Taco Cornbread Casserole

Name: Taco Cornbread Casserole
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 8 servings.
Ingredients: 2 pounds ground beef; 2 envelopes taco seasoning; 2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) diced tomatoes, drained; 1 cup water; 1 cup cooked rice; 1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chiles; 2 packages (8-1/2 ounces each) cornbread/muffin mix; 1 can (8-3/4 ounces) whole kernel corn, drained; 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream; 2 cups corn chips; 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend or cheddar cheese, divided; 1 can (2-1/4 ounces) sliced ripe olives, drained; Shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes and chopped red onion, optional

A whole can of chiles adds fire to this cornbread casserole. For less heat, you can use just enough of the can for your taste. —Lisa Paul, Terre Haute, Indiana

Ingredients

2 pounds ground beef
2 envelopes taco seasoning
2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) diced tomatoes, drained
1 cup water
1 cup cooked rice
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chiles
2 packages (8-1/2 ounces each) cornbread/muffin mix
1 can (8-3/4 ounces) whole kernel corn, drained
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
2 cups corn chips
2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend or cheddar cheese, divided
1 can (2-1/4 ounces) sliced ripe olives, drained
Shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes and chopped red onion, optional

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°. In a Dutch oven, cook beef over medium heat 8-10 minutes or until no longer pink, breaking into crumbles; drain. Stir in taco seasoning. Add tomatoes, water, rice and green chiles; heat through, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, prepare cornbread mix according to package directions; stir in corn. Pour half of the batter into a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Layer with half of the meat mixture, all the sour cream, half of the corn chips and 1 cup cheese. Top with remaining batter, remaining meat mixture, olives and remaining corn chips.
Bake, uncovered, until cornbread is cooked through, 55-60 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese; bake until melted, 3-5 minutes longer. If desired, serve with lettuce, tomatoes and red onion.

Nutrition Facts

1-1/2 cups: 817 calories, 40g fat (17g saturated fat), 183mg cholesterol, 1982mg sodium, 74g carbohydrate (20g sugars, 4g fiber), 36g protein.

Originally published as Taco Cornbread Casserole in Taste of Home June/July 2013

Reviews

My Review

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Average Rating:

kar52

Aug 31, 2016

Have not made this yet,but plan on it,will have to half the recipe as there is only 2 of us,but love leftovers,green Chile's are not hot but add awesome flavor so I would add more..
mebaumert

Aug 17, 2016

Not a fan. Too much corn bread. Tasted better with addition of salsa, but still not great.
jogab

May 3, 2016

It's unusual so I Iike that, but it takes time to do all the steps and reheated as leftovers it's not as good. Also, the cornbread got a little too brown at that baking time..
Rntina74

Mar 23, 2016

I used everyone else's suggestions and they were right on! Less cornbread, more sauce.. Was very good! And water4chocolate must be a stay at home mom! Way too much time on your hands analyzing the math on star reviews... It's not an exact science I'm sure it's guesstimating tool we use... More stars the more likely I am anyway, to try the recipe.. Don't over think things..
Karen57

May 4, 2015

Too dry! I might try it again and leave out rice, one corn bread mix and add a tomato sauce.
dzm388

Mar 28, 2015

Made 1/2 recipe in a glass 8x8 dish. Used hot & spicy taco seasoning and subbed 1 can Rotel for the tomatoes/green chilies, baked 35 minutes. No issues with dryness but next time I might reduce the oven temp if using a glass dish, it browned too fast on the top and when I moved it to a low rack the bottom crust got pretty brown. We did not care. We loved this!
MamaV8

Feb 26, 2015

Very dry! Next time I would not add the rice nor drain the tomatoes. I would only use corn bread on the bottom instead of a second layer and add a layer of taco sauce. I like it enough to try it again!
CJollief

Jan 18, 2015

My husband and I have eaten a lot of Mexican food and this casserole ranks as one of the best we have had. The recipe makes a large amount so we shared with our adult children. They loved it. I had chopped tomatoes & onions as well as shredded lettuce and taco sauce on the table to garnish each serving. Delicious!
Ozarkagirl

Jan 18, 2015

I am a long-time subscriber of TOT and have made this dish several times since it was first published. It's an easy, hearty dish and well liked by my family. I have hungry teenagers to feed. The only thing I do differently is wait to add the remaining corn chips at the very end with the cheese during the last few minutes of baking. To six9sixty3 and all the rest of you who are actually not reviewing the recipe because you haven't made it and are only spouting your personal opinion, if you don't like the recipe, move on and find a healthy recipe site that suits your tastes. You haven't reviewed anything and if your recipe is so good, submit it properly with all the nutritional information and let others give you an honest review. I appreciate reviewers who DO make the recipe as close as they can to how it is originally written and give honest feedback for everyone else's consideration.
Bluviolets

Jan 18, 2015

Everyone in our house loved this, no leftovers. I am glad to have something that can go in the oven while I catch up on the day.