Cornbread Chili Pie
Dive into the heart of Southern comfort with Aunt Erma’s Cornbread Chili Pie, also known as Corn Pone Pie. This beloved recipe combines hearty chili with a golden cornbread topping, baked to perfection in a cast iron skillet. A tribute to the legacy of strong, talented women like Aunt Erma, this chili cornbread casserole is more than just a meal—it’s a warm, love-filled slice of home.
Did you know that the humble Cornbread Chili Pie has a glamorous alias – the Corn Pone Pie? This Southern belle, loved and aspired by many, is a culinary gem that combines comfort flavors in each bite. Imagine a layer of sumptuous chili, crowned with a rustic cornbread topping, baked to golden perfection in a trusty cast iron skillet – it’s a taste of tradition, a taste of home. Inherited from the recipe troves of the ever-talented, Aunt Erma, this hearty casserole is a testament to her legacy.
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I was thumbing thru some of my recipes collected over the years and I came across this recipe for Cornbread Chili Pie and then noticed it was my Aunt Erma’s recipe. Aunt Erma was a true Arkansas farm wife, she quilted, crocheted, knitted and canned a garden full of vegetables every year. My Uncle Robert and she had a two or three-acre garden and it was loaded with everything from blueberries to zucchini.
I remember she made my mother an Alzheimer’s lap quilt. It was a small quilt with squares of different fabrics and textures that helped keep anxious Alzheimer’s hands busy. That what’s strong women do, they don’t whine or feel sorry for anyone, they found a need and fill it. Aunt Erma was an amazing and talented lady and her Cornbread Chili Pie finds your need and fills it with comfort. A symbol of down-home comfort food, this recipe is a tribute to the strong women like Aunt Erma, whose love, care, and sheer determination goes into every dish they make. A slice of this scrumptious pie is a slice of the warmth, comfort and love that makes a house a home.
Step away from the routine and treat yourself to Aunt Erma’s legendary Cornbread Chili Pie! This age-old southern delight, a chili topped cornbread casserole, baked with love in a cast iron skillet, is the perfect way to end your day. Cornbread Chili Pie or as most southerns call it Corn Pone Pie. It’s chili topped with cornbread and baked in a cast iron skillet. This Chili Cornbread Casserole is down-home comfort food.
Cornbread Chili Pie Recipe:
Chili Ingredients:
- 1 pound ground beef
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 15 ounces can diced tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 2 teaspoon chili powder
- 15 ounce can Ranch Style Red Beans
- salt
- black pepper
Ingredients for Corn Bread Topping:
- ½ cup yellow cornmeal
- ½ cup flour
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- 1 Tablespoon melted butter
- ½ cup milk
Equipment Needed:
- 10 inch Skillet
- Meat Chopper (meat breaker upper)
- Mixer
- Mixing Bowl
🥣 Recipe Tips
- Season the Chili Generously: Taste the chili mixture before adding the cornbread topping and adjust the salt, black pepper, and chili powder to your preference. This ensures a flavorful base that complements the cornbread.
- Use a Hot Skillet: Preheat the cast iron skillet in the oven before adding the ingredients. A hot skillet helps create a crispy edge on the chili and cornbread, enhancing the texture of the dish.
- Check Cornbread Doneness: Insert a toothpick into the center of the cornbread topping after baking. If it comes out clean, the cornbread is fully cooked. If not, bake for an additional 2-3 minutes to avoid a soggy topping.
How to make a Southern Corn Bread Chili Pie:
Add the ground beef and chopped onions in a 10 inch cast iron skillet. Cook and break up the meat as it browns.
Continue to cook until the ground beef is browned and the onions are translucent.
Add the tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, chile powder, and beans to the browned beef reduce heat and cook for 15-20 minutes.
As the chili is simmering preheat the oven to 375° F and start mixing the cornbread. Add cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt to a large mixing bowl.
Add eggs, melted butter and milk to the cornbread dry ingredients and mix well.
Pour cornbread mixture over the meat mixture and gently (if needed) spread to the edges of the skillet. Bake for 20 minutes in preheated oven for 20 minutes.
Bake the Cornbread Chili Pie until cornbread is golden brown and firm. The chili may bubbly up around the edges and that’s just fine. Cut into 6 slices, top with jalapeño slices, (optional) and serve.
Aunt Erma’s timeless recipe for Cornbread Chili Pie, a Southern classic also known as Corn Pone Pie. From a humble Arkansas farm to your dinner table, this love-infused chili cornbread casserole with hearty ingredients promises to be more than just a meal. The savory chili paired with the golden cornbread topping, baked in a cast iron skillet, created a dish that’s as soul-soothing as it is delicious. It’s a down-home comfort food that tells the tale of a strong, talented lady who filled the world with comfort in every way she could. Not only is every spoonful of this preparation filled with the rich flavors of chili and cornbread, but it also carries the warmth of a meal baked with love in a cast iron skillet.
This Corn Bread Chili Pie is not picture perfect but like us, it doesn’t have to be. It’s a delicious chili cornbread casserole that is baked with love and filled with comfort. And its one of our favorite down-home comfort foods baked in a cast iron skillet.
Other Down Home Comfort Food:
- Chicken and Dumplings in a Slow Cooker
- Michelle’s Taco Soup
- Stuffed Shells
- Hamburger Vegetable Soup
- Campbells chicken pot pie
🥣 Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground hamburger meat
- ½ cup onion chopped
- 1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 15 ounce can ranch style red beans
- salt
- black pepper
For the Cornbread Topping
- ½ cup cornmeal
- ½ cup flour
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- 1 Tablespoon butter melted
- ½ cup milk
Instructions
- Add the ground beef and chopped onions in a 10 inch cast iron skillet. Cook and break up the meat as it browns.
- Continue to cook until the ground beef is browned and the onions are translucent.
- Add the tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, chile powder, and beans to the browned beef reduce heat and cook for 15-20 minutes.
- As the chili is simmering preheat the oven to 375° F and start mixing the cornbread. Add cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt to a large mixing bowl.
- Add eggs, melted butter and milk to the cornbread dry ingredients and mix well.
- Pour cornbread mixture over the meat mixture and gently (if needed) spread to the edges of the skillet. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes.
- Bake the Cornbread Chili Pie until cornbread is golden brown and firm. The chili may bubbly up around the edges and that’s just fine. Cut into 6 slices, top with jalapeño slices, (optional) and serve.
Nutrition
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This s my kind of meal!!
Your Aunt Erma is my favorite kind of woman – don't whine, just do what you can!