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Cornbread Topped Chilli Con Carne

by Nigella. Featured in FEAST

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Introduction

There are few more welcome sights than a big vat of chilli. The cornbread topping is a glorious golden touch, that everyone can crumble into the spiced meat as they eat, for ballast and crunchy contrast. It makes your life easier and the chilli better if you make the meat up in advance, adding the topping and baking the lot just before you serve.

For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.

As featured in

FEAST

2004

Buy Now

Cornbread Topped Chilli Con Carne — Photo by James Merrell

As featured in

FEAST

2004

Buy Now

Ingredients

Serves: up to 20

Metric Cups

For the Chilli Con Carne

4 onions
4 x 400 grams cans of chopped tomatoes
8 tablespoons tomato ketchup
8 tablespoons tomato puree
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 x 400 grams cans of kidney beans (drained)
2 cloves garlic
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons dried chilli flakes (or to taste)
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
5 cardamom pods (bruised)
2 red peppers
1½ kilograms minced beef

For the Cornbread

1½ teaspoons Maldon sea salt flakes
650 grams cornmeal
4 tablespoons plain flour
6 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
750 millilitres buttermilk
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons honey
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
150 grams coarsely grated Cheddar cheese

To Serve

4 ripe avocados
4 spring onions
juice of 2 limes
4 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander
500 millilitres sour cream
paprika to dust over
350 grams grated Cheddar cheese

For the Chilli Con Carne

4 onions
4 x 14 ounces cans of diced tomatoes
8 tablespoons tomato ketchup
8 tablespoons tomato puree
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
2 x 15 ounces cans of kidney beans (drained)
2 cloves garlic
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes (or to taste)
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
5 cardamom pods (bruised)
2 red bell peppers
3¼ pounds ground beef

For the Cornbread

1½ teaspoons kosher salt
4 cups cornmeal
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
6 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 cups buttermilk
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons honey
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups coarsely grated Cheddar cheese

To Serve

4 ripe avocados
4 scallions
juice of 2 limes
4 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 cups sour cream
paprika to dust over
3¾ cups grated Cheddar cheese

Method

Peel and finely chop the onions; you might want to use the processor here, and if so, add the peeled garlic or mince it by hand. Heat the oil in a very large pan — it has to take everything later — and fry the onion and garlic until they begin to soften. Add the chilli, coriander, cumin and crushed cardamom pods and stir well.
Deseed and finely dice the red peppers, and tip into the spicy onion. Break up the minced beef into the pan and, using a fork, keep turning it to separate it as the meat browns. It's hard to brown quite so much meat, so just do the best you can.
Add the chopped tomatoes, kidney beans, ketchup, puree and 250ml/1 cup of water, stirring to make a rich red sauce. When the chilli starts to boil, sprinkle over the cocoa and stir it in. Simmer partially covered for 1½ hours. At this point you can cool and freeze the chilli, or just keep it in the fridge — or a cool place — overnight.
Preheat the oven to gas mark 7/220°C/200°C Fan/425ºF. Tip the chilli into a large, wide dish or keep in the pan that is ovenproof.
Combine the salt, cornmeal, flour, baking powder and cinnamon in a bowl.
Whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, honey and oil in a jug, and then stir into the dry ingredients, mixing to make a vivid yellow batter.
Pour the cornmeal topping over the chilli con carne, or blob it over to cover the top as evenly as possible. Don't worry if some of the chilli seeps through as this won't matter one tiny bit.
Sprinkle the cheese over the top of the cornbread and then bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until the cornbread topping is risen and golden and the chilli underneath is bubbling. How long this precisely takes depends on how cold or hot the chilli was when it went into the oven. Since it's such a huge vat, you may find it simpler to reheat it on the stove in its pan, before it gets its topping, to start with.
Let the chilli stand for about 5 minutes once out of the oven before cutting the top into squares or slices to serve with a helping of chilli underneath.
And alongside this chilli, you should dollop out an un-chillied guacamole, some cool sour cream and a mounded pile of strong grated Cheddar. So, mash the ripe avocados with the finely chopped spring onions and add the lime juice and some salt to taste. Stir in most of the chopped coriander and turn into two bowls, sprinkling each with the remaining coriander.
Divide the sour cream into another two bowls, and dust with a little paprika and, into yet another pair of bowls, grate the Cheddar so that people can take clumps and add the tangy cheese to their plates of guacamole and sour-cream splodged chilli.

Peel and finely chop the onions; you might want to use the processor here, and if so, add the peeled garlic or mince it by hand. Heat the oil in a very large pan — it has to take everything later — and fry the onion and garlic until they begin to soften. Add the chilli, coriander, cumin and crushed cardamom pods and stir well.
Deseed and finely dice the red bell peppers, and tip into the spicy onion. Break up the ground beef into the pan and, using a fork, keep turning it to separate it as the meat browns. It's hard to brown quite so much meat, so just do the best you can.
Add the diced tomatoes, kidney beans, ketchup, puree and 250ml/1 cup of water, stirring to make a rich red sauce. When the chilli starts to boil, sprinkle over the cocoa and stir it in. Simmer partially covered for 1½ hours. At this point you can cool and freeze the chilli, or just keep it in the fridge — or a cool place — overnight.
Preheat the oven to gas mark 7/220°C/200°C Fan/425ºF. Tip the chilli into a large, wide dish or keep in the pan that is ovenproof.
Combine the salt, cornmeal, flour, baking powder and cinnamon in a bowl.
Whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, honey and oil in a jug, and then stir into the dry ingredients, mixing to make a vivid yellow batter.
Pour the cornmeal topping over the chilli con carne, or blob it over to cover the top as evenly as possible. Don't worry if some of the chilli seeps through as this won't matter one tiny bit.
Sprinkle the cheese over the top of the cornbread and then bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until the cornbread topping is risen and golden and the chilli underneath is bubbling. How long this precisely takes depends on how cold or hot the chilli was when it went into the oven. Since it's such a huge vat, you may find it simpler to reheat it on the stove in its pan, before it gets its topping, to start with.
Let the chilli stand for about 5 minutes once out of the oven before cutting the top into squares or slices to serve with a helping of chilli underneath.
And alongside this chilli, you should dollop out an un-chillied guacamole, some cool sour cream and a mounded pile of strong grated Cheddar. So, mash the ripe avocados with the finely chopped scallions and add the lime juice and some salt to taste. Stir in most of the chopped coriander and turn into two bowls, sprinkling each with the remaining coriander.
Divide the sour cream into another two bowls, and dust with a little paprika and, into yet another pair of bowls, grate the Cheddar so that people can take clumps and add the tangy cheese to their plates of guacamole and sour-cream splodged chilli.

Additional Information

MAKE AHEAD / STORE:
The chilli sauce can be made a day ahead. Cool, cover and refrigerate within 2 hours of making and store in the fridge until needed. Can also be frozen for up to 3 months in a resealable container. Thaw overnight in the fridge. Reheat the chilli sauce in the casserole dish (Dutch oven) over a medium heat, stirring continuously, until piping hot all of the way through, then continue with the recipe.
Leftovers should be refrigerated within 2 hours of cooking and can be stored in the fridge for up to a day. Store the sauce and cornbread separately. Reheat the chilli sauce in a saucepan, stirring occasionally, until piping hot all of the way through. Reheat the cornbread in a microwave, or serve cold. Reheat chilli sauce and cornbread only once.

Tell us what you think

What 5 Others have said

This chilli is so delicious and super easy to make, my entire family loved it. Will definitely add this to my recipe faves.

Posted by NikkiRodgers on 16th November 2020
I have used this recipe time and time again. My friends beg me to make it if you love chilli with a twist try this you wont look back.

Posted by maryhcraig on 27th October 2013
Oh my goodness! I cooked a HUGE family tea last weekend for mine and my husband's family. First time I have EVER cooked for such a large tribe. ALL the recipe's I used were Nigella's - every one of them a hit! (including the chilli). I'm doing another one next month for fireworks night / hubby's birthday - it'll be Nigella all the way again! Thanks for such easy-to-do yet flippin marvellously tasting food!

Posted by DPC on 21st October 2013
I've been making this recipe for ages and it's gorgeous! I often make a thick ratatouille and then top it with the cornbread - lush! And it's meal on it's own, but goes well with lamb and beef also.

Posted by hrfoodie on 17th August 2012
I always use this recipe for chilli, whether it's for 2 or a houseful. The cornbread is too much for 2 but corn muffins work well too. The veggie version in the FEAST book was a hit when I served it to the vegetarian member of the family.

Posted by Suefry on 2nd July 2012