Cajun Beef Casserole
Your little ones who refuse to eat veggies won’t complain one bit when you bring this cheesy casserole with a cornbread crust to the table. For picky eaters, try using less Cajun seasoning. —Kelly Ciepluch, Kenosha, Wisconsin
Ingredients
- 1 package (8-1/2 ounces) cornbread/muffin mix
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) diced tomatoes, drained
- 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
- 1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
- 1 to 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
Reviews
I loved this. I did read the reviews and did not drain the tomatoes. It reminded me of an upside down tamale pie. It almost didn't fit in the pan. I think there was enough of the meat mixture to use a 13 x 9 pan but if I did that next time, I would use two boxes of cornbread. Delish!!
This did not fit my 11x7 dish. The cornbread was too thick. The hamburger mix was too wet. The cornbread would not cook in the middle. I had to scrape off the hamburger, which left a hole. Did not look good, until I filled the hole with the hamburger. I agree that it tasted weird. I am surprised the family ate it. Need to take this recipe back to the test kitchen.
Thank you to other commenters who suggested leaving the tomatoes undrained. I happen to have some very good Cajun seasoning on hand (Hy's), and I am always looking for recipes where I can use it. I am not sure about the veggies, however. I might make other substitutions. Nevertheless, this looks like a really good base recipe.
Delicious. I also did not drain tomatoes after reading comments. I did add some onion and green pepper to the beef when cooking. Instead of the mixed veggies, I added a can of Mexicorn and a can of diced green chilies. We like it a little spicy here. I loved the way it turned out. Thank you so much for the recipe. And hello from Rockford Il. Just south of you.
If the corn bread is on the bottom of the pan, how do you get a corn bread crust?
This is a very easy to prepare recipe that is great tasting. I make it with ground chicken instead of the beef and usually use just frozen peas. I don't bother thawing them first as they heat up just fine in the skillet. I have also used taco seasoning in place of the Cajun seasoning and find both really good.
This reminded me of shepherd's pie - with cornbread and cajun seasoning instead of mashed potatoes...on the bottom. I have to admit the first few bites are...interesting. This was a new concept and took some getting used to. But I still want to make it again! With the cornbread, I thought it might be a rather heavy meal, but was surprised to find that it wasn't. I was very glad that I saw the other reviews saying to leave the liquids in - the recipe certainly needed it. I did not have the right size pan and had to make this with a deep 8x8 pyrex (which fits more than my 9x9 pan. I don't recommend using the 8x8... Things I will change for next time: 1) pre-cook the mixed vegetables. They were not mushy enough. 2) I won't use the standard bag of mixed vegetables (peas, carrots, corn, green beans, lima beans) - the carrots and the lima beans just didn't go with the rest, especially with how hard they were.
This is a great tasting recipe, I liked it, easy to prepare, ideal for late weeknight cooking
I found this recipe to be rather dry & tasteless. If I decide to make this again I won't drain the tomatoes & will add more spice.
AWESOME!! NOTHING BETTER THAN COMFORT FOOD!