Mexican Cornbread Casserole is an easy, comforting dish featuring a layer of taco-seasoned ground beef mixed with salsa, black beans, corn, and olives, and topped with green chile cheddar cornbread!
Sometimes you just need a fast, simple supper, whether it comes in the form of slow cooker suppers or one pot wonders or quick, cozy oven bakes. Enter this Mexican Cornbread Casserole!
This is one of those stand-by, ever popular recipes that I've had in my arsenal since I was a sprightly young newlywed.
Is it fancy? No.
Is it complicated? No.
But is it speedy to make and pleasing to ingest by pretty much everyone? YES. Why yes, it is.
Ingredients
Mexican Cornbread Casserole is obviously not "Mexican" in the sense of authentic cuisine from the heart of Mexico...so don't judge my title here. 😉
Rather, it's got more of an Americanized Tex-Mex vibe going, between the taco-seasoned ground beef, salsa, black beans, corn, and black olives. And don't forget the cornbread topping, jazzed up with grated cheddar and green chiles!
How to Make It
The photos pretty much sum up the simplicity of this recipe.
- Brown your ground beef.
- Simmer it with a bit of salsa and taco seasoning.
- Stir in the beans, corn, and olives (if you care for them) and spoon all of that savory deliciousness into a baking dish.
- Whip up a batch of cornbread, throwing in some diced green chiles and grated cheddar cheese for good measure. (Or even some jalapeños, if you can handle the heat!)
- Then spread the batter on top of the beef mixture and bake the whole shebang until it achieves a lovely shade of golden brown.
Serve your Mexican Cornbread Casserole with a dollop of sour cream, additional salsa, diced avocado, or whatever else floats your boat. Prepare to go to bed full and happy!
Or if you are this poor, mistreated child, prepare to wail because your heartless mother sweetly asked you to scoot out from the background of her photo shoot. Let it be noted, however, that said heartless mother knew exactly what this little cutie was up to, seeing as how it's been awhile since her sneaky little hand made a food photography cameo...
Shortcut
One final note...I always keep a jumbo jar of Homemade Taco Seasoning and a colossal container of Homemade Cornbread Mix in my pantry, and I use them both all the time.
I like the convenience of having a prepared mix on hand without having to worry about the preservatives and questionable ingredients found in a lot of store-bought seasonings and mixes.
It makes recipes like this Mexican Cornbread Casserole that much faster to put together while allowing me to control exactly what I'm feeding my family. (And if you're interested in making your own mixes and kitchen staples, I'm always adding new recipes to that section of the blog!)
Well, that's pretty much it, folks! Even if the season and the temperatures haven't quite reached comfort food status yet, they'll get there soon enough.
In the meantime, I'm taking full advantage of every quick, easy meal in my repertoire...and Mexican Cornbread Casserole happens to be one of my family's favorites. Enjoy!
And if you love this recipe, for a similar idea -- with a totally different flavor -- this Tamale Pie is topped with a masa topping (instead of regular cornbread) and tastes amazingly like a beef tamale!
More Simple, Comforting Suppers
- 30-Minute Skillet Lasagna
- Slow Cooker Chicken & White Bean Chili
- Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwich Au Jus
- Italian Baked Chicken
Mexican Cornbread Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 cup salsa
- 2 tablespoons Homemade Taco Seasoning, OR 1 package store-bought taco seasoning
- 1 can (15-ounces) black beans, rinsed & drained
- 2 cups frozen corn, thawed
- 1 can (2.25-ounces) sliced black olives, drained
- 1 batch Homemade Cornbread Mix, OR 1 (8.5-oz. package store-bought cornbread mix), plus ingredients to prepare as directed
- 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
- 1 can (4-ounces) diced green chiles
Instructions
- With oven rack in center position, preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease or spray an 8-inch square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Set a pot or large skillet over medium heat and cook ground beef until browned. Drain grease, stir in salsa and taco seasoning, and bring to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes on low until thickened. Stir in black beans, corn, and black olives, and transfer mixture to prepared baking dish, spreading it in an even layer.
- Prepare cornbread batter according to package directions, stirring in cheddar cheese and green chiles until just combined. Spread batter over beef mixture, smoothing to edges of dish. Bake, uncovered, for 30 to 35 minutes or until cornbread is golden brown and tests done with a toothpick. Serve with sour cream, additional salsa, cheddar cheese, black olives, diced tomatoes, diced avocado, or your favorite garnishes.
Notes
- You may use something other than an 8-inch square baking dish as long as it has a similar capacity. Just make sure it's not too deep or the cornbread may not cook through.
- Use mild salsa, or even tomato sauce, for a mild dish. Use hot salsa if you prefer more spice. You may omit the green chiles if you wish, but they are typically pretty mild (unless they are labeled hot).
- Corn does not have to be completely thawed. I typically toss it in a colander on top of the black beans and rinse everything together, which partially thaws the corn.
Ratna
Can you freeze this?
Samantha Skaggs
Sure! Just make sure you cook it before freezing, so that the topping is baked cornbread and not raw batter. Alternatively, you can just freeze the meat mixture and then make the cornbread batter and bake when you're ready to serve. 🙂
JRS
Thank you. The cornbread bake was very good. I used TJs "meatless ground" beef and omitted the olives.
Samantha at Five Heart Home
So happy to hear you enjoyed it!
Kathi
I tried your recipe yesterday for a pot luck and it was a HUGE hit. I also made a vegetarian version using chopped cremini mushrooms and it turned out well. Thanks for sharing!
Samantha at Five Heart Home
So happy to hear it, Kathi! And I love the idea of your cremini mushroom version...thanks for sharing that! 🙂
Karen Moran
I totally love that photo with the luscious green salad with berries, and the (also luscious!) little hand intruding!
https://www.instagram.com/p/lsgSQ_HZc3/?modal=true
This will be a real classic in years to come.
Samantha at Five Heart Home
Ha, Karen...thanks! That little hand found its way into a lot of my food photos over the years... 😉
C. Moore
Hello. My question is when adding the ingredients I noticed it didn't say add water. Was this accidentally omitted? I added about 1/2 cup since the taco mix called for 1cup.
Let me know
Thanks
Charles
Samantha at Five Heart Home
Hi Charles! Great question. 🙂 I usually don't add water with the taco seasoning when making this recipe since the salsa is already pretty liquid-y. That being said, feel free to add some water if it seems to help the beef absorb the taco seasoning. I don't think you can go wrong either way. 🙂 Hope you enjoyed this recipe, and I hope you have a great rest of the week!
Tina
My picky eaters and I all loved this recipe! My entire menu for the week is from your blog! Can't wait to try the King Ranch Chicken and the Chicken Spaghetti. I have never made either and I'm sure your recipes are the best to start with!
Samantha at Five Heart Home
I'm so happy that y'all enjoyed this, Tina! I hope that the rest of your menu this week goes over just as well... 😉 It makes my day to hear that you're having success with my recipes. Thanks for taking the time to let me know, and I hope you're having a wonderful week!
Joy
Just a quick note to let you know that I plan to make your taco casserole for game day Sunday!
Samantha at Five Heart Home
That's great, Joy! I think this recipe makes great football-eating food... 😉
Jaren (Diary of a Recipe Collector)
This dish looks great! I had a little friend join me for photos today too. I only had a little corner to shoot from. Thanks for linking up at Saturday Night Fever!!
Samantha at Five Heart Home
Ha ha, Jaren...aren't little friends the best?! 😉 Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope your week is off to a fabulous start!
Cara Okupski
Thank you for the delicious recipe. I made it last night and the family LOVED it and devoured it!
Samantha at Five Heart Home
I'm so happy to hear that, Cara! I'm glad that your family enjoyed this and I really appreciate you taking the time to come back and let me know. 🙂 Hope your week is off to a great start!
Carol at Wild Goose Tea
My elder boy was be doing hand stands over this recipe. It looks delicious. You posted a classic picture of your little girl. Poor darlin'---so sad/mad
Samantha at Five Heart Home
Oh good, Carol...I hope your son (and entire family) enjoy this one if you have a chance to try it! And yes, my daughter will turn 2 in a couple of weeks...she's perfected her sad/mad face, but fortunately, it typically passes quickly and she's generally pretty happy. 🙂 Have a fabulous Friday!
Debbie Caraballo
Delicious! I love anything with the flavors of Mexican food! Pinning for later....have a wonderful rest of the week!
Samantha at Five Heart Home
Thank you, Deb...I hope you enjoy this one! Hope you've had a great week and that your weekend is even better! 🙂