Chuckwagon Meal

April 25, 2012 in: Reflections on the River

Last year, I hosted my ladies Bible study group for our Christmas party. With a cowboy theme, I dubbed it “Home on the Range for Christmas” and served cornbread beef casserole. My friend Becky, a Texas transplant, loved this dish and mentioned it the other day, so I made it again recently.

Cornbread Beef Casserole

1 pound ground beef
Chopped onion
1 package (8.5 oz) cornbread mix
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 can creamed corn
1 c. milk
1/2 c. vegetable oil
2 eggs
3 c. shredded cheese, divided

Brown ground beef and onions in large skillet. (You can also add hot peppers if you’d like.) In a mixing bowl, combine cornbread mix, salt, baking soda, creamed corn, milk, oil and eggs.
Pour half of the cornbread batter in a square baking dish. Layer with half of the cheese and all of the ground beef. Top with remaining cheese. Spoon the rest of the batter on top. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Note: The original recipe in Taste of Home called for baking it in a 9×13 pan. This works for a big crowd, but the casserole is thinner. Also, a great time saver is to buy a package of frozen chopped onions and peppers, sometimes called seasoning blend. It’s much cheaper and easier than trying to keep fresh peppers on hand.

I like to serve it with Calico Baked Beans.

Calico Baked Beans

1 onion
2 strips of bacon
1 garlic clove (optional)
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. dried mustard
1 can lima beans
1 can pork&beans
1 can kidney beans

Saute onions, bacon and garlic in skillet. Add brown sugar, vinegar and mustard. Simmer for about 20 minutes. Mix with beans and heat in the oven at 350 for one hour, or in a slow cooker.