Weeknight Chili Pie

Y'all know I'm a big fan of meal planning, but this month when I sat down to make our meal plan I hit one of those, "What do we eat? Do I even cook?!!", walls. So, I sat down and made a list of all of our favorite meals, then pulled out some of my trusty cookbooks. While I was flipping through the pages of Reese Witherspoon's Whiskey in a Teacup book, I saw it... Chili Pie.

My mom made this a lot when we were younger and it was one of those yummy, tried and true dishes. I made it this week before our Life Group and J loved it! It was so easy to make, literally two dishes were used in the prep phase, and so so so yummy- especially on super cold nights but when you don't really want soup again.

This obviously has cornbread on top, and this recipe calls for Jiffy Mix. If you're in a hurry, just use the Jiffy Mix, it will still be amazing without your homemade cornbread. ;)

Chili Pie 

1 medium onion, chopped

2  cloves garlic, minced

1 lb.  ground beef or turkey 

1 packets chili seasoning

1 (14-oz.) can diced tomatoes

2 tbsp. tomato paste

2 c. chicken broth - I actually use water. 

2 boxes Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix 

2 eggs

2/3 c. milk

1 (16-oz) can corn, divided 

1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

1 (16-oz.) can kidney beans, drained

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

In a 9- or 10-inch cast-iron skillet or sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add the onion and sauté for 1 minute before adding the garlic. Sauté for another minute and add the ground beef and pork, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon and stirring until the meat is brown.

Drain off any excess fat and stir in the chili seasoning, diced tomatoes, and tomato paste. Mix over medium heat for 1 minute, then pour in the chicken broth. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While the meat simmers, make the corn bread mixture: Stir together the Jiffy mix, eggs, and milk in a mixing bowl until just combined (do not overmix). Stir in 1/2 corn and the cheese into the corn bread batter and set aside. If you want it a little spicier, I add chopped jalapeños, too.  Stir the remaining ½ cup of corn and the kidney beans into the meat mixture.

If using a baking or casserole dish, transfer the meat mixture from the stove top to the baking dish. Pour the corn bread batter over the meat mixture and bake in the oven for 35 to 40 minutes, until golden brown on top. Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving with optional toppings such as salsa, green onion, sour cream, and shredded cheese.