lighter than beef cooked). Add chopped onion and bell pepper until tender.

In the crock pot, add beans, corn, tomato sauce, chili powder, pepper and hot sauce. Combine with ground turkey, onion, and bell pepper and mix together well. Cook mixture on HIGH for approximately 2hrs. Or you can cook on LOW for about 4hrs. The goal is to get the base fairly thick and not runny so the cornbread mix wont sink down into the chili. (Above pictures chili with turkey meat, below is a vegetarian option, just add more beans)

In a small bowl, mix together baking powder, cornmeal, flower, eggs, vegetable oil, and cream corn. Gently spoon cornbread mixture on top of the cooked chili base. Cook on HIGH 1-2 hrs or until corn bread is completely cooked. You can make sure it’s cooked by using the old tooth pick rule, or just digging in and praying it’s done like I do.

Finish off the dish with sour cream and shredded cheese or any other of your favorite chili toppings. This Crockpot Cornbread Chili Bake Casserole makes a great family night meal, or the perfect dish for your NBA playoffs party!

CrockPot Cornbread Chili Bake Casserole Recipe