Description
Easy one-dish family meal combining seasoned ground beef with peppers, corn, and salsa, topped with fluffy cornbread and melted cheese. Ready in 55 minutes, feeds 8 people, costs under $12, and reheats beautifully for lunches.
Ingredients
For the Meat Base:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (or whatever cooking oil isn’t rancid in your pantry)
- 1 small onion, diced (yellow, white, doesn’t matter)
- ½ red bell pepper, chopped (green works too if that’s what’s on sale)
- 1 pound ground beef (85/15 is perfect, don’t waste money on the fancy stuff)
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic (jar garlic is fine, fresh if you’re feeling ambitious)
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (skip if your family cries about spice)
- Salt & ground black pepper to taste
- ½ cup frozen corn (don’t bother with fresh, trust me on this)
- 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend, divided (or whatever cheese isn’t growing fuzz)
- 1 cup salsa (medium is my go-to, mild for wimps, hot for show-offs)
For the Cornbread Topping:
- 1 cup cornmeal (yellow cornmeal, not the white stuff)
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup milk (whole milk is best but 2% works)
- 2 eggs, beaten (room temperature if you remember, straight from fridge if you’re like me)
Instructions
Crank it to 425 degrees. Not 400, not 450 – exactly 425. I tried 400 thinking I’d save energy and the top stayed pale. Tried 450 when I was rushed and burned the edges while the middle stayed raw.
Heat oil in your big skillet over medium-high heat. Add diced onion and chopped bell pepper. Cook about 6 minutes until they’re soft and smell good. I set my phone timer because I have no attention span and will forget they’re cooking.
Add ground beef with garlic, chili powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Break it up with your wooden spoon while it cooks. Keep mashing for about 6 minutes until it’s completely brown and crumbly. My kids like helping with this part but they get beef everywhere.
Stir in frozen corn, cook 3 minutes until it’s not frozen anymore. Add some of the cheese and mix it in. This stops the meat from drying out and adds little cheese pockets throughout.
Dump all the meat stuff into your 9×13 pan and spread it around. Put salsa on top and spread it with a spoon. Don’t skip this step or you’ll have soggy gross cornbread like I did the first time.
Mix cornmeal, salt, and baking soda in a bowl. Add milk and beaten eggs. Stir just until it looks right – don’t mix it to death or you’ll get tough cornbread.
Pour cornbread batter over everything in the dish. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top. My kids always fight over who gets to do the cheese sprinkling, so now they take turns.
Stick it in the oven for 30 minutes until the top is golden brown. Toothpick stuck in the cornbread part should come out clean. If it’s still jiggly, give it 5 more minutes.
Notes
Don’t open the oven door for the first 20 minutes or the cornbread won’t rise right. I taped a note to my oven that says “DON’T PEEK” because I have no self-control.
Add jalapeños if your family can handle spice – mine thinks black pepper is too hot so this isn’t happening in my house. Extra milk makes softer cornbread if you’re into that. Make sure to drain any grease from the meat or your cornbread will be greasy. If the top isn’t browning enough, switch to broil for the last 2 minutes but watch it like a hawk because broilers go from golden to charcoal in thirty seconds.
Wait 5 minutes after baking before cutting into it or everything falls apart into a soupy mess. I know it’s torture when it smells amazing, but use this time to make a salad or set the table.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Mexican-American