Mini Cornbread Chili Pot Pie Recipe

We ate a lot of chili growing up. Besides it being an easy meal to prepare for a family of six, it was also my dad's specialty, and both my parents were eager to fill the slow cooker with mouthwatering versions of chili. Each chili night came with a variety of toppings for customizing our bowls, including shredded cheddar, sour cream, green onions, and fluffy cornbread. The cornbread was always my favorite part; just like dunking crispy grilled cheese into tomato soup, there's something satisfying about letting cornbread soak up the flavors of a hearty bowl of chili. With this recipe, I wanted to take the classic pairing a step further, making the cornbread an integral part of the dish rather than something served on the side.

This mini cornbread chili pot pie recipe starts with a hearty ground beef and poblano pepper chili, which is ladled into individual oven-safe bowls and topped with homemade cheddar cornbread batter. As the cornbread bakes, it develops a golden, crispy top and tender, fluffy interior while the bottom soaks up the rich, savory chili underneath. Ready in less than an hour, these individual pot pies bring everything there is to love about chili together in one cozy, comforting bowl.

To make the chili, you will need oil, ground beef, onion, garlic, poblano peppers, tomato paste, fire-roasted tomatoes, black beans, beef broth, and seasonings, which include chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper. For the cornbread batter, you will need cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, whole milk, an egg, melted butter, and shredded cheddar cheese.

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

Add the ground beef and cook for 5–6 minutes, crumbling until browned. Drain any excess grease.

Add the diced onion, poblanos, and garlic to the beef. Cook for 5–6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened.

Add the tomato paste and stir to combine. Cook for 1–2 minutes, until the tomato paste has darkened slightly.

Stir in the chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, salt, pepper, diced tomatoes, black beans, and beef broth. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook uncovered for 10–15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chili is thickened.

In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

Pour the milk, egg, and melted butter into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.

Fold in the shredded cheddar cheese.

Lightly grease four oven-safe soup crocks.

Divide the warm chili evenly among the crocks, using approximately 1 ½ cups per crock.

Spoon the cornbread batter over the chili, dividing it evenly among the four crocks. Gently spread the batter into an even layer, covering most of the chili. Leave at least ½ inch space at the top of each crock; do not fill them all the way.

Arrange the crocks on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 25–30 minutes, until the cornbread is puffed, golden brown, and cooked through in the center. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean.

Let rest for 5-10 minutes, then serve.

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There's no reason to run out and buy a new set of soup crocks for this recipe, but it is important to make sure your containers are big enough to hold both the chili and the cornbread. The bowls I used are 28-ounce soup crocks, which equates to 3 ½ cups. 1 ½ cups of chili fills these bowls a little less than halfway, and the cornbread rises about an inch past that, leaving plenty of room still within the bowl. For cornbread that rises to the top of the bowl, use 16-ounce (2 cup) oven-safe bowls.

Because they are oven-safe, ramekins also work well for this recipe, but I'd caution against using the common 4 to 6 ounce sizes unless you are making particularly small portions of chili. Because the cornbread rises about an inch in the oven, you'll only have about 2 ounces to spare for chili. Instead, prioritize a bigger size (2 cups or larger in capacity), and check the materials to know your cookware is safe for the oven.

The beauty of pot pie, normally, is that you can use pie crust to cover a full pie of savory filling for an easy, one-pot meal complete with a flaky, buttery crust. The baked and cooled pie then slices cleanly into pieces that can be eaten on a plate like a pie. This cornbread chili pot pie recipe is designed for individual containers so that each serving is ready to eat without the need to scoop chili from underneath a heavy layer of cornbread. If you don't have soup crocks, ramekins, or oven-safe bowls, though, you can still make this recipe using one large container.

To make this recipe in a large container, lightly grease a 9x9-inch casserole dish and fill it with the chili mixture, making sure that there is at least ½ inch of space between the chili and the top of the dish for the cornbread to rise. Dollop the cornbread across the top of the chili, then gently spread it to cover as much of the chili as possible. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the cornbread comes out clean, or about 30-35 minutes.

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