Tex-Mex Cornbread Casserole

Cornbread Casserole, cropped photo by Pillsbury

Ingredients

1# ground chuck (1120c, 0k, 76p, 0f)
2T avocado oil (248c, 0k, 0p, 0f)
1 minced + deseeded jalapeño or serrano pepper (4c, .83k, .19p, .4f)
1 can rinsed black beans (5.99.5c, 109.28k, 39.79p, 45.65f)
1C homemade corn salsa (173.36c, 30.48k, 4.8p, 4.32f)
1C tomato chunky salsa 67c, 15.52k, 3.82p, 4f, 1488mgS
2C diced carrot (104c, 24.52k, 2.38p, 7.2f)
1 diced yellow or red bell pepper (30c, 8k, 1p, 2f)
1 diced yellow onion (60c, 14k, 2p, 3f)
1 diced garlic (4c, .99k, .19p, .1f)
2T tex-mex spice (40c, 8k, 0p, 0f)
1-1/2C grated extra sharp cheddar cheese (1320c, 0k, 84p, 0f)
Option
Cornbread: 2900.83c, 175.89k, 116.32p, 8.85f
OR
2 Jiffy Cornbread Mix: 1920c, 336k, 24p, 1f (has hydrogenated oils)

Nutrition

Dish Totals (without cornbread) 3109.35c, 211.62k, 214.17p, 66.67f
8 Servings
Per Serving (Jiffy Box) 628.67c, 68.45k, 29.77p, 8.46f
Per Serving (PattyCooks cornbread) 751.27c, 48.44k, 41.31p, 9.44f

Directions

First, preheat oven to 350F. In a 12” cast iron skillet, sauté ground meat, with jalapeño, garlic, onion, bell pepper, and carrots.

2) Rinse the beans and add once the meat is cooked. Then add the salsa, corn salsa, and mix in the spice. Combine everything well. Then turn off the stovetop heat. Grate cheese and add on top of the veggie-meat mixture.

3) Make sweet cornbread, either my own recipe (add a bit more sugar) or use 2 Jiffy Boxed Mixes (with 2 eggs, 1/2C milk) which will be sweet enough.

4) Using a butter knife, spread the cornbread all over the top of the cheese and spread out over the whole dish.

5) Move the skillet into the oven for ~30min, or until the cornbread is cooked.

6) Serve topped with a dollop of sour cream, and some chopped cilantro.

Diet

[x] Flexitarian + Omnivore
[O] Weight Maint
[O] Keto
[x] Mediterranean
[O] Lectin Avoidance: egg, cheese, peppers, beans
[O] Oxalate Avoidance: beans, cornmeal
[x] Purine Avoidance
[x] Allergies: EGGS, MILK, BEANS

— with changes —
[x] Veggie + Pescatarian: Make my cornbread + use Quorn crumbles
[x] Vegan: Use PattyCooks cornbread, Quorn crumbles or do not have “meat” at all
[x] Gluten free: Use PattyCooks cornbread recipe

Comments

Although I could have made my own cornbread, I found some cornbread mixes in the cupboard and decided to use them as well as some veggies that really needed to be eaten. I used 2 boxes and it was enough to cover the dish. Jiffy Cornbread is not gluten free, and has hydrogenated lard in it.

Corn salsa, use my own or Trader Joes Corn & Chile Tomato-less Salsa, 1C = (360c, 80k, 8p, 8f).

My household loved this dish, but wanted the cornbread sweater, so add more sugar to my recipe.

Nutrition + Diet: Remember I am not a dietitian, nutritionist or doctor, just a cook. If it matters, please calculate the nutritional numbers yourself. The numbers I am providing are my best effort, and are provided only as a guide. I have listed where the numbers are coming from so that you can adjust the recipe and still calculate your own nutritional counts.