Perfect, hearty family dinner for fall!
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Table of Contents
🗝️ Key takeaways
- Simple ingredients combine to create a mouthwatering, hearty meal packed with zesty flavor.
- This delicious dish is a great way to feed the whole family on busy weeknights without any fuss.
- Learn how to assemble this easy recipe in advance if you need to prep some quick fridge/freezer meals.
You might say that this cowboy cornbread casserole recipe is the shepherd's pie of Tex-Mex cuisine.
Seasoned ground beef, beans, tomatoes, corn, and gooey cheese are all layered under a blanket of golden brown cornbread for a rootin' tootin' good dinner.
🧾 Ingredients
This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
📖 Variations
- Swap the Meat: Feel free to swap the beef for ground turkey or chicken. Have just a little leftover meat in the fridge? Add it to the ground beef.
- Get Cheesy: Instead of cheddar cheese, feel free to use your favorite Tex-Mex alternative. Pepper Jack would taste great in this recipe.
- Add-Ins: Sometimes, I'll dice bell peppers or jalapenos and toss them in with the onions. You can also add mushrooms to sneak in more veggies.
- Spice Level: Use mild taco seasoning if you don't prefer a ton of heat, or choose the spicy kind to give this cowboy casserole recipe a little kick!
- If you can't find Ranch style beans use drained pinto beans.
- If you prefer to make your own topping try this corn muffin batter!
🔪 Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- In a large skillet, brown the meat and onions. Add corn, Rotel tomatoes, taco seasoning, and ranch-style beans.
- Spoon everything into a greased baking dish.
- Sprinkle shredded cheese on top of the meat mixture.
- Carefully spread the cornbread mixture over top and bake.
Casserole times and temps
There may be times that you have to bake your casserole at a different temperature than called for.
These times are only an estimate. Be sure to check your casserole often. It's done when an instant-read thermometer registers 165F when stuck in the middle of the casserole.
| Temperature | Time | Time From Frozen |
| 300F | 1 hour 10 minutes | 2 hours 20 minutes |
| 325F | 1 hour | 2 hours |
| 350F | 50 minutes | 1 hour 30 minutes |
| 375F | 40 minutes | 1 hour 20 minutes |
| 400F | 30 | 1 hour |
🥫 How to store leftovers
Leftover cowboy cornbread casserole tastes great and makes an easy dinner the next day!
Let the casserole cool, then cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil or plastic wrap.
If you don't have much left over, transfer it to a smaller airtight container.
Store cowboy casserole in the fridge for up to four days or in the freezer for up to three months.
I recommend letting the frozen casserole thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating it. Then, warm the leftovers, covered, in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or heat up individual servings using the microwave.
💭 Things to know
Expert Tip: For great flavor, don't drain the beans or Rotel tomatoes. Ranch-style beans are pinto beans in a delicious, zesty tomato sauce.
- Take a moment to grate your own block of cheese for an extra creamy texture. Pre-shredded doesn't melt as well.
- It's okay to leave a few small lumps when stirring the Jiffy cornbread mix. Overmixing can make the cornbread taste tough instead of soft.
- When serving, feel free to add your favorite toppings, like avocado, hot sauce, fresh cilantro, or a dollop of sour cream!
- To prep ahead of time, assemble the ingredients in a casserole dish and refrigerate for up to a day. However, leave off the cornbread batter until you're ready to bake—it only takes a few seconds to mix, anyway.
- To prep and freeze ahead of time, prepare everything (even the cornbread mix) in a freezer-safe baking dish. Freeze for up to three months. Let the casserole thaw overnight in the fridge, then bake. You may have to add a few minutes of baking time from chilled.
👩🍳 FAQs
Yep! The ground beef won't cook through properly if you don't brown it first. Always add cooked ground beef to casserole recipes like this.
You can, but know that the casserole won't be quite as tasty. The ranch-style beans come in a tangy, tomato-y sauce that adds delicious flavor and creaminess to cowboy cornbread casserole.
I think you could use creamed corn in this recipe, and it'll turn out okay. You'll add a nice, creamy texture to the casserole but probably won't taste the mild corn flavor much over the zesty taco seasoning.
📚 Related recipes
- This 30-minute Cowboy Spaghetti recipe features everyone's favorite Tex-Mex flavors in a cheesy dish that even kids love to eat.
- John Wayne Casserole combines biscuits, ground beef, and ranch seasoning for a gooey, creamy, hearty casserole dinner.
- In the original Cowboy Casserole, creamy ground beef is layered with peppers and onions underneath a bed of golden tater tots—so fun!
🍽️ Serve with...
Cowboy cornbread casserole is a hearty meal, so I like to serve it with a lighter veggie side, like spicy roasted cauliflower or fried green tomatoes.
To make things more fun, whip up a pitcher of hibiscus lemonade, and don't forget about dessert. These Mexican hot chocolate cupcakes deliver the perfect amount of after-dinner sweetness.
📞 The last word
We love this easy, family-friendly casserole. It's so easy to make and it's one of those that is even better the next day.
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.
If you love this recipe please comment below and give it 5 stars.
📖 Recipe
Cowboy Cornbread Casserole
Print Pin Recipe Save Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
- 17 ounces Jiffy Cornbread Mix, 2 boxes
- 2 eggs
- ⅔ cup milk
- 1 ½ pounds lean ground beef, 90/10 is best
- 1 cup yellow onion , diced
- 2 cups corn , drained if canned
- 10.5 ounce Ro*tel tomatoes, don't drain
- 14.5 ounce Ranch style chili beans, don't drain -these are pinto beans in a chili sauce
- 1 ounce taco seasoning
- 1-½ cups Cheddar Cheese, grated
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Spray a 13x9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray, and set aside.
- Mix cornbread according to package instructions using the eggs and milk.
- Set aside.
- In a large skillet cook the ground beef and onion until the beef is no longer pink and the onion is translucent.
- Drain any extra fat. If you used lean (90/10) ground beef you may not need to drain it at all.
- Stir in the Rotel, beans, corn, and taco seasoning.
- Spoon meat mixture into the prepared casserole dish.
- Top with cheese.
- Spoon cornbread batter over the top and smooth it out.
- Bake uncovered in preheated oven for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the casserole comes out clean. An instant read thermometer will read 200℉ when inserted in the center of the casserole.
- Remove from oven. Allow to rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Take a moment to grate your own block of cheese for an extra creamy texture. Pre-shredded doesn't melt as well.
- It's okay to leave a few small lumps when stirring the Jiffy cornbread mix. Overmixing can make the cornbread taste tough instead of soft.
- When serving, feel free to add your favorite toppings, like avocado, hot sauce, fresh cilantro, or a dollop of sour cream!
- To prep ahead of time, assemble the ingredients in a casserole dish and refrigerate for up to a day. However, leave off the cornbread batter until you're ready to bake—it only takes a few seconds to mix, anyway.
- To prep and freeze ahead of time, prepare everything (even the cornbread mix) in a freezer-safe baking dish. Freeze for up to three months. Let the casserole thaw overnight in the fridge, then bake. You may have to add a few minutes of baking time from chilled.
- If you can't find Ranch style beans use drained pinto beans.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
Mel C says
New family favorite