Chili Cornbread Pie is comfort food for a Super Bowl to be played in an open-air stadium in cold weather.
Chili Cornbread Pie is comfort food for a Super Bowl to be played in an open-air stadium in cold weather.Matthew Mead/Associated Press

We drew our inspiration from shepherd’s pie and a Tex-Mex taco. The result is a casserole that starts with a layer of chili, then adds a layer of cornbread. After it has baked, the casserole gets finished with all the standard Super Bowl ingredients – guacamole, sour cream, shredded cheese and olives. You could even add some refried beans or shredded lettuce and pico de gallo.

Chili Cornbread Pie

Start to finish: 50 minutes (20 minutes active)
Servings: 10
For the chili:
1½ pounds lean ground beef
1 large yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
16-ounce jar salsa
1 chipotle pepper, minced (from a can of chipotles in adobo)
2 tablespoons adobo sauce (from a can of chipotles in adobo)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
Salt and ground black pepper
For the cornbread:
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup corn meal
3 tablespoons sugar
2½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1¼ cups milk
1 egg
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
3 scallions, sliced
1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed (optional)
¼ cup sliced pickled jalapenos, lightly chopped
For serving:
½ cup guacamole
½ cup sour cream
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
Method:
Heat the oven to 400 F. Coat a deep 9-by-9-inch pan with cooking spray.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the beef until browned, about 8 minutes. Add the onion, garlic, salsa, chipotle, adobo, chili powder, cumin and paprika. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then spoon the chili into the bottom of the prepared pan. Set aside.
To make the cornbread topping, in a large bowl stir together the flour, corn meal, sugar, baking powder and salt.
In a small bowl, whisk together the milk and the egg. Add the melted butter, whisking as you add it. Gently stir the liquid mixture into the dry mixture. Fold in the scallions, corn (if using) and jalapenos. Spoon the cornbread mixture over the chili and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
Spoon into bowls and garnish with guacamole, sour cream and shredded cheese.
Nutrition information per serving: 400 calories; 170 calories from fat (43 percent of total calories); 19 g fat (10 g saturated; 0.5 g trans fats); 95 mg cholesterol; 37 g carbohydrate; 4 g fiber; 7 g sugar; 23 g protein; 850 mg sodium.