This Gluten Free Chili Cornbread Casserole combines two of the most comforting foods into one, easy recipe. You’ll never want to have normal chili ever again after you try it topped with a simple, slightly-sweet, homemade gluten free cornbread. With minimal effort, less dishes to clean up, and lots of satisfying flavor, this recipe will be a winner amongst your family this winter.
Shockingly, I didn’t grow up eating cornbread with chili. I didn’t really realize that was a thing until I saw other people do it in high school. But I understand why it’s so popular – chili and cornbread go together like two peas in a pod. The slight sweetness and buttery flavor of the cornbread really balances out the spices and acidity of the chili; together it’s the perfect meal. And rather than having to bake your chili in a separate dish, why not combine the two in one skillet for less dishes and clean up!? It’s convenient and so incredibly delicious. I know this one is going to become our go-to Sunday night dinner.
Why You’ll Love this Gluten Free Chili Cornbread Casserole
- It’s hearty, cozy and the perfect winter dinner!
- This Chili Cornbread Casserole is high in protein, gluten free, refined sugar free and can be made dairy free.
- This recipe combines chili and cornbread into one pan for less dishes and clean-up.
- There’s minimal effort involved, just some patience as it simmers and bakes!
- It yields 6 servings, making it the perfect recipe for a large family or if you’re hosting people for a dinner party.
What You Need to Make this Gluten Free Chili Cornbread Casserole
For the Chili:
- Olive Oil
- Yellow Onion: Roughly 1/2 of a jumbo yellow onion or a full small onion.
- Green Bell Pepper: It doesn’t necessarily matter what color bell pepper you use but I like using green for some color contrast!
- Ground Beef: I used 85% lean grass-fed ground beef from Butcher Box. I like the additional fattiness and tenderness that the 85% lean provides, but you could use 90% instead. Also, feel free to substitute another type of meat such as ground turkey or chicken.
- Garlic: Fresh minced preferable, if not you can just add some garlic powder.
- Chili Powder, Cumin, Cayenne, Salt & Pepper: Classic chili spices! Feel free to omit or adjust the cayenne to your liking.
- Tomato Sauce: 1 can of tomato sauce will be part of the thick base of our chili.
- Fire-Roasted Diced Tomatoes: Fire-roasted diced tomatoes are a bit more flavorful than normal, but either will work. Do not drain!
- Kidney Beans: What’s a chili without beans!? 1 can of kidney beans, drained & rinsed.
For the Cornbread:
- Cornmeal: I used a gluten free certified medium grind cornmeal from Bob’s Red Mill.
- Gluten Free 1-to-1 Flour: Make sure to use a gluten free 1-to-1 flour that contains xanthan gum, like this one from Bob’s Red Mill! If you’re not gluten free, you can also just substitute it for an equal amount of regular all-purpose flour.
- Baking Powder: To help the cornbread rise.
- Milk: I use 2% because that’s what I always have on hand, but any unflavored milk (dairy or non-dairy) should be fine.
- Full Fat Plain Greek Yogurt: To make this cornbread a little lighter and higher in protein, I like to use whole milk plain greek yogurt. You should be able to swap it out with a dairy-free yogurt as long as it’s thick like greek yogurt. Another possible substitute is just adding more butter (normal or vegan).
- Unsalted Butter: Melted & cooled. Salted butter is fine too if that’s all you have! Vegan butter will also work – I like Country Crock Plant Butter because it tastes and performs very similarly to dairy butter.
- Maple Syrup: This cornbread is sweetened naturally with some pure maple syrup which keeps this recipe refined sugar free.
- Egg: 1 large egg to give the cornbread topping some body.
How To Make this Chili Cornbread Casserole
Although this Chili Cornbread Casserole takes a bit of time, it’s actually quite simple and requires minimal effort! Just prepare the chili, let it simmer, mix together the homemade cornbread, pour the cornbread batter over the chili and bake! Here’s a full detailed breakdown of how to make it:
Prepare the Chili:
First, bring a large oven-safe pan, like this 12″ cast iron skillet, to medium heat. Once hot, add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Then, add the onion and bell pepper. Season with salt to taste, stir, and continue sautéing until the onion begins to turn translucent. Next, add in the minced garlic, stir, and cook for another minute until fragrant. Add in the ground beef, breaking apart with your spatula. Season with chili powder, cumin, cayenne (if using) and more salt and pepper. Cook until the beef is browned. Then, add in tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and kidney beans. Stir. Reduce heat to low, cover the pan, and let it simmer for 15 minutes.
Mix Together the Cornbread:
While the chili is simmering, add the cornmeal, gluten free 1-to-1 flour, baking powder and salt to a large bowl. Mix until incorporated. In another large bowl, add the melted and cooled butter, egg, maple syrup and greek yogurt. Whisk until smooth. Next, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir with a spatula until a batter forms.
Pour the Cornbread Batter over the Chili & Bake:
Finally, remove the cover from the chili pan, give it one more stir, then turn off the heat. Pour the cornbread batter all over the top of the chili. This part may get a little messy but that’s okay! Spread out the cornbread batter as evenly as you can. Then, transfer to the oven and bake for 25 minutes or until the cornbread is done through and slightly golden on top. Let it cool for a few minutes before plating and topping with your favorite chili fixins’!
Can I Use Store-Bought Cornbread Mix Instead?
If you’re looking to make your life a little easier, you should be able to swap out my homemade cornbread with your favorite store-bought mix. Although I haven’t tried this route yet, I don’t see why it wouldn’t work! I know several brands carry a gluten free cornbread mix such as Bob’s Red Mill, King Arthur Flour and Krusteaz.
If you’re using a store-bought cornbread mix and the batter is looking really thick, you may need to thin it out with a bit of milk in order for it to be a thin enough consistency that it actually spreads out on top of the chili.
Please let me know in the comments below if you try a store-bought option! I’d love to know how it went for you.
What If I Don’t Own a Cast Iron Skillet?
No worries! You can definitely still make this Chili Cornbread Casserole without a cast iron skillet. However, I think a large cast iron skillet is so worth the $30 – it’s quickly become my new favorite pan and it lasts forever.
Feel free to make this recipe in any large (~12″) oven-safe pan that you have. Stainless steel pans are a great option and I know that several non-stick brands (such as Caraway) are oven-safe as well. If you don’t have any oven-safe pans, just prepare your chili in whatever pan you have access to and then transfer it to a 9 x 13″ baking dish. Continue on with the recipe as written!
Can I Make This Dairy Free?
Yes, by making a few simple swaps this Chili Cornbread Casserole can be dairy free! Just swap out the milk for your favorite unsweetened, non-dairy kind, butter for vegan butter (my personal favorite is Country Crock Plant Butter) and a thick non-dairy yogurt (I love Siggi’s plant-based) for the greek yogurt. The results may vary slightly but overall should still work and taste great! Let me know if you end up trying it this way.
Find the full recipe below. As always, please let me know if you tried it by commenting below or tagging me on Instagram, @munchinwithmaddie_.
Looking for more Hearty, Comforting Meals?
- Buffalo Chicken Chili
- Creamy Butternut Squash, Cranberry & Goat Cheese Orzo
- Broccoli Cheddar Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
- Jalapeño Popper Chicken Casserole
Gluten Free Chili Cornbread Casserole
Equipment
- 12" cast iron skillet (or other oven-safe pan)
- 2 spatulas
Ingredients
For the Chili:
- olive oil
- ½ jumbo yellow onion diced
- 1 green bell pepper diced (about 1 cup)
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 lb ground beef (I used 85% lean)
- ½ tbsp chili powder
- ½ tsp cumin
- cayenne optional, to taste
- salt + pepper to taste
- 1 can tomato sauce 15oz
- 1 can fire-roasted diced tomatoes 15oz
- 1 can kidney beans 15oz, drained & rinsed
For the Gluten Free Cornbread:
- 1 cup cornmeal *
- 1 cup gluten free 1-to-1 flour **
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup milk (I used 2%)
- ¼ cup full-fat plain greek yogurt
- ¼ cup unsalted butter melted & cooled
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 large egg
Instructions
- Bring cast iron skillet to medium heat. Once hot, add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Then, add diced onion and bell pepper. Season with salt to taste. Cook for several minutes until the onions are starting to turn translucent, stirring occasionally. Then, add garlic, stir and cook for one more minute until fragrant.
- Add ground beef, chili powder, cumin, cayenne (if using) and more salt & pepper. Break apart the beef with your spatula and continue to let cook until browned.
- Then add in the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and kidney beans. Stir. Reduce heat to low, cover the pan and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375F. In a large bowl, mix together the cornmeal, GF flour, baking powder and salt. In another large bowl, mix together the greek yogurt, maple syrup, melted butter, and egg. Then add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just incorporated.
- Once chili is done simmering, pour the cornbread batter on top of the chili. Gently spread it out and don't worry if it gets a little messy. Transfer to the oven and bake for 25 minutes or until the cornbread is done and slightly golden on top.
- Optionally, serve it with a dollop of greek yogurt (or sour cream), shredded cheddar, chopped red onion and chopped cilantro. Enjoy!
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @munchinwithmaddie_ on Instagram and/or hashtag it #munchinwithmaddie.
This was fantastic! I just used a cornbread mix. The flavors were great together. My husband was blown away and the kids actually ate it too.
Wohoooo! Thank you Amanda 🙂