Meg Goes Nom Nom

It’s been far too long since I’ve shared a new recipe on the blog! Twelve whole days, actually, with my “Honey-Chipotle Turkey Meatballs and Roasted Chickpeas” post being my last shared recipe. But don’t worry – I have been cooking, and here’s the evidence.

I’m a sucker for any dish involving cornbread. This casserole has a base of prepared corn muffin mix, and with thawed frozen corn [note: half of the corn goes in the base, half in the topping], poured into an 8”x8” baking dish.

Meanwhile I prepared the veggie and meat topping.

Ground sirloin, diced tomatoes and green chilies (drained):

The recipe also calls for 8 oz. of Tomato & Green Chili Sauce but I’ve never seen this product at my grocery store. Instead, I used about 5-6 oz. of tomato sauced mixed with a few ounces of canned chopped green chilies (most of a 4 oz. can), both of which are very easy to find.

Cumin!

Corn!

And that’s nearly it! Simply pour the beefy topping over the raw corn muffin batter.

Spread evenly.

Cheese it up.

Then bake for 15-20 minutes. That’s it!

The zesty beef, tomato, and cheese topping was the perfect compliment for the slightly sweet corn bread base beneath.

I loved this dish!

I added a few dashes of Sriracha to my portion for more heat, as well.

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Mexican Cornbread Casserole

Recipe from Ro-Tel on recipe.com (mildly adapted)

• No-Stick Cooking Spray
• 1  8.5-ounce package corn muffin mix
• 1 egg
• 1/3  cup milk
• 3/4  cup frozen whole kernel corn, divided
• 1/2  pound lean ground beef
• 1  10-ounce can Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies, drained
• 1  8-ounce can Tomato & Green Chili Sauce (or 3/4 of an 8 oz. can of tomato sauce mixed with canned chopped green chilies)
• 1/2  teaspoon ground cumin
• 1  cup shredded reduced fat Mexican cheese blend (or whatever cheese you prefer)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray 8×8-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray; set aside. Stir together cornbread mix, egg, milk, and half of corn in bowl. Pour into prepared dish.
2. Meanwhile, cook beef in medium skillet over medium-high heat 3 to 5 minutes or until crumbled and no longer pink, stirring occasionally; drain. Stir in drained tomatoes, tomato sauce, remaining corn, and cumin. Pour mixture over top of cornbread batter. Top with cheese.
3. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until edges are lightly browned and cornbread is done.

Nutrition:

Per serving (1/6th of recipe): Calories 276, Total Fat 13 g, Saturated Fat 6 g, Sodium 886 mg, Carbohydrate 38 g, Fiber 2 g, Protein 16 g, Calcium 368 mg, Sugar 11 g, Iron 2 mg. [source]

My rating:

8.3/10

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I wouldn’t change a thing about the recipe!