We’re coming up on week 4 and salty, overseasoned Houston football “fans” have already thrown in the towel on the Texans’ season. Three times.

And we’re 2-1.

This city has had a long, jaded journey with professional football. And let’s face it, those fans probably had a few too many while tailgating. BUT THAT’S NO EXCUSE THIS EARLY IN THE SEASON AND I WILL NOT PUT UP WITH IT. There’s plenty of football left. And plenty of football weather ahead of us to enjoy it all.

When my box of H-E-B’s September Primo Picks arrived this month, I spied the perfect food for football season: Chili.

Chili is the perfect tailgating food – it travels well and goes with (and on!) just about everything. Sweatshirts, a bowl of chili, and a damp, cold, and grey Sunday afternoon – it’s exactly why football was invented.

It was also one of my mom’s go-to cold-weather meals. She’d pour the chili into a big casserole dish, drop cornbread batter drop-biscuit style over the top, cover that with grated cheese, and throw it in the oven. Dinner was served. It wasn’t fancy but it deliciously fed 4 bottomless pits for 2 nights and was an easy clean-up.

I took mom’s semi-homemade baked chili & cornbread and dressed it up into a dish worthy of tailgating. We added ground turkey to a jar of Cookwell & Company’s Two-Step Chili – it’s a super fresh mix and not loaded with some of the, er, less-than-awesome things that you find in canned chili. Then we loaded our favorite cornbread recipe with shredded cheese, diced hatch chiles, and corn and dropped the batter drop-biscuit style over the chili.

25 minutes later, you have a bubbly, hearty, one-pan party dish that’s easy – and impressive enough – to serve to a crowd.

And also: Go Texans!

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Baked Chili & White Cheddar-Hatch Chile Cornbread

Cornbread-topped chili is a hearty, one-pan party dish perfect for a football-loving crowd.

Ingredients

• For the chili:
• 1 jar Cookwell & Company Two-Step Chili Mix (or 4 cups of your favorite chili)
• 1.5 lb lean ground turkey
• For the cornbread:
• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 1/2 cups cornmeal
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• Black Pepper
• 1/4 cups unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup plain yogurt (I use fat-free)
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup shredded white cheddar
• 1/2 cup corn kernels (fresh or thawed if frozen)
• 3 hatch chiles, roasted, seeded, and chopped (directions here)
• For serving:
• Sour cream (or plain yogurt)
• Pico de gallo
• 9-oz plastic cups or bowls

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Brown the ground turkey and drain excess grease with a strainer.
3. Return the turkey to the pot and stir in the chili.
4. Pour the chili into a 2 1/2-3qt casserole dish and set aside.
5. To make the cornbread, whisk the dry ingredients together and make a well in the center.
6. Add butter, yogurt, egg, cheese, and corn, stirring to mix well.
7. Drop the batter by the spoonful over the top of the chili until the surface is completely covered.
8. Bake 25-30 minutes until bubbly and the cornbread is cooked through and golden brown.
9. Let stand 10 minutes and then scoop out into individual portions, topping the portions with sour cream and pico de gallo before serving.
10. Leftovers reheat well foil-covered in the oven.

Notes

Yields: ~10 servings

Source: Confections of a Foodie Bride

Estimated time: 50 minutes

This recipe was developed in conjunction with H-E-B and I was provided ingredients as well as compensated for my time. Messy fingers, stretchy-waisted pants, and opinions are all mine. You can find H-E-B on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. And if you’re as lucky as we are, 3 locations within a 5 mile radius.