This Mexican cornbread casserole is the perfect dish for a family dinner. It’s easy to make and the dish can be made in one skillet, which makes cleanup easier. It is loaded with corn, black beans, red bell peppers and tender chunks of pork. Chipotle peppers add smokiness and a low level of spicy heat that brings the dish together.

A spoon scooping a serving of Mexican cornbread casserole.

We topped the casserole with a cornbread topping that is loaded with cheddar cheese. It’s almost like a savory cobbler and very similar to a tamale pie casserole. It’s a complete dinner in one dish but an optional side salad is always nice to serve with this Tex Mex bake.

This dish has a spicy kick from its chipotle peppers so if you’re looking for something less spicy, try substituting the chipotle powder with smoked paprika and leave out the canned chipotle pepper. You can also try adding mole sauce or enchilada sauce to the filling.

If you like this recipe, you will also like our salsa verde tamale pie and our chipotle chicken enchiladas.

Southwest Cornbread Casserole:

This cornbread topped casserole is a fusion of Mexican cuisine and Southwest flavors. It’s hearty and filling and so much more.

A delicious, easy dish for the whole family:

Easy to make
A one skillet dinner
Can be made in under an hour

Cornbread topped casserole in a cast iron skillet.

Ingredients You Will Need:

Our Mexican cornbread casserole has two components. First, it has a chipotle filling for the base then it gets topped with a cheesy cornbread:

For the filling:

Poblano peppers. We roasted the poblano peppers to give them a mellow, slightly sweet flavor.
Flour. We coated the chunks of pork in a seasoned flour mixture that adds a flavorful crust to the chunks of pork.
Chipotle. We used both chipotle pepper and a whole, canned chipotle pepper. Don’t use the entire can of chipotle peppers.
Salt.
Pork. We used a a pork tenderloin but you can use pork chops or pork shoulder.
Onion, garlic, and red bell pepper.
Corn. You can use frozen, fresh, or canned corn kernels.
Black beans. Either use a can of black beans or make a batch of Instant Pot black beans from scratch.
Cumin.
Chicken broth. Either use canned chicken broth or homemade bone broth.

For the cornbread topping:

Cornmeal. Use fine ground cornmeal and not corn flour.
Flour. All purpose flour.
Sugar.
Baking powder. Make sure the baking powder is not expired.
Salt.
Milk.
Oil. Use a neutral-flavored oil.
Egg.
Cheese. We used grated cheddar cheese to stir into the cornbread batter. It adds flavor and a tender texture to the cornbread.

A serving of cornbread topped casserole on a plate with a fork.

How to Make Mexican Cornbread Casserole.

Here is a brief overview of how to make this casserole with a cornbread topping. Make sure you scroll down to the printable recipe card for all the details.

Roast the poblano peppers. After they rest, remove the skin and seeds then dice them up.
Coat the cubes of pork in seasoned flour then brown them in a skillet then set them aside. kk
Saute the onion, garlic, poblano peppers, and bell pepper in the skillet.
Add the browned pork cubes to the skillet. Stir in the corn, beans, tomatoes, seasonings, and broth.
Mix the cornbread topping then spread it on top of the Southwest casserole filling.
Bake the cornbread casserole until golden brown.

Tips for Success

Use a 12-inch skillet. If you have a smaller skillet you will need to transfer the casserole filling to a 13 x 9 inch baking dish.

Don’t use the whole can of chipotle peppers. You will only need 1 pepper from a can of chipotle peppers with adobo sauce. You can freeze the leftover peppers for other recipes like chipotle aioli, coleslaw, raspberry chipotle sauce, and many others.

Mexican casserole with a cornbread topping in a cast iron skillet.

If you like Southwestern and Mexican cuisine, this Mexican cornbread casserole is for you. It’s a hearty skillet dinner that the whole family will love. The casserole is loaded with corn, black beans, tender chunks of pork, and tons of flavor in every bite thanks to chipotle spice!

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Mexican Cornbread Casserole

This cornbread casserole is a one-skillet meal. Tender chunks of pork, beans, corn, and poblano pepper give this dish a Southwest flavor. It gets topped with a cheesy cornbread crust that the whole family will love.

4.89 from 9 votes

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Prep Time: 40

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 1

Servings: to 10 servings

Calories: 347kcal

Author: Pat Nyswonger

Ingredients

For the Filling:

2 Poblano chilies
½ cup flour
1-¼ teaspoons chipotle powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 pound pork tenderloin cut in 1/2-inch cubes
3 tablespoons cooking oil
1 onion chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped
1 red bell pepper de-seeded, and diced
1 cup whole kernel corn fresh, frozen, or canned
1 can 14.5 ounces black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can 14.5 ounces diced stewed tomatoes
1 chipotle pepper finely chopped (not the whole can)
1 teaspoon cumin
¾ cups chicken broth
¼ cup chopped cilantro optional

For the Cornbread Topping:

½ cup cornmeal
¾ cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1-½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons oil
1 large egg
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Instructions

Roast the Poblano Peppers

Place the poblano peppers on a sheet pan. Slide the peppers under the broiler and broil about 2 inches from the heating element. Turn the peppers frequently until they are blistered and charred all around. It will take about 12 to 15 minutes under the broiler.
Transfer the peppers to a bowl and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let the peppers sit and sweat in the bowl as they cool down. (about 10 minutes).
When the peppers are cool enough to handle, slide the skin off, pull the stem off, and discard the seeds. Dice the peppers and set them aside while you prepare the rest of the skillet dinner.

Make the Filling:

In a shallow dish or pie plate, add the flour, chipotle powder, and salt. Stir to combine. Add the pork cubes and toss to coat each piece with the flour mixture.
In a large 12-inch skillet set over medium-high heat, add the oil and when it is hot add half of the pork cubes and brown on all sides. Set aside on a plate and proceed with the remaining pork cubes. Set aside.
Reduce the heat to medium. In the same skillet, add the onion and cook until the onion is translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the diced roasted poblano chiles and the red pepper. Cook for 3-5 minutes.
Stir in the reserved browned pork cubes, corn, black beans, tomatoes, diced chipotle pepper, cumin, and the chicken broth.
Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes. Taste, and adjust the seasoning if needed. If you like really spicy food, you may want to add one more chipotle pepper.
Stir the chopped cilantro into the mixture. Remove the skillet from the heat and set it aside while you prepare the cornbread topping.

Make the Cornbread Topping:

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
In a medium-size bowl, add the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Whisk together to combine well.
In a separate bowl, add the milk, oil, and egg, whisk together and add to the dry cornmeal mixture. Add the cheese and stir just until blended.
Drop heaping mounds of the batter to the top of the mixture in the skillet. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the topping is nicely browned. Serve at the table from the skillet.

Notes

Do not use the whole can of chipotle peppers. One or two peppers will give this dish plenty of spice. You can freeze the leftover chipotle peppers for up to 6 months.
You will need a 12-inch skillet for this recipe. If you don’t have a 12-inch skillet you can transfer it to a 13 x 9-inch baking dish.