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This Jalapeno Chili Cornbread Casserole is an easy vegan comfort food casserole recipe with a quick jalapeño cheddar cornbread crust baked right on top! It’s warm and savory and comes together in one dish. Jump to Recipe
I love baking of casseroles in fall and winter. Just put everything in one dish no standing around and you get hot steaming amazing food. Everyone loves a good comfort food casserole and this chili cornbread casserole is especially delicious – so saucy and flavorful. It all starts out with a savory vegan lentil bean chili which is topped with an addicting maple sweetened jalapeño cornbread crust. You’ll find it difficult to stop nibbling away at that cornbread topping it’s so good with that hint of sweetness that balances out the heat from the chili and jalapenos. The cornbread is delicious and moist because of being baked on top of the chili!
Not only is it this vegan cornbread casserole hearty, but it’s also quick to pull together in one dish. You mix all the chili ingredients in the dish and pre-bake the chili, top with the cornbread mix, and pop this back in the oven until it’s all ready and bubbly.
No one’s going to be mad that there are fewer dishes to clean tonight!
This Vegan Chili Cornbread Casserole is the perfect vegan comfort food dinner on a chilly evening. A complete meal coming out of one skillet. What’s not to love about that?
Vegan Jalapeno Chili Cornbread Casserole
Jalapeno Cornbread Chili Casserole is an easy vegan comfort food casserole recipe with a quick jalapeño cheddar cornbread crust baked right on top of the lentil chili. It’s warm and savory and comes together in one dish. Nutfree soyfree. Glutenfree option.
Ingredients
For the Chili
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup chopped onion
- 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1/2 cup Split red lentils, use 1/3 cup if you like less lentilly chili
- 15 oz can black beans, drained or 1.5 cups cooked beans
- 1 tbsp chili powder blend
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground oregano
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 2 cups diced canned tomatoes, or fresh tomatoes. If using fresh tomatoes, add in 1 tbsp of tomato paste as well.
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
For the Cornbread
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tbsp oil
- 3/4 cup non-dairy milk, Such as almond , oat, soy or light coconut
- 1 tsp vinegar
Dry Ingredients
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup Medium grain cornmeal, or fine grain or grits
- 1 tbsp cornstarch or tapioca starch
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 2 tbsp chopped pickled jalapaneo
- 1/4 to 1/3 cup of vegan cheddar shreds, or use 1-2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 jalapeno thinly sliced for topping
Instructions
- In a 9x9 casserole dish, add all of the ingredients under "for the chili" and mix well. Add 1 1/2 cups of water and mix in, and even out the mixture
- Place in a pre-heated oven at 400 degrees F(205 C) . Bake for 35 -45 minutes. (Cover with parchment to help cook faster, optional)
- Meanwhile make your cornbread mixture .Mix all the dry ingredients, cornmeal, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cornstarch in a bowl, then add in the wet ingredients and mix well.
- Add in the pickled Jalapenos and vegan cheddar shreds and mix, and let the mixture sit for five minutes to hydrate. Check if you need more non-dairy milk and add a tablespoon or more if needed to make a thick but spreadable batter.
- Take the chili casserole out of the oven, the lentils by now should be al dente, or just about done. There should be barely any liquid in the mixture. If it's too liquidy, then bake for another 10 minutes.
- -Spread the cornbread mixture over the casserole, and even it out with a spatula, spread the sliced jalapenos on top.
- Put the casserole back in the oven to bake for another 25-30 minutes, check if the cornbread is done in the center and the sides are starting to turn golden, thats when the casserole is done.
- Take the casserole out and cool for 5 minutes. Slice and serve large helpings and enjoy! Store: Cover the baking dish and refrigerate for upto 3 days.
Video
Notes
You can enjoy the casserole as is, or top it with vegan sour cream or more pickled jalapeno, hot sauce, and other things
Glutenfree option: Use gluten-free flour blend or oat flour for the cornbread. Do not skip the oil.
Oil free option. Omit the oil and add 1 tablespoon applesauce to the cornbread batter
Oil free option. Omit the oil and add 1 tablespoon applesauce to the cornbread batter
Nutrition
Calories: 368kcal, Carbohydrates: 61g, Protein: 14g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 549mg, Potassium: 792mg, Fiber: 14g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 404IU, Vitamin C: 22mg, Calcium: 156mg, Iron: 5mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this recipe? Rate and comment below!
Ingredients for Chili Cornbread Casserole
- The base for the chili layer is made with onion, bell pepper, tomatoes, and lentils
- The chili layer would not taste like chili without that signature South-of-the-border blend of cumin, oregano, onion powder, and chili powder
- For the cornbread topping, we use typical cornbread ingredients like cornmeal, mixed with flour and cornstarch.
- maple syrup adds a nice sweetness to the cornbread layer
- a mix of non-dairy milk and vinegar mimics the buttermilk that is used in traditional recipes
- baking soda and baking powder are our raising agents and responsible for that perfect light and fluffy texture. Make sure to check the expiry date to be sure they are still active.
- To add some oomph to the topping, stir in some chopped pickled jalapenos and vegan cheese or nutritional yeast
- Glutenfree option: Use gluten-free flour blend or old flour for the cornbread. Do not skip the oil.
Oil free option. Omit the oil and add 1 tablespoon applesauce.
This recipe is soy free and Nutfree with Nutfree non dairy milk.
Tips:
- Why not serve this with a big dollop of vegan sour cream or homemade guacamole
- If you’re not tolerating any spice or make this for children, feel free to swap the jalapeños for green bell pepper
- Or you can swap the chopped jalapenos for a few tablespoons of a drained can of diced hatch chili peppers
- You can add taco seasoning or chili powder blend instead of the spices used in the chili
- Bake in individual ramekins for personal size servings
How to make Chili Cornbread Casserole:
In a 9×9 casserole dish, add all of the ingredients under chili and mix well. Add 1 1/2 cups of water and mix in, and even out the mixture
-Place in a pre-heated oven at 400 degrees F, and cook for 35 minutes. Meanwhile, make your cornbread mixture, and keep ready.
Mix all your dry ingredients, cornmeal, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cornstarch in a bowl, then add in the wet ingredients and mix well.
Add in your pickled Jalapenos and cheddar shreds and mix, and let the mixture sit for five minutes to see if you need more non-dairy milk.
Take the chili casserole out of the oven and the lentils by now should be al dente or just about done. There should be barely any liquid in the mixture. If it’s too liquidy, then bake for another 10 minutes.
Spread the cornbread mixture over the casserole, and even it out with a spatula, spread the sliced jalapeno on top.
Put the casserole back in the oven to bake for another 25-30 minutes. Check if the cornbread is done in the center and the sides are starting to turn golden, that’s when the casserole is done. Take the casserole out and cool for 5-10 minutes, and just take large helpings and enjoy!
You can enjoy the casserole as is, or top it with vegan sour cream or more pickled jalapeno, hot sauce, and other things.
CAN THIS BE FROZEN?
I think this casserole should hold up fine in the freezer for a couple of months. You’ll always want to defrost it in the refrigerator overnight. Then heat it through in a 350ºF hot oven for roughly 30 mins depending on how much you have left.
This is great cold weather meal. I made it several times over the winter and it’s pretty easy and hits the spot when you need some comfort food.
yes! it’s a perfect comfort food.thank you for making!
Awesome recipe that we have made several times now. My husband has even made this, he loves it!
Hazel
yay!!
One of my new favorite recipes! The flavor is amazing. Leaving off one star because the cook time is way off for me, the lentils always need about 30 more minutes in the oven and my oven runs hot. I leave out 1/4 cup of the water otherwise my lentils are in the oven for over an hour. Also, I thought the recipe steps and ingredients could have been written more clearly. Anyways, I made this with dairy smoked cheddar and topped with sour cream and with those modifications above I really did love it.
You may be using the wrong lentils. Split red lentils cook faster than whole red. You might be using whole red?
Also let me know where I can add more details in the instructions
Is this in any of your cookbooks?
No
Can this dish be made the night before? I am planning to take it to a family holiday gathering and need a dish that can be pre-made.
You can bake it the night before. Let the casserole cool, then cover and keep in the fridge. Reheat in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes when ready to enjoy.
This actually reminds me of a tamale! I used fresh jalepanos instead of the pickled.
And would add a little more water. Little on the dry side for me, but it was not at all. I like a little more sauce. Recipe is actually fast and east to put together.
My husband is not vegan, and said he would eat it aagin.
Thank you!
My daughter doesn’t like cornbread SO if I leave that off, do I cook the chili longer?
The chili will not need to be cooked as long if you leave off the cornbread. Check the temperature and doneness of the lentils at the 35 minute mark per the recipe – if it’s not quite done, continue to cook in 10 minute increments until hot throughout.
The liquid ingredients for the cornbread topping aren’t included in the above recipe. Help!
Hello! The ingredients can be found in the recipe card; the liquid ingredients are under For the Cornbread and above Dry Ingredients. I hope this helps!
This is delicious, and I’ll definitely be making it again. Thanks for the recipe!
yay
I was a little concerned about the volume of chili to cornbread ratio (though I added 1/2 cup of corn), but once I tasted it, all concerns were gone. This was absolutely delicious.
it’s all good