My mom has been making a Cornbread Taco Bake casserole for years. It quickly became a favorite of our whole family. This is a hearty family-friendly casserole you will want to make over and over again.
Table of Contents
WHAT IS CORNBREAD TACO BAKE?
Cornbread Taco Bake is basically a taco-themed casserole with Jiffy cornbread on the top. It is packed with ground beef, beans, corn, Ro-tel, and of course…cheese!
I have seen this style of casserole called by many names and there are tons of variations out there.
My version is packed with extra fiber and nutrients and is more hearty than some versions you may see.
WHAT TYPE OF MEAT IS BEST?
Basically any type of ground meat will work in this cornbread taco casserole recipe. I primarily use ground beef, but it is up to you.
Here are some other options that would taste great:
- Ground turkey
- Chicken meat that is ground
- Ground pork sausage
INGREDIENTS FOR A TACO CORNBREAD CASSEROLE
I love to tweak recipes and make them a tad healthier and more filling for my family. Here are the ingredients I use for this delicious cornbread casserole.
- Ground beef (or other ground meat)
- Canned beans
- Canned corn
- Ro-Tel
- Tomato sauce
- Shredded cheese
- Taco seasoning
- Cheddar Cheese French Fried Onions
- Jiffy Cornbread Mix
- Milk
- Egg
HOW TO MAKE A CORNBREAD TACO BAKE
This is not a one-pot meal, but it isn't too much trouble and the taste is worth the effort!
STEP ONE: BROWN MEAT
The first step is to brown your ground meat. Add the meat to a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat until cooked through.
Drain off any excess fat and grease.
Add in a package of taco seasoning or 2 tablespoons of homemade taco seasoning.
STEP TWO: MIX FILLING
Now, add to the skillet one drained can of Ro-Tel, a drained can of corn, a drained and rinsed can of beans, one cup of shredded cheese and an 8 ounce can of tomato sauce.
Stir these ingredients together and pour it all into a 9 x 13 baking dish.
STEP THREE: MAKE CORNBREAD TOPPING
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
In a bowl, prepare one box of Jiffy corn muffin mix according to the package directions.
Stir in 3 ounces of cheddar cheese french fried onions. If you can't find the cheese flavored onions, you can just use regular french-fried onions.
Now spread the muffin mixture over the top of the meat filling. Make a thin layer and it is OKAY if it looks messy!
STEP FOUR: BAKE
Place the baking dish into an oven that has been preheated to 400°F. Bake for 15-20 minutes.
Remove the casserole from the oven and top with the remaining 3 ounces of french-fried onions and one more cup of shredded cheese.
Return the pan to the oven and bake for 5 more minutes or until the cheese is melted and the muffin mix has baked thoroughly. You don't want any raw muffin mix when you take a bite!
WHAT TO SERVE WITH CORNBREAD TACO CASSEROLE
Now that your casserole is out of the oven it is time to enjoy.
I love to serve this cornbread taco bake with some tortilla chips and sour cream. Here are some more ideas:
- Salsa and chips
- Salad on the side
- Guacamole
- Diced Tomatoes
CORNBREAD TACO BAKE RECIPE
You can print off the complete ingredients and instructions for this easy family dinner recipe via the recipe card below.
If you make this recipe and love it…please leave me a 5 Star Rating and PIN it for later! I would really appreciate it!

Cornbread Taco Bake is a tasty casserole that is great for the whole family!
- 1 pound ground beef
- 15 ounces canned beans can be chili beans, kidney, great northern..any kind is fine, drained
- 15 ounces canned corn drained
- 1 can Rotel drained
- 8 oz tomato sauce
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 package taco seasoning or 2 tablespoons homemade taco seasoning
- 6 oz Cheddar Cheese flavored French Fried Onions or plain if you prefer
- 1 box Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1 large egg
-
Brown ground beef in a skillet and drain any excess fat. Stir in taco seasoning, corn, rotel, beans, 1/2 the cheese and the tomato sauce.
-
Pour this mixture into a 13 x 9 baking dish.
-
In a separate bowl, prepare the corn muffin mix according to package directions.
-
After preparing the muffin mix, add 1/2 the can of french fried onions to the muffin mixture and stir.
-
Spoon the corn muffin mixture across the whole top of the mixture in the baking dish. It will be a very thin layer and may look kind of messy.
-
Bake, uncovered at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes.
-
Remove casserole from oven and spread remaining french fried onions and shredded cheese on top.
-
Put back in the oven and bake for 5 minutes longer. Be sure the muffin mixture is baked through.
-
Remove from oven and enjoy!
The Cheddar Flavored French Fried Onions really added some great flavor to this dish. They are optional…but a really tasty option.
You need to be sure the muffin mix cooks all the way through. That is one reason it is good to have the muffin layer be very thin…nothing worse than partially cooked muffin!
This is good with some tortilla chips and sour cream on the side!
If you loved this family-friendly dinner recipe be sure to check these other great ideas out:
- Easy Mexican Casserole
- Three Ingredient Beef and Noodles
- One Pot Chili Mac
- Taco Spaghetti that Kids Will Love
Be sure to PIN this recipe for later and SHARE on Facebook!
- Weight Watchers Skinny Slow Cooker Pineapple Chicken - September 22, 2023
- Fun and Easy Ghost Halloween Popcorn Balls Recipe - September 20, 2023
- Air Fryer Salmon Recipe (with maple bacon!) - September 15, 2023
Oooooh! We love cornbread! We are definitely going to be trying this!
Hope you like it as much as we do!
Yumm! This sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing!
This recipe sounds good! We are vegetarian, so will need to make modifications, but this might be a good place to start!
I would think that it could be modified for vegetarians! You will have to let me know if you are able to do it!
This looks great and I usually have all of these ingredients in the house at any given time. Smart! #bif
Holy cow this looks delcious!! Can’t wait to try it!!!
OKAY so yummy. I can’t wait to try this.
Oh that looks absolutely delicious! My husband would love it for sure!
Perfect new twist on boring taco night!
It really is!! Thanks for stopping by!
My husband will absolutely love this! We both love cornbread and he loves tacos! win win for us!
This looks like a recipe that the whole family will enjoy. Thanks for sharing it!