Chili-Cornbread Casserole

Watching Good Morning America over the holidays, I saw this recipe from Country Music Star Trisha Yearwood. The recipe was for Trisha Yearwood's Cornbread-Chili Casserole.  The recipe is found in her cookbook - "Trisha's Table: My Feel-Good Favorites for a Balanced by Trisha Yearwood." (use link to find it at a local library near you.  It looked great - but I wanted to play with it a bit.  I tried to 'health' it up by adding some beans and using ground sirloin.  It was fantastic and a perfect comfort food meal for cold weather.  This also seems great for big family meals or dishes that you can pass at a potluck.  For the record, it reheated great for lunches and, if you like it, is great with hot sauce.

Ingredients (Serves 5-8)
1 tbsp Olive oil
1 medium Onion, chopped
3 tsp Garlic, chopped (or cloves)
1 lbs Ground sirloin
2 cups Salsa (16 oz container)
1 15 oz can, Red or kidney beans, drained
1/3 cup Vegetable (or beef) stock
1 tbsp Chili powder
2 tsp Cumin
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1/4 tsp Black pepper
1 8.5 oz box cornbread muffin mix
1/2 cup Skim milk
1 14-15 oz can Creamed corn
1/3 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (adjust to taste)

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F. 
2. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, then saute until soft, around 6-7 minutes. Add the ground beef to the skillet, and cook until brown, 7-9 minutes. Drain any excess fat and remove from heat. Stir in the salsa, kidney beans, vegetable stock, chili powder, cumin, Kosher salt, and pepper. Transfer the mixture into a 9 x 13-inch baking dish and smooth into an even layer.
3. Mix the corn muffin mix with 1/2 cup skim milk and can of creamed corn. Mix until blended. Spread it over the chili mixture evenly. 
4. Bake until browned on top, 30-32 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle cheddar cheese atop the casserole. Set aside for 10 minutes to allow the casserole to set and the cheese to melt. 

Enjoy!