The Best Cornbread Casserole Recipes – Delicious Comfort Food
We love cornbread in our house – and not just plain cornbread. My whole family enjoys recipes that utilize cornbread as one of the ingredients.
A great way to use cornbread as more than just a side is to make casserole type dishes. I’ve gathered some of the best recipes that use cornbread as compiled them in this post.
All of these recipes use cornbread as one of the main ingredients. They definitely fall in the category of comfort food – as well as easy dinner or side dishes!
So cornbread enthusiasts – let’s look at some delicious recipes!
Make Your Own Cornbread Mix
Anytime I make a cornbread casserole, I use this copycat recipe for Jiffy Cornbread Mix. Even if the recipe has a separate cornbread recipe, I stick to what I know for simplicity.
I prefer making my own cornbread because 1) it’s cheaper and 2) I’m able to select the ingredients that go in it the things my family tries to avoid (I’m looking at you hydrogenated oils).
I started making my own “Jiffy Mix” years ago and haven’t turned back. Instead of having to buy boxed mix, I can now make homemade cornbread up on a whim. I just keep a big jar of cornmeal handy, along with other basic pantry staples.
This means that on those nights that I’ve failed to have a dinner plan, I can fall back on an easy recipe for some version of cornbread casserole.
Corn Casserole
This is such an easy casserole that is always a hit at my house (I’ve also seen this called cornbread pudding).
It makes the perfect side dish for a weeknight dinner or a summer BBQ. The ingredients are simple – whole kernel corn, cream style corn, sour cream, butter, and milk.
You can add cheddar cheese and jalapenos based on your family’s preference. The cheese gives the casserole crispy edges – yum!
If you want to turn it into the main dish, add some cooked ground meat to your cornbread mixture before baking.
(If you haven’t picked up on it yet, cornbread and ground meat go really well together to make a variety of quick and easy meals!)
Mexican Cornbread Casserole
I don’t usually follow a recipe for Mexican Cornbread because I’ve found it really hard to mess up – but this one from Southern Bite has all the good components of a good Mexican cornbread!
Personally, I just cook all my “Mexican” ingredients together on the stove, stir them into prepared cornbread batter, top with cheese and bake.
Mexican cornbread is one of my favorite quick meals. It’s so easy to change up the ingredients based on what you have on hand.
Don’t have meat thawed? Just omit it and add some cooked pinto or black beans if you have them!
Corn, green chilies, taco seasoning, and cheese all make this casserole one of my family’s favorites. Serve it up with some sour cream, jalapenos, and salsa.
I like to prepare this in a cast iron skillet. That way I can cook my ground beef mixture on the stove top, then pour my cornbread mixture in and move it straight to the oven.
Simple ingredients with easy cleanup that my kids will eat? That’s a winner in my house.
Squash Cornbread Casserole
This simple squash casserole is one of my favorite ways to use up all my fresh squash from the garden. Just like the corn casserole, you can add cheese or jalapenos if you prefer.
Serve it up with some fried chicken and collard greens for a well-rounded southern meal 🙂
Cornbread Dressing
If there is a holiday meal happening in my family, there is going to be cornbread dressing. Not cornbread stuffing – we don’t stuff anything around here 🙂
This amazing recipe is made in a casserole dish and is a staple at southern Thanksgiving meals.
The best way to make this dish is by starting the day before Thanksgiving – or whatever time of year you’re making it. That’s because the cornbread needs to be at least day old for the best results.
This also means that this recipe works well if you have leftover cornbread and need a way to use it up!
Chicken Pot Pie with Cornbread Topping
I absolutely love making chicken “pot pie” without having to make pie crusts. And this is a great recipe for doing just that!
In this recipe you’ll making your pie filling from chicken broth, flour, and other seasonings.
Toss in your cooked chicken and veggies and then transfer this mixture to a baking dish. Spoon your cornbread topping over the top and bake.
Absolutely delicious!
(Check out my recipe for pot pie with drop biscuits for another twist)
Sloppy Joe Cornbread Casserole
I’ll admit – when I first saw this recipe trending, I wasn’t sure about it. I’m not a fan of the canned “Manwich” mix that so many recipes called for
So when I stumbled across this version that doesn’t use it, I decided to give it a try. You make your own sauce using tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and a little brown sugar (easy enought, right?).
Combine it with your cooked ground meat, top with the cornbread batter, and bake. Such a simple and tasty dish!
Cornbread Taco Casserole
I know I have Mexican Cornbread early in this post – but this one is slightly different.
It’s more of a cheesy taco filling top with cornbread whereas Mexican cornbread has all the ingredients baked into the corn bread.
This recipe also has salsa in the taco mixture and uses 2 pounds of ground beef and twice the cornbread.
Personally, I don’t use that much beef in my casseroles. I’ll use 1 pound and add in some cooked black or pinto beans to stretch the meal and save some money 🙂
Cowboy Casserole
This recipe has bacon, baked beans, corn, and ground beef all topped with cornbread – and it is good y’all!
I like to cook this one in my over safe cast-iron skillet for an easy one-dish dinner. You can cook all the ingredients on the stove-top, mix it all up, and transfer straight to the oven to finish baking.
Do Cornbread Casseroles Make Good Freezer Meals?
Typically, recipes with the cornbread mixed into them do not freezer well. However, the recipes with the cornbread as a topping can be frozen with one adjustment.
The best thing to do if wanting to freeze these meals is to cook and assemble the “filling” part of the meal without the topping on it.
Once you get ready to cook, you can add the cornbread topping to it.
Of course, you’ll want to check out freezer directions on the specific recipe you’re following. But I’ve found this to be the general practice for handling freezer meals with cornbread.