This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
It might not be casserole season, but this sweet and savory cornbread cowboy casserole is the perfect weeknight meal that everyone will enjoy. Summer, fall, winter or spring, enjoy it all year round. You will not have anyone complaining. Savory ground beef, mixed with veggies all topped with a sweet cornbread mix. Simply yum! One pan meal ready in minutes.
If you are looking for a meatless version, this Creamy Corn Casserole Recipe is perfect as a side dish to any meal. Also try my Smoked Sloppy Joe Cornbread version or the Smoked Cheesesteak Dip for a a meaty version.
Table of Contents
What is a cowboy casserole?
A cornbread cowboy casserole is a dish typically made with ground beef, corn, cheese, and often topped with a layer of tater tots. It’s essentially a hearty, cheesy casserole with a “western” flair due to its basic ingredients and hearty nature. It’s traditionally made with tater tots, but we’ll mix things up and will top it with a cornbread mixture.
Key elements of a cowboy casserole:
- Ground beef: The primary protein in the dish, usually seasoned with spices like chili powder or cumin.
- Corn: Canned corn is commonly added to the casserole mixture.
- Cheese: Shredded cheddar cheese is a typical topping.
- Tater tots: The defining feature of a cowboy casserole, often added as a crispy topping layer.
Step 1: How to prepare the casserole ingredients on the grill
The cornbread cowboy casserole is an easy one pan meal which only requires, well, 1 pan!
Starting off with the veggies, I used a red bell pepper, yellow onion and minced garlic. Alternative veggies include carrots or hot peppers. It’s all up to you.
Preheat the grill to high, direct heat. You can also make this full recipe inside on the stove. I like using the grill to give the recipe that delicious, mild smokey flavor. Place the cast iron skillet directly on the grates, add the olive oil and allow everything to heat up for a few minutes.
Next, add the diced veggies and cook until soft. This should take 5-8 minutes. Be sure to stir everything every minutes or so to prevent burning. Remove the veggies from the skillet and add in the ground beef. DON’T BREAK IT UP. Let the whole block of ground beef sear for 2-3 minutes to develop a beautiful crust on the bottom. This is flavor city! After 2-3 minutes, season with Dad’s Taco Seasoning and start to break it apart. Continue turning until the meat is fully cooked.
Recipe Tip
Leaner alternatives for ground beef are ground chicken, turkey or pork. Adjust based on your dietary preferences. You can also replace the ground meat with beans for a vegetarian option.
Dad’s Seasonings
Must have grillin seasonings!
Step 2: When to add cornbread mix to the cowboy casserole
Remove the skillet from the grill and add in the remaining ingredients. This includes drained corn, pinto bean, diced tomatoes and a handful of shredded cheddar cheese. These are all the more traditional cowboy casserole ingredients. Mix everything together.
In a separate bowl we can start on the cornbread batter. If you have a family recipe that you like, use that. I LOVE Famous Dave’s Cornbread Mix so that’s what we used. But feel free to use whichever one you like the most.
Mix the batter according to the directions on the box and pour it into the cast iron skillet with our filling. DON’T MIX IT. You want the batter to sit on top of the filling. I like to finish everything off with sliced jalapenos for some extra heat. Feel free to leave this out or substitute with sweet peppers.
Step 3: How to grill a cornbread cowboy casserole.
Place the entire skillet back on the grill on high heat at 400 degrees or whatever the corn bread instructions state.
Grill the cowboy casserole until the cornbread is golden brown in color and fully cooked through.
Remove off the grill and let it rest for 5-10 minutes. When it’s ready, drizzle the top with hot honey Scoop out a delicious spoonful of this fast and easy meal and enjoy!
Products featured in the video
Click the image below to view the products ⬇️
Frequently Asked Questions:
YES! Follow the same temperature directions and make this on the stove top and oven. It will still be delicious just won’t have that mild smokey flavor you get from making it on the grill or smoker.
Absolutely! You can replace the ground beef with ground chicken, turkey, pork, lean ground beef or even beans for a vegetarian option. Using different proteins is also a great way to change up this recipe if you want to try something different.
Similar Grilled Recipe Ideas:
Chicken & Turkey
Easy Chicken Dinner
Chicken & Turkey
One Pan Chicken Dinner
Chicken & Turkey
Stuffed Turkey Breast
If you tried this Cornbread Cowboy Casserole or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the📝 comments. I love hearing from you!
Cornbread Cowboy Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 lb Ground beef
- 1 Red bell pepper
- 1 Yellow onion, diced
- 1 Jalapeno, diced
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 tbsp Minced garlic
- 1 tbsp Taco seasoning
- 1/4 cup Shredded cheddar cheese
- 15 oz Can pinto beans
- 15 oz Can sweet corn
- 10 oz Diced tomato with green chilies
- 1 pkg Cornbread mix
- 1 tbsp Hot honey
Instructions
- Preheat the grill to high, direct heat. Place the cast iron skillet directly on the grates, add the olive oil and allow to heat up for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the diced onion and bell pepper and cook until soft, stirring every minute. During the last minute add the minced garlic and mix again.
- In a separate bowl, mix the boxed cornbread according to the directions. Pour the cornbread batter into the cast iron skillet and DO NOT MIX. Cover with sliced jalapeños.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Don’t break up the ground beef block immediately after placing it on the hot skillet. Let it sear for 2-3 minutes to develop a beautiful crust on the bottom.
- Leaner alternatives for ground beef are ground chicken, turkey or pork. Adjust based on your dietary preferences. You can also replace the ground meat with beans for a vegetarian option.
- The veggies mix is a great place to customize your flavoring. Add hot peppers like chillies or jalapenos for the kick, or use bell peppers for the savory and sweet route.
- Do not mix the raw cornbread with the meat and veggies. Let it cover the top evenly and allow to bake until golden brown.
This could be the most complete, well-rounded content of any recipe I’ve ever seen. Alternative ingredients and processes, explanations, videos…I will check out more from this source.
Hands down, one of my favorite recipes. Comes together in one skillet, can do it in the smoker, grill or oven. Hope you like it as much as we do!
I use this recipe every time I make cornbread now and it’s the best I’ve ever had and everyone else in the family and at my bar and dinner love it as well thanks for the best recipe I could have ever gotten
That’s awesome! Glad you like it and thanks for sharing.
Amazing recipe!!
Awesome!! Glad you liked it.
I added sour cream as a side condiment and I highly recommend this recipe.
YUM!
I tried this recipe last night, and it was delicious! My boyfriend absolutely loved it, and we both enjoyed the flavors. However, I noticed a few things that could improve the recipe for future cooks:
Ingredient Instructions: The recipe calls for minced garlic and a can of corn, but it doesn’t specify when to add these ingredients during the cooking process. I ended up adding the garlic with the onions and peppers, and the corn with the other canned goods. While the blog post above the recipe does tell you exactly how to incorporate all the ingredients, it would be helpful if these steps were included directly in the recipe instructions for easier reference.
Reincorporating Ingredients: After cooking the diced onions and peppers, the recipe instructs you to remove them but doesn’t mention when to put them back into the dish. I re-added them when I added the canned goods, but clearer guidance here would improve the overall flow.
Overall, the dish was a hit! The instructions just need a few tweaks for better clarity and flow.
I always appreciate honest feedback. Went ahead and made the instructions more clear. Thanks!
Can’t wait to try it!
Hope you enjoy!
Great!!!!!!!!