I can't believe I haven't already posted this!
I made this up years ago when I had not-enough of a bunch of things. It's basically an extrapolated Frito pie.
1 15-ounce can chili (or two cups homemade/leftover)
1 pound ground meat, browned and drained (beef, turkey, whatever. I've never cooked with TVP but that might work, too)
1 15-ounce can beans, drained (or two cups homemade/leftover)
1 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes (or two cups fresh, chopped)
1 15-ounce can kernel corn (two cups fresh or frozen)
1 onion, chopped
your favorite recipe of cornbread batter, or 1 package mix (unsweetened is better)
jalapeños to taste (I use 2-3 pickled slices, squeezed through a garlic press)
cheese, if you wish
Alternative: Rice, cooked
**You can substitute cooked rice (or any other grain, really) for some or all of the ground meat. One pound ground meat made two generous cups of crumbled meat after browning, so substitute accordingly.
Notes:
I like black beans, but it doesn't really matter what kind you use.
I haven't tried it but I'm sure you could use hominy instead of kernel corn.
This is a very, very, forgiving recipe and you can make lots of substitutions (no corn? No meat? Add more beans. Etc.) Also, except for the cornbread, it doesn't really depend on any sort of cooking chemistry, so if you don't have the proportions called for here--if you only have a quarter pound of meat or need to use up extra beans--it doesn't matter.
Prepare cornbread mix according to directions on package, or make up a batch of batter.
Combine all the other ingredients except for the cheese. Mix thoroughly and spread into a 9 x 13-inch pan. Top with cheese, if you like, and cornbread batter. Bake according to cornbread directions (everything else is already cooked, so you only have to heat up the filling and bake the topping; you're not worrying about cooking raw meat).
This can be frozen. It works best if you freeze the filling only and add the cornbread batter before baking. You can freeze it batter and all but the batter won't rise and you'll get a flat crust. It still tastes fine but the texture is less appealing. Take it out of the freezer the night before (i.e. if you need it for Wednesday dinner, take it out to thaw on Tuesday night).
I made this up years ago when I had not-enough of a bunch of things. It's basically an extrapolated Frito pie.
1 15-ounce can chili (or two cups homemade/leftover)
1 pound ground meat, browned and drained (beef, turkey, whatever. I've never cooked with TVP but that might work, too)
1 15-ounce can beans, drained (or two cups homemade/leftover)
1 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes (or two cups fresh, chopped)
1 15-ounce can kernel corn (two cups fresh or frozen)
1 onion, chopped
your favorite recipe of cornbread batter, or 1 package mix (unsweetened is better)
jalapeños to taste (I use 2-3 pickled slices, squeezed through a garlic press)
cheese, if you wish
Alternative: Rice, cooked
**You can substitute cooked rice (or any other grain, really) for some or all of the ground meat. One pound ground meat made two generous cups of crumbled meat after browning, so substitute accordingly.
Notes:
I like black beans, but it doesn't really matter what kind you use.
I haven't tried it but I'm sure you could use hominy instead of kernel corn.
This is a very, very, forgiving recipe and you can make lots of substitutions (no corn? No meat? Add more beans. Etc.) Also, except for the cornbread, it doesn't really depend on any sort of cooking chemistry, so if you don't have the proportions called for here--if you only have a quarter pound of meat or need to use up extra beans--it doesn't matter.
Prepare cornbread mix according to directions on package, or make up a batch of batter.
Combine all the other ingredients except for the cheese. Mix thoroughly and spread into a 9 x 13-inch pan. Top with cheese, if you like, and cornbread batter. Bake according to cornbread directions (everything else is already cooked, so you only have to heat up the filling and bake the topping; you're not worrying about cooking raw meat).
This can be frozen. It works best if you freeze the filling only and add the cornbread batter before baking. You can freeze it batter and all but the batter won't rise and you'll get a flat crust. It still tastes fine but the texture is less appealing. Take it out of the freezer the night before (i.e. if you need it for Wednesday dinner, take it out to thaw on Tuesday night).
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