Vegetable Chili with Cornbread Topping Casserole

Ingredients

• Chili:
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
• 1 large red bell pepper, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• Cornbread:
• 1 ½ cups milk
• 1 large egg
• 1 ½ cups yellow cornmeal
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 small jalapeno pepper, chopped
• Garnish:
• 1 jalapeno pepper, sliced
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Ingredient Image

Step 1

Lightly heat some olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until it’s shimmering, about a minute. Toss in the chopped onion, carrot, and bell pepper, stirring occasionally, and cook until they’re nice and tender—around 8 minutes. Then add the garlic and spices like chili powder, cumin, oregano, paprika, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Stir everything together and let it cook for a couple more minutes until the spices really wake up.

Step 2

Pour in the diced tomatoes, black beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, and corn. Give it all a good stir, then add the broth and lime juice. Turn the heat up to high and bring the chili to a boil, which should take about 5 minutes. Once boiling, lower the heat to medium-low and let it simmer uncovered, stirring now and then, for about half an hour.

Step 3

While the chili is cooking, go ahead and preheat your oven to 400°F. In a big bowl, whisk together the milk and egg until smooth. In another bowl, mix the cornmeal, flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Pour the milk and egg mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk until the batter is smooth. Stir in the melted butter and then fold in the chopped jalapeño.

Step 4

When the chili has finished simmering, take the Dutch oven off the heat and pour the cornbread batter evenly over the top. Use a spatula to spread it out and cover the chili completely. Pop the whole thing into the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the cornbread comes out clean.

Step 5

Let the casserole cool for about 10 minutes before serving. For a fresh touch, sprinkle sliced jalapeño and some chopped cilantro on top. Enjoy!