This Chili Cornbread Bake is just the right amount of slightly sweet and spicy, and it’s sure to hit the spot for your comfort food cravings. Chili and cornbread are such a great combination, and with this dish you can bake them both together and serve them up as one! The bottom layer is a lightly sweet, super moist seasoned cornbread and it’s topped with layer of hearty chili and finished off with some melted cheese.

yield: 8 SERVINGS

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/3 cup skim milk
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin, divided
• 1/8 teaspoon + ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, divided
• 1 (14.5 oz) can cream-style corn
• 1 (4 oz) can diced green chiles, drained
• 1 (8.5 oz) box Jiffy corn muffin mix (or similar brand)
• ¾ lb 95% lean ground beef
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• ¾ cup canned kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3 oz 50% reduced fat Sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded (such as Cabot)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 400. Lightly mist a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the egg, milk, 1 teaspoon of the cumin, 1/8 teaspoon of the cayenne, creamed corn, diced chilies and corn muffin mix. Stir together until fully mixed and pour into the prepared baking dish. Spread into an even layer and bake for 18-20 minutes until a toothpick comes out smooth. Keep oven at 400.
3. While the cornbread layer is cooking, bring a large saute pan or medium pot to medium heat and add the ground beef. Use a wooden spoon to break it up into small pieces as it cooks. When the meat is breaking up and almost browned, add the onions and the garlic and stir together. Continue to cook another few minutes until the meat is browned and onions are softened.
4. Add the kidney beans, diced tomatoes, chili powder, salt, and remaining 1 teaspoon of cumin and ¼ teaspoon of cayenne to the meat mixture and stir together until well combined. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for about 5 minutes.
5. Use a fork to poke holes all over the prepared cornbread layer. When the chili is done, spoon it over the top of the cornbread layer to form another even layer. Sprinkle the shredded cheddar cheese over the chili and return it to the oven for another 15 minutes.

WEIGHT WATCHERS SMARTPOINTS:
9 per serving (SP calculated using the recipe builder on weightwatchers.com)

WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTSPLUS:
7 per serving (PP calculated using a Weight Watchers PointsPlus calculator and the nutrition info below)

NUTRITION INFORMATION:

293 calories, 38 g carbs, 11 g sugars, 8 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 18 g protein, 5 g fiber (from myfitnesspal.com)