Cowboy Cornbread Casserole with Jiffy Mix
You’ll love the Tex-Mex flavors of this Cowboy Cornbread Casserole with Jiffy MIx! Savory beef, zesty Rotel tomatoes and a cheesy cornbread topping combine to make the tastiest beef casserole recipe that takes only 15 minutes to prep!
Once you’ve tried this easy ground beef casserole recipe, try my John Wayne Casserole, Taco Tater Tot Casserole, Beef Enchilada Casserole with Corn Tortillas and Taco Casserole next!
Easy Cowboy Cornbread with Ground Beef
This hearty, delicious casserole recipe is like a Mexican cornbread casserole in cowboy-style!
I love the simple ingredients and how quickly it comes together. It’s ready in 45 minutes from start to finish and the family will be asking for this hearty family meal on repeat!
Add my chicken and potato casserole, pizza casserole and lasagna casserole to your next meal plan!
Ingredients for Cowboy Cornbread Casserole
This recipe uses simple ingredients that you can always find in the grocery store. I’ve listed them below and you can also scroll to the bottom for the full, printable recipe card.
Jiffy Cornbread Mix: Feel free to use homemade cornbread mix instead of using a box of cornbread mix or your favorite brand from the grocery store.
Eggs: For this recipe I used large room temperature eggs.
Milk: You can use any type of milk. Whole milk, 2% milk, 1% milk, skim milk, or non-dairy alternatives like almond milk, soy milk, oat milk, or coconut milk will work just fine.
Lean ground beef: Ground turkey or ground chicken can be used as a leaner option. Rotel tomatoes: Diced tomatoes with green chilies or a jar of salsa can be used as a substitute.
Sweet corn: Frozen or fresh corn kernels can be used instead of canned corn.
Black beans: Pinto beans, kidney beans, or any other canned beans can also be used instead.
Shredded Mexican blend cheese: Feel free to use your favorite cheese blend or a single variety of cheese like cheddar, Monterey Jack, or Colby Jack.
Taco seasoning: Feel free to use homemade taco seasoning.
How to make Cowboy Cornbread Casserole
Step 1 – Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) and then grease a 9×13-inch baking dish or spray it with non-stick spray.
Step 2 – In a large skillet, cook the ground beef over medium-high heat until it browns. Be sure to drain any excess grease.
Step 3 – In a large bowl, combine the Jiffy corn muffin mix, 2 eggs, and 2/3 cups of milk. Stir the cornbread mixture until it’s well combined.
Step 4 – In the same skillet with the browned ground beef, add the can of Rotel (or diced tomatoes with green chilies), drained corn, and black beans (or Ranch Style Beans). Stir in the taco seasoning to taste and then cook the ground beef mixture for 2-3 minutes more until it’s heated through and well combined.
Step 5 – Pour the beef and bean mixture into the greased baking dish and spread it evenly. Sprinkle the shredded Mexican blend cheese evenly over the top of the meat mixture.
You can use shredded Mexican cheese in this recipe or your favorite cheese for melting.
Step 6 – Pour the cornbread batter over the cheese meat filling and spread it to cover the entire surface, then bake it in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until the cornbread is golden brown and cooked through.
Step 7 – After it’s baked, remove it from the oven and let it cool for a few minutes.
Step 8 – Serve your Cowboy Casserole dish with desired toppings like a dollop of sour cream, chopped bacon, pico de gallo, diced onions, and additional shredded cheese.
What to serve with this casserole:
Related: Get all my tips for how to reheat a casserole for all of my casserole recipes!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can make this casserole ahead of time and refrigerate it before baking. When you’re ready to bake, just add a few extra minutes to the cooking time to make sure it’s heated through.
Yes, you can freeze the leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 months. I normally thaw it in the refrigerator overnight and reheat it in the oven until it’s warmed through.
If you like spicy food, you can add diced jalapenos, and hot sauce, or sprinkle some cayenne pepper or crushed red pepper flakes to the beef mixture.
Certainly! You can add diced bell peppers, zucchini, or even mushrooms to the beef mixture.
For a less soupy casserole, drain the rotel and rinse the beans before mixing them with the corn and ground beef or cook the meat mixture on the skillet for a little longer than the recommended time.
Cowboy Cornbread Casserole Recipe
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings
Description
Indulge in the mouth-watering flavors of our Cowboy Cornbread Casserole! Savory beef, zesty tomatoes, and cheesy cornbread combine for a Tex-Mex fiesta that’s comfort food at its finest.
Ingredients
2 boxes Jiffy Cornbread Mix
2 eggs, room temperature
2/3 cup milk
1.5 pounds lean ground beef
1 can Rotel tomatoes (or a can of diced tomatoes with diced chilies)
1 can sweet corn, drained
1 can black beans (or Ranch Style Beans for more flavor)
1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese (or cheddar cheese)
1 packet taco seasoning
Toppings, as desired (e.g. chopped bacon, a green bell pepper, red bell pepper, diced yellow onion, shredded cheese)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) and then grease a 9×13-inch baking dish or spray it with non-stick spray.
- In a large skillet, cook the ground beef over medium-high heat until it browns. Be sure to drain any excess grease.
- In a large bowl, combine the Jiffy corn muffin mix, 2 eggs, and 2/3 cups of milk. Stir the cornbread mixture until it’s well combined.
- In the same skillet with the browned ground beef, add the can of Rotel (or diced tomatoes with green chilies), drained corn, and black beans (or Ranch Style Beans). Stir in the taco seasoning to taste and then cook the ground beef mixture for 2-3 minutes more until it’s heated through and well combined.
- Pour the beef and bean mixture into the greased baking dish and spread it evenly. Sprinkle the shredded Mexican blend cheese evenly over the top of the meat mixture.
- Pour the cornbread batter over the cheese meat filling and spread it to cover the entire surface, then bake it in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until the cornbread is golden brown and cooked through.
- After it’s baked, remove it from the oven and let it cool for a few minutes.
- Serve your Cowboy Casserole dish with desired toppings like a dollop of sour cream, chopped bacon, pico de gallo, diced onions, and additional shredded cheese.
Notes
Storage instructions: Store cooled leftover in an airtight container or wrapped in aluminum foil in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Reheating instructions: Reheat leftover casserole in a preheated 375°F oven to 25 minutes or until heated through. You can also place one serving at a time on a plate in the microwave for 30 second intervals until heated through.
Freezing instructions: Transfer casserole to an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refigerator and reheat in a 375°F oven for 25 minutes or until heated through.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Oven Baked
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 helping
- Calories: 281
- Sugar: 4.6 g
- Sodium: 478 mg
- Fat: 9.1 g
- Saturated Fat: 4.4 g
- Trans Fat: 0.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 20.9 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 28.7 g
- Cholesterol: 111.2 mg
I haven’t even tried it yet but my mouth waters to even look at the pic ! Ingredients sound delish. I will probably add a little bit more to meat seasoning . I usually add oregano and a little extra cumin… also worcestershire 😁 Yum !
Turned out great. My wife did not want green peppers in hers so I was able to put them on half & they floated to the top of the cornbread. Easy to see.
That’s great to hear!! Thanks so taking the time to let me know!
YUM YUM YUMMMMMMM!! Made this today, for the first time… Hubby says this one’s a 10 for sure!!
We made this cornbread casserole and loved it!! Will make it again and again.
Made this over the weekend and it is AWESOME!!
I’m trying it tonight it sound very interesting I’ll let you know later how it tastes how it looks and wow thank you
I just made this tonight. It was delicious! The only changes I made were: I used 2 lbs extra lean hamburger (my hubs loves meat). I also used Rótel with mild green chilies instead of the original, because the original is too hot for me. I used a full packet of El Paso taco seasoning and a little chopped onion. I also was thrilled to find Honey Jiffy cornbread mix which is sweeter. Mine was done in 25 minutes. I now have a great casserole to take to Potlucks or for people that are sick or have had a baby. love that it has meat, vegetable, and bread all in one! There are many recipes for thos casserole, but yours looked the best!
Thank you SO much for your feedback and for sharing your substitutions for this Cowboy Casserole. Great tips and I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed it!
It’s baking in the oven right now! Smells amazing! I’m having an issue with over flow and getting the cornbread done, but I just know it’ll taste great by how good it smells!