Easy Cheesy Cornbread Taco Casserole Recipe

Casserole Filling:

• 1 lb ground beef, browned
• 2 tsp chopped garlic
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 tsp chili powder*
• 1 tsp cumin*
• 1 tsp oregano*
• 1 tsp garlic powder*
• 1 tsp salt*
• 1 tsp paprika*
• 3/4 cup water

* To make this recipe quicker, replace the 6 spices a * with 2 Tablespoons of taco seasoning (the equivalent of one packet). Use our recipe for homemade taco seasoning for this and other recipes. 

For the middle of your recipe, you will need 1 cup of shredded taco cheese. We used Monterey Jack/Cheddar, but feel free to use your favorites. 

The top of this casserole recipe is cornbread batter. You can use your favorite box mix, or you can make it from scratch using the ingredients below. 

Cornbread topping**:

• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 3/4 cup cornmeal
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/4 canola oil
• 1 cup milk

** If desired, you can also replace the homemade cornbread batter here with one from a boxed mix. Just omit all ingredients in the cornbread section and replace w/ the batter from your box. 

To get started, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. If you have not already done so, go ahead and brown your ground beef and drain any excess grease. 

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Leaving the beef in your skillet, you will want to go ahead and add the filling ingredients of the garlic, corn and tomatoes to your skillet.

Simmer the mixture on your stove top for 15 minutes, stirring it often.

The mixture will start to thicken as the juice from the tomatoes cooks off. If you desire, black beans would also be a delicious addition to this recipe. 

Next, you will want to prepare the cornbread using either a box mix, or the ingredients above. Mix well in a large mixing bowl and set aside until you are ready to use it. 

After the cornbread is ready, you will want to prepare a 9×12 baking dish or a similar sized pan with nonstick spray. Pour the meat and vegetable filling into the prepared casserole dish.

Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top of the filling.

Then you will want to carefully spread the cornbread batter over the top of the casserole.

Bake your casserole at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until cornbread is cooked completely. If you need to, cut through to the casserole filling to check that the cornbread is done before serving. 

If desired, add your favorite taco toppings before serving like salsa, sour cream or whatever sounds good.