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This Cornbread Taco Casserole is made with simple ingredients like canned vegetables, cornbread mix, and ground beef or turkey. The casserole base is saucy, flavorful, and topped with fluffy cornbread! It’s a quick dinner the whole family will love – and it makes a great freezer meal!
This post is sponsored by Ello! All opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands that make Blue Bowl possible!
Here’s what you need to make this casserole:
- Ground Beef or Turkey
- Corn (canned, frozen, or fresh)
- Canned Black Beans
- Canned Tomatoes
- Bell Pepper
- Onion
- Cheese
- Taco seasonings like Chili Powder, Cumin, Paprika, & Garlic Powder
- Salt + Pepper
This recipe is flexible so you can certainly add or omit things based on your preferences and what you have on hand! This mixture would also be delicious over the baked sweet potatoes from in my Homemade Sloppy Joes with Sweet Potatoes!
This casserole comes together in a flash! First, cook your ground beef, then drain excess grease and set it aside. Next, sauté your onion and bell pepper. Stir the cooked beef (or turkey) back in, and add in the tomatoes. Simmer this for about 10 minutes to keep softening up that bell pepper!
Last, stir in the black beans, corn, and cheese. Spray an Ello DuraGlass 8×8 Baking Dish with nonstick spray and spread the casserole mixture into the pan evenly. These containers from Ello are amazing for dishes like this – they have lids that snap on extra securely (so those precious leftovers won’t dry out!), and they’re oven-safe, and freezer-safe!
Top the casserole with boxed cornbread mix (trust me – it’s SO, SO good!), and bake this up for about 15-20 minutes.
Top it with whatever assortment of toppers you can find in your fridge! We had some sad, half-eaten veggies in the back of the fridge that I gave new life to by throwing them on top of this casserole, along with a dollop of sour cream.
I know this casserole doesn’t seem fancy, but sometimes that’s just what we need. A simple meal that’s quick, full of flavor, and something the whole family will love!
Freezer Meal Tips:
Bonus! This recipe makes a great freezer meal! Since there are just two of us in my home, I made this recipe in an 8×8 pan instead of in a 9×13 pan, since that would’ve made more leftovers than we could eat before getting tired of the recipe – you know how that is! You try to be efficient by cooking one super large batch of something, but then you realize you overdid it and you’re tired of the food but there are still days of leftovers left. My solution to this is making the full batch of the recipe and freezing half for later! So, you can make double this recipe, bake half in an 8×8 pan now, and freeze the second half in an 8×8 pan for later.
When you’re ready to bake it, let it thaw in the fridge overnight, add the cornbread topping, and bake away! The Ello containers are great for freezer meals, since they come with lids that snap on super securely.
Happy cooking, everyone!
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Taco Cornbread Casserole
Ingredients
For the Meat:
- 1 lb ground beef or ground turkey
- salt
- pepper
For the Casserole Filling:
- 1/2 large yellow onion, diced
- 1 large bell pepper, diced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, I like fire-roasted!
- 1 can black beans
- 1 can corn
- 3/4 cup mexican cheese blend
- 2 tbsp chili powder
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
- pinch pepper
For the Cornbread Topping:
- 1 box cornbread mix
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup milk
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat oven to 400℉. Stir seasonings together in a small bowl.2 tbsp chili powder, 2 tsp cumin, 1 tbsp paprika, 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp salt, pinch pepper
- Cook the Meat: Cook ground beef or turkey in a skillet over medium heat, seasoning with a good dash of salt and pepper. Break it up as it cooks. Cook until fully cooked through. Drain grease and set meat aside on a plate.1 lb ground beef or ground turkey, salt, pepper
- Make the Filling: Add olive oil to pan (if the pan is still a bit greasy from the beef go light on the oil or omit) and heat over medium heat. Add the bell pepper and onion, and cook for a few minutes, stirring, until onion is cooked and the bell pepper is beginning to be crisp tender (it'll cook more in the next bit). Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring to prevent burning. Add the cooked meat back to the pan and add the seasonings along with the un-drained canned tomatoes. Simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the corn and beans, and remaining and simmer 2 minutes more. Add the cheese, and stir to mix everything together. Taste and add more seasoning if desired.1/2 large yellow onion, diced, 1 large bell pepper, diced, 1 tbsp olive oil, 2 cloves garlic, minced, 1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, 1 can black beans, 1 can corn, 3/4 cup mexican cheese blend
- Bake: Spray a 9x9 glass or metal baking dish with nonstick spray and evenly spread the casserole mixture in the pan. Whisk up the cornbread mix according to package directions (they usually call for milk and an egg, but check your box mix!) and pour over the top of the casserole. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until cornbread appears done (it will be lightly golden around the edges) and a toothpick should pull out some fluffy crumbs.1 box cornbread mix, 1 large egg, 1/2 cup milk
- Serve + Store: Enjoy immediately! Top with extra veggies and sour cream, if desired. Store leftovers in the baking dish with the lid on, in the fridge for 4-5 days.
- Freezer Meal: This recipe makes a great freezer meal! You can double the recipe, and freeze half (without the cornbread topping) in an 9x9 pan for later, while cooking the rest in another 9x9 pan for now. You could also make a double batch and freeze the whole thing in a 9x13 pan for later. When ready to cook, let thaw in the fridge overnight, top with the cornbread topping, and bake as directed above!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
