Taco Cornbread Bake - our favorite Mexican casserole! Super simple to make with only a few ingredients and bakes in about 20 minutes. Ground beef, taco seasoning, Rotel tomatoes, black beans, cheese, and Jiffy Mix. Top the casserole with your favorite taco toppings and serve with some Mexican rice or a salad. Taco Tuesday never tasted so good!
Preheat oven to 400ºF. Lightly spray an 8x8-inch dish with cooking spray.
In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in the water and taco seasoning. Simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in ½ cup of cheese, Rotel tomatoes and black beans. Spoon into baking dish.
Prepare the cornbread mix according to package directions for cornbread. Spread over beef mixture.
Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 3-5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.
Notes:
Can substitute ground turkey or ground chicken for the ground beef.
Feel free to add a can of corn, onions, or bell peppers to the meat mixture.
Here is our recipe for Homemade Taco Seasoning made with chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, oregano, paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper: https://www.plainchicken.com/homemade-taco-seasoning/
Is Taco Cornbread Casserole spicy? We did not think this dish was spicy. If you are worried about the heat, make sure to use a can of MILD Rotel diced tomatoes and green chiles.
Sometimes I substitute 1¼ cups of salsa for the Rotel tomatoes.
Can Taco Cornbread Bake be made in advance? If you wanted a really quick weeknight meal, you can mix up the taco meat mixture ahead of time and just top it with the cornbread batter right before baking.
Can Taco Cornbread Bake be frozen? Yes. Bake the casserole as directed and cool completely. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and aluminum foil and freeze. The casserole will keep up to 3 months in the freezer.
To reheat the casserole after freezing, thaw and bake covered in the oven for about 30 minutes. Can also reheat the thawed casserole in the microwave.