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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
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Ingredients needed to make a Cornbread Cowboy Casserole:
- Step 1: How to prepare the casserole ingredients on the grill
- Recipe Tip
- Step 2: When to add cornbread mix to the cowboy casserole
- Step 3: How to grill a cornbread cowboy casserole.
- Final Thoughts
- Products featured in the video
- Frequently Asked Questions:
- Similar Grilled Recipe Ideas:
- Cornbread Cowboy Casserole Recipe
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This Cornbread Cowboy Casserole is the ultimate comfort food made easy. It combines savory ground beef, hearty beans, sweet corn, melty cheese, and a fluffy golden cornbread topping all in one skillet for a meal that’s both filling and packed with flavor. The smoky touch from the grill takes this classic casserole to another level, creating a rich, backyard BBQ flavor that makes every bite irresistible. It’s simple to prepare, family-friendly, perfect for busy weeknights, and made with pantry staples you probably already have on hand. Whether you’re feeding a crowd or looking for a cozy dinner idea, this recipe delivers big flavor with minimal cleanup.
Ingredients needed to make a Cornbread Cowboy Casserole:
- Ground beef: The primary protein in the dish. I used an 80/20 ratio to add flavor and fattiness to the recipe.
- Corn: Canned corn is commonly added to the casserole mixture.
- Diced tomatoes and chilies: adds tartness from the tomatoes and mild heat from the chilies.
- Pinto beans: adds a mild earthy flavor and creaminess to the casserole.
- Cheese: Shredded cheddar cheese is a typical topping.
- Veggies: I used a red bell pepper and onion for texture and color.
- Cornbread: sweet top layer that compliments the savory and creamy casserole underneath.
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!
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.
Place the block of ground beef on the hot cast iron skillet. 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! Once you break it down, cook until all the pink is faded.
Next, add in the diced 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.
Season everything with Dad’s Taco Seasoning.
If you are looking for a lighter version of this recipe, try my Hearty Cowboy Soup. Filling, warm, hearty and rustic.
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!
Check out my Easy Smoked Pot Roast dinner for another one pan meal!
Final Thoughts
This Cornbread Cowboy Casserole is everything you want in a comfort food dinner — hearty, cheesy, smoky, and incredibly satisfying. The combination of savory beef filling and sweet cornbread topping creates the perfect balance of flavors and textures in every bite. Best of all, it’s versatile enough to customize with your favorite ingredients and easy enough for any night of the week. Whether you cook it on the grill or in the oven, this one-pan meal is guaranteed to become a family favorite that everyone will request again and again.
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
One Pan Chicken And Rice
Chicken & Turkey
One Pan Chicken Dinner
Chicken & Turkey
Creamy Chicken Enchilada Skillet
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 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 tbsp Minced garlic
- 1 tbsp Taco seasoning
- 1/4 cup Shredded cheddar cheese
- 15 oz Can of pinto beans
- 15 oz Can of sweet corn
- 10 oz Can of diced tomato with green chilies
- 1 pkg Cornbread mix (follow ingredient instructions on box)
- 1 Jalapeno – sliced
- 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 block of ground beef to the hot skillet. Don't break it up yet, the bottom will form a delicious crust. After 1-2 minutes break up the beef and cook until the meat is fully cooked.
- Next, add in the diced onion and bell pepper and cook until soft, stirring every minute. During the last minute add the minced garlic and mix again. Season everything with taco seasoning.
- Remove the skillet from the grill and add drained corn, pinto beans, diced tomatoes, shredded cheddar cheese and mix everything together.
- 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.
- Place the entire skillet back on the grill on high heat at 400 degrees and cook until the top is golden brown and the cornbread is fully cooked.
- Remove off the grill and drizzle hot honey on top.
- 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.
I was reluctant at first but it was actually really good and a hit at the dinner table. I opted for ground turkey instead and actually added the jalapeño into the mixture as I forgot to add it to the top. My grill and smoker were being used and I had zero room to add this so I opted for the oven.
Brilliant
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!!!!!!!!