Cornbread Chili Pie (Corn Pone Pie)
This is Aunt Erma’s Cornbread Chili Pie, the kind of supper most Southern kitchens just call Corn Pone Pie. This beloved family 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 my Aunt Erma, this chili cornbread casserole is more than just a meal—it’s a warm, love-filled slice of home.
I was thumbing thru some of my recipes collected over the years and I came across this recipe for her “Corn Pone Pie” and then noticed it was my Aunt Erma’s recipe.
My Aunt Erma was an Arkansas farm wife who quilted, crocheted, knitted, and put up a garden that ran two or three acres—blueberries to zucchini. When my mother developed Alzheimers Aunt Erma quilted a small Alzheimer’s lap quilt for her. It consisted of squares of different fabrics and textures to keep busy hands comforted. That is the spirit in this recipe too. It finds a need and fills it with something warm.
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A skillet of hearty chili, a golden cornbread topping, and the oven doing the rest—that is Corn Pone Pie or as some call it, Cornbread Chili Pie. This is my Aunt Erma’s recipe, passed along from an Arkansas farm kitchen where the garden was large and supper had to fill a table. It is simple, comforting food, the kind farm housewives have always known how to make from what they had on hand.
Step away from the routine and treat yourself to my Aunt Erma’s legendary Corn Pone Pie! This age-old southern delight, a chili topped cornbread casserole, baked with love in a cast iron skillet.
Why this skillet supper belongs on your table
This is chili and cornbread in one pan, baked until the topping is golden and the chili bubbles up around the edges.
- Ready in about 50 minutes
- Uses a 10-inch cast iron skillet from stove to oven
- Pantry ingredients: ground beef, Ranch Style beans, a simple homemade cornbread
- Serves six, with optional jalapeño slices.
Key Ingredients and why they matter
Ground beef and onion. The base of the chili. The onion cooks down with the beef until everything is fragrant and ready for the tomatoes.
Diced tomatoes, Ranch Style red beans, Worcestershire, and chili powder. This is a straightforward skillet chili—savory, a little tangy, and seasoned enough to stand up to the cornbread.
Cornmeal, flour, a little sugar, baking powder, egg, melted butter, and milk. A simple topping that bakes up golden and tender over the chili. It is enough batter to cover the skillet without turning heavy.
Equipment Needed:
- A 10-inch cast iron skillet.- The chili simmers in it, the cornbread bakes in it, and the edges come out beautifully.
- Meat Chopper – A simple tool for breaking the ground beef into small, even pieces as it browns.
- Mixer
- Mixing Bowl
How to make a Southern Corn Bread Chili Pie:
1. Brown the chili base
Add the ground beef and chopped onion to a 10-inch cast iron skillet. Use a meat chopper to break the beef into small pieces as it cooks with the onion.
Continue to cook until the beef is browned and the onion is soft and translucent.
2. Simmer the chili
Stir in the diced tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, and Ranch Style beans. Turn the heat down and let it simmer 15 to 20 minutes so the flavors come together. Taste and add salt and black pepper.
3. Heat the oven and mix the topping
While the chili simmers, heat the oven to 375°F. In a mixing bowl, stir together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Add the egg, melted butter, and milk and mix until the batter is smooth.
4. Top and bake
Pour the cornbread batter over the chili and gently spread it toward the edges of the skillet. Place in preheated oven and bake about 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.
🥣 Recipe Tips
- Season the Chili Generously: Taste the chili before the batter goes on. A little extra chili powder or salt at that moment makes the whole skillet sing.
- Use a Hot Skillet: A hot oven and a cast iron skillet give the cornbread those nice golden edges.
- 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.
Easy ways to change it
A handful of shredded cheddar can go over the chili before the batter, or a few chopped jalapeños can go into the cornbread. Ground turkey works in place of beef. For a little more Southwest flavor turn the topping into New Mexico Cornbread—with its layer of green chile, corn, and cheese.
How to store leftovers
Leftovers keep well in the fridge and warm nicely the next day. Cover the skillet or move slices to a container. A short time in a 350°F oven brings the cornbread back to life. This one is happiest eaten within a couple of days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. A similar-size oven-safe skillet or baking dish works. Cast iron just gives especially nice edges.
Ranch Style beans give this chili its familiar flavor. Another can of chili beans or pinto beans in sauce will still make a good pie.
A small box mix can stand in for the homemade topping if that is what is in the pantry. The from-scratch batter above is simple and bakes up tender.
A green salad or a simple slaw is plenty. This skillet is the main event.
More down-home comfort from our kitchen
If a skillet of Corn Pone Pie sounds like the right kind of evening, there are a few other comforting pans and pots close by. Hamburger Vegetable Soup is a weeknight favorite, and 7 Can Taco Soup has that same easy, hearty spirit. For a baked supper with a golden top, Campbell’s Chicken Pot Pie is another family classic. Same comfort, different pot.
🥣 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
Click HERE to save this Chili Cornbread pie to Pinterest
This s my kind of meal!!
Your Aunt Erma is my favorite kind of woman – don't whine, just do what you can!