Cornbread casserole with a twist! These mini chili cornbread casseroles are a delicious, cozy comfort meal that the entire family will enjoy!

I am so excited to share this delicious spin on a traditional chili corn bread casserole with these Mini Chili Cornbread Casseroles!

First of all, I love anything mini! These are essentially like mini chili pot pies, but you could totally take this recipe and whip up a giant dish of chili cornbread casserole if you’re cooking for a larger crowd.

With cooler weather on the horizon, I’m ready for all of the yummy, cozy foods, and this easy recipe is a must-have for every busy mama looking to make hearty, delicious meals for her family this fall/winter season!

While this doesn’t qualify as one of my 5 ingredients or less recipes, it can easily be adapted by utilizing a box mix of cornbread to significantly cut down on the number of ingredients (totally worth the extra effort in my opinion, though!)

If you’re a fan of delicious, cozy dinner recipes like this one, be sure to try this Cajun Chicken Noodle Soup or my Easy Chicken and Dumplings (with frozen biscuits).

Here’s what you need to make these yummy Mini Chili Cornbread Casseroles:

Ground Beef
Tomato Sauce
Kidney Beans
Chili Seasoning
All Purpose Flour
Granulated Sugar
Finely Ground Cornmeal
Salt
Baking Soda
Buttermilk
Canola Oil
Egg

Preparing the Chili:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large skillet, brown the ground beef, and once done, drain any excess grease.

Add in the tomato sauce, kidney beans, and chili seasoning, and stir them until well combined. You can also add in any other of your favorite ingredients to make the chili your own! Think corn, green chilies, spices, etc.

Bring the entire mixture to a boil, then reduce the meat to medium low.

Cover the chili and allow it to simmer for about 10 minutes or so, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.

Preparing The Cornbread:

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cornmeal, salt, and baking powder and mix until well combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, oil, and egg.

Next, combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients and mix until fully combined.

Assembling the Mini Cornbread Casseroles:

Since these are mini cornbread casseroles, I recommend using at least an 8-oz ramekin for a decent, yet still mini portion size. These 8-oz porcelain ramekins are perfect for this easy recipe. These also come with an airtight lid, which makes storing these mini chili cornbread casseroles a breeze.

Spray 6 ramekins with an oil-based, non-stick cooking spray, and place them on a baking sheet. Fill each ramekin with about ¾ of chili, leaving room for the cornbread batter on top.

Top each chili-filled ramekin with cornbread batter, filling them almost to the top, but not fully.

Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until the cornbread is either golden brown and slightly cracked, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

PRO-TIP

Be careful not to overfill the ramekins with the cornbread batter to avoid the batter overflowing in the oven.

And just like that, you have yummy mini cornbread casseroles that are ready just in time for the upcoming cozy season.

Top them with your favorite toppings like sour cream, jalapeños, shredded cheese, and/or chives, and enjoy!

F.A.Q & Recipe Substitutions

These mini chili casseroles store easily in the fridge, especially if you use these 8-oz porcelain ramekins! Simply pop on the airtight lids and store in the fridge for 3-5 days!

If your ramekins don’t have an airtight lid, I recommend covering them with foil and then placing the ramekins in a ziplock bag, making sure to remove as much air as possible.

Absolutely! You can easily turn these into more of a traditional cornbread casserole by using a 9×9 or 9×13 pan and adjusting the baking time as needed. You will likely need a little extra time for the cornbread to fully bake.

Yes! If you aren’t a fan of kidney beans, black beans, or pinto beans would be a great substitution! You can also mix it up and add more than one type of bean, as well as adding different spices and ingredients to make it your own!

You can totally use boxed cornbread mix! Just make sure the ramekins are on a baking sheet before going in the oven, in case there’s any overflow of the cornbread. I highly recommend Krusteaz Honey Cornbread & Muffin Mix .

There you have it! A delicious, cozy meal that’s even easy enough to whip up on a busy school night!

Mini Chili Cornbread Casseroles

Name: Mini Chili Cornbread Casseroles
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: Sour Cream/Greek Yogurt; Shredded Cheese; Chives; Jalapeño; 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour; 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar; 3/4 cup of cornmeal, finely ground; 1/2 tablespoons of salt; 1/2 tablespoons of baking soda; 2/3 cup buttermilk; 1/4 cup canola oil; 1 egg; 1 lb of ground beef; 2 cans of tomato sauce (8oz); 1 can of kidney beans (15oz, drained); 1 packet of chili seasoning (1.25oz)

Yield: 6 Mini Casseroles

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Cornbread casserole with a twist! These mini chili cornbread casseroles are a delicious, cozy comfort meal that the entire family will enjoy!

Ingredients

Chili Ingredients:

1 lb of ground beef
2 cans of tomato sauce (8oz)
1 can of kidney beans (15oz, drained)
1 packet of chili seasoning (1.25oz)

Cornbread Ingredients:

1/2 cup of all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons of granulated sugar
3/4 cup of cornmeal, finely ground
1/2 tablespoons of salt
1/2 tablespoons of baking soda
2/3 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup canola oil
1 egg

Toppings(optional):

Sour Cream/Greek Yogurt
Shredded Cheese
Chives
Jalapeño

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
In a skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef, breaking it up into small pieces as it cooks, and drain any excess grease.
Add in the tomato sauce, kidney beans, and chili seasoning, and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer covered for about 10 minutes. Stirring occasionally.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cornmeal, salt, and baking powder. In a separate bowl, mix together the buttermilk, oil, and egg.
Combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients, and mix until fully combined.
Spray 6 8-ounce ramekins with oil-based cooking spray, and fill about ¾ of each one with chili, leaving room for the cornbread batter on top.
Top each chili-filled ramekin with cornbread batter. Fill them almost to the top, but be careful not to overfill them to avoid the batter overflowing in the oven.
Place the ramekins on a baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the cornbread is lightly golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.
Top with sour cream and shredded cheese, and enjoy!

Notes

*requires 6 8-ounce ramekins

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 460Total Fat: 22.6gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 174mgSodium: 776mgCarbohydrates: 36gFiber: 3gSugar: 7gProtein: 28g