Taco Pot Pie With Cornbread Crust Recipe

A taco dinner is one of the tastiest meals we know, on a Tuesday night or any other day of the week. But consider mixing it up the next time you feel like making tacos by bringing all the ingredients together to the table in one big baked dish. Here recipe developer Erin Johnson is giving the taco a makeover by turning it into a pot pie with a cornbread crust. As she tells us, "What I love about this dish is that it uses ingredients I'm likely to have on hand and transforms them into a dinner that feels like tacos, but reinvented."

While this pot pie does take some time get ready, most of it is hands-off as it sits in the oven and bakes. Once it's done, all you need to do is scoop out a big serving and enjoy a hearty meal of meat, beans, corn, and cheese topped with a sweet and spicy honey-jalapeño cornbread.

For the taco filling you will need ground beef, taco seasoning, canned black beans, canned corn, canned diced tomatoes with green chiles, green onions, and cheddar or a Mexican cheese blend. The cornbread is made with flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, butter, an egg, buttermilk, pickled jalapeños, and honey. (You'll also need a little oil or cooking spray to cook the ground beef.)

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Drizzle the bottom of an oven-safe skillet with olive oil.

Add the ground beef and cook for 5 minutes.

Once the beef has begun to brown, add the taco seasoning. Stir and cook until fragrant.

Add the black beans, corn, and tomatoes.

Add the green onions and stir until all the ingredients are well combined.

Sprinkle the cheese over the beef mixture, evenly covering the top. Set aside.

.Make the cornbread crust: In a large bowl, add the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt. Stir to combine.

Add the butter and the egg.

Pour in the buttermilk and stir to combine.

Reserve approximately 12 of the jalapeños. Chop the remaining and mix into the cornbread batter.

Pour the cornbread over the meat mixture in the skillet. Smooth over to make the batter even.

Top the cornbread with the remaining jalapeños.

Bake at 375 F for 10 minutes and then remove from the oven and drizzle 3/4 of the honey over the cornbread.

Return to the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until the cornbread is cooked through. Remove from the oven and drizzle with the remaining honey.

Serve immediately with your favorite taco toppings.

While this taco pot pie has plenty of flavor straight out of the oven, Johnson says you can top this with whatever you love on tacos. Plop on some sour cream, sprinkle on some extra cheese, add salsa or guacamole, or dress it up with chopped onions, tomatoes, or chiles. While Johnson notes that this is "a filling one-dish meal unto itself," she says that if you do want a side dish, a simple green salad would be a great option.

Any leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator, where Johnson says they will last for up to three days. To heat them back up again, Johnson suggests using either the microwave or the oven. The microwave can be used for a single serving, in which case you'll zap it for a minute, then check to see if it's warm enough. If not, give it another 30 seconds (and another, if needed). 

The oven method is best if you're reheating multiple portions, although you can also heat a single serving this way if you wish. Transfer the leftovers to an oven-proof pan, then cook them for 10 to 15 minutes at 350 F. If you need to store the leftovers for longer, you can also freeze them. 

This taco pot pie is something that can be customized in a number of different ways. For the protein component, Johnson tells us that ground turkey or plant-based meat are a couple good options. You could also go with ground chicken, chorizo, or ground pork. The cheese, too, is something that can be changed to suit your preference. Go a bit spicier with pepper Jack or keep it mild with Colby.

Even the cornbread crust can stand some tweaking if you want to tinker with the recipe. Johnson says, "I love the sweet and spicy combination of the cornbread, but you can feel free to adjust these to your preference." Leave the jalapeños out if you don't want it so hot, or swap them for serranos to boost the heat. Add more honey if you like your cornbread sweeter, or reduce or eliminate it for a cornbread that's more on the savory side.