I always joke that my favorite part of chili is the cornbread, but I couldn’t be more serious! I love the combination of chili and cornbread, so to me, this recipe is a match made in heaven. Traditional beef chili is topped with corn muffin batter to create the ultimate sweet topping to compliment the savory chili. I like to think of this as a chili and cornbread version of shepherd’s pie. This recipe is easy to make, delicious, hearty, and even though it is healthy, there is nothing “light” tasting about it.
What makes this recipe lightened up?
The idea behind this recipe is my love for cornbread! My favorite part of eating chili during the cooler months is the cornbread that typically is served alongside. The sweetness of the corn bread (or corn muffins) is the perfect compliment to the warm, savory and hearty chili. So I thought, why not combine the two components into a casserole-type dish? Although I had never combined the two and baked them together before, I figured it would work similarly to a shepherd’s pie, where a delicious and flavorful base is topped with a light and fluffy mashed potato topping. So I experimented, and this recipe was born. You might see this recipe for chili with a cornbread topping and think… how on earth could this be “lightened-up?” As always, my motto is balance and moderation. So this recipe features real beef, beans, and corn muffin mix, but modified.
- I use 96% extra lean ground beef here, which is lower in calories and fat than other cuts of beef.
- Instead of using oil, I use olive oil spray to sauté the onions and beef.
- I use skim milk to bring the corn muffin mix together.
Aside from these small modifications, this recipe is truly a classic chili recipe, and you will not be able to tell this is lightened-up. This recipe is family-friendly, and perfect to serve to anyone, whether they are calorie counting or not. 
What will I need to make this recipe?
To make this recipe, you will need:
- onion
- 96/4 extra lean ground beef
- You can find this at some major supermarkets, but also Trader Joe’s and Aldi.
- chili powder
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- cumin
- paprika
- kosher salt
- tomato paste
- canned diced tomatoes
- beef broth
- canned kidney beans
- corn muffin mix, I use the Jiffy brand
- skim milk
- an egg
How to make lightened-up chili with cornbread topping
To make this recipe, start off by preheating your oven to 375, so that it’s ready for later. In the meantime, start the chili. Preheat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add olive oil spray, and then add your chopped onion and cook it for about 5 minutes, or until the onion starts to get tender and translucent. Next, add the ground beef and break it up with your wooden spoon. Cook the ground beef for about 5-10 minutes, or until it is cooked through and no longer pink.
Next, add all of the spices and stir to combine, followed by the tomato paste. Finally, add the canned diced tomatoes (with the juices), the beef broth, and the drained and rinsed beans. Bring the mixture to a slow boil, and simmer for about 20 minutes for the flavors to combine. Taste for seasoning. Pour the chili mixture into a baking dish or casserole dish.
To make the cornbread topping, combine the corn muffin mixture with the milk and egg. Pour it over the chili in the casserole dish. Bake the cornbread topped chili for 25 minutes. Serve with your favorite chili toppings: shredded cheese, diced onions, and sour cream.
How-To Video
Lightened-Up Chili with Cornbread Topping
Equipment
- large pot or Dutch oven
- casserole dish
Ingredients
Chili
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 lb 96/4 extra lean ground beef
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 14.5 oz diced tomatoes, canned with juices
- 1 cup beef broth
- 14.5 oz kidney beans, canned, drained, rinsed
Corn Muffin Topping
- 1 cup corn muffin mix
- 1/2 cup skim milk
- 1 egg
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F.
- Preheat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium high heat.
- Add olive oil spray to the pot.
- Chop the onion and add it to the pot.
- Cook the onion for about 5 minutes or until tender and slightly translucent.
- Add more olive oil spray to the pot, and add the ground beef.
- Break the ground beef up with a wooden spoon.
- Cook the beef for about 8-10 minutes or until it is no longer pink.
- Add the chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt, cumin and paprika.
- Add the tomato paste and stir in.
- Add the diced tomatoes with the liquid, and the broth.
- Drain and rinse the pinto beans and add them to the pot.
- Reduce the heat to minimum and simmer the chili for 20 minutes to develop the flavor.
- Combine the corn muffin mix, the milk, and the egg and whisk together.
- Pour the chili into a baking dish, and pour the corn muffin mixture evenly on top.
- Bake for 25 minutes.
Notes
- 8 WW points (green plan)
- 6 WW points (blue and purple plans)
Nutrition
You might also enjoy these delicious lightened-up comfort food recipes: Turkey Shepherds Pie Healthier Chicken Pot Pie
I am making this today !!
Yum, going to make this tomorrow! What’s the serving size? Sorry if you wrote it already, I can’t find it on the recipe 🤔
Looks like the whole recipe is for 6 so I’d say 1/6th of it.
Just made this tonight! I followed the directions to the tee. I wouldn’t change a thing! Sooo delicious!!!
Just made this tonight, and it is so delicious! Will definitely make it again. Looking forward to trying more of your recipes!
Made this yesterday to have for lunch this week. Had it today and it was AMAZING! Topped with 15 grams of reduced fat shredded cheese (1 WW point for me) and it was perfect. Actually, would have been perfect without the cheese too, so good!
Made this recipe tonight and another winner from Steph!!!
I’m obsessed!! Everything about this is amazing – this will definitely be a repeater in our house!
Super delicious ! Subbed with rotel tomatoes with green chili for a little added kick. Husband loved it! Would definitely make again
What is a serving?
So excited to make this! Do you know what the WW green points would be per serving if you omit the cornbread topping, and make just the chili?
My husband doesn’t really like chili and he really enjoyed this! Game changer with the cornbread on top!
This was so simple to make and very delicious. I definitely should have doubled it haha. Thanks for sharing it with us and can’t wait to make it again next week.
OMG another delicious dish!
Do you use the same size casserole dish that you use for the baked oatmeal?
Same question here!
I made this for lunch meal prep this week and it was AMAZING!! Honestly just super easy to make and it’s like a warm hug in a bowl. Go make it, you’ll love it!
This was so delicious! I am not a huge fan of cornbread but this recipe converted me! Definitely adding this to the rotation! Thanks Steph!
Another amazing recipe!!! So easy and tasted like I slaved in the kitchen all day!
Great recipe and very tasty chili! My whole family loved it.
Family loved this!
What’s a serving?
Was never huge on chili. This chili recipe has been a game changer. I even made a pot and added whole wheat elbows. Made with the cornbread topping for my staff and they LOVED it. Highly recommend.
Wow! Made this for dinner and it’s absolutely amazing. Usually I need cheese sour cream and jalapeños but not with this recipe. I did use Famous Dave’s cornbread instead. Absolutely amazing and so easy. Thank you my family appreciated the recipe.
Just made this tonight! It was delicious!
So good!!! Cornbread baked on top, delicious. Easy to make and we loved it.
The flavor combinations in this recipe is mind blowing! It was absolutely delicious!
My mouth is watering thinking about making this. Do I use my regular corn mill with the milk and egg or do I use an instant cornbread like Jiffy??
While I’m not a chili fan, my husband is…so I made this for him last week. He loved it, and asked if I can make it more often for his lunches.
So delish! My husband does not really like chili and he loved this recipe!
My whole family LOVED this recipe! It’s a great fall weather meal & made enough for all of us to have lunch leftovers. I will definitely be making this again!
Family hit!!
I made this for dinner tomorrow but of course I had to try it and it’s soo good!
This was absolutely delicious. This is the first time I’ve made one of your recipes and I thoroughly enjoyed. I will be trying something else very soon.
Made this last night, and I’m in love! I don’t know if I’ll ever make chili a different way again. Looking forward to eating this for leftovers a couple of days.
Delic! And thank you for all your hard work and dedication to making cooking enjoyable and easy for those of us that struggle! I really am enjoying everything on your site!
Made this tonight for dinner and it was absolutely delicious. It was so scrumptious and hearty. You don’t realize that you’re eating something healthy and point friendly. Thank you Stephanie for all of your amazing recipes!
Delicious! I love your recipes and enjoy watching your stories on Instagram. Thank you for creating yummy healthy recipes.
Wow!!! So good!!!! The chili is great but the cornbread with it makes it perfect!!!
Our first recipe of yours, Steph, and my husband said “I would order this at a restaurant!” Very rare high praise from this guy. My daughter (5) insisted she doesn’t like chili and went on to eat 3 servings 🤣. Always so happy to have a family dinner winner!
Make this! So good! Will def be making this again!
This was the best. I love chili my fiance does not BUT he loved this. Thanks so much for this great recipe. I can now make chili again. Corn Bread made a huge difference! DELISH!!
So delicious! One of my favorite recipes I have tried from Steph. This dish was so flavorful and easy to put together. The corn muffin topping is such a great idea! The perfect meal for cooler weather 🙂
Perfect!! I love chili on football Sunday’s. Made this for Thursday Night football! Easy weeknight comfort meal!
Another home run recipe! My family ate it up and asked for thirds!
This is delicious comfort food! The corn bread on top is so yummy and the serving size is big! I love how with all of Steph’s recipes you get lots of food as a serving size. My whole family loved it. It’s also easy to add on if you want to add other veggies like carrots or corn. Another winner!
This was great. So easy and everyone loved it !
This is a staple in our house!! Even my picky husband loves it and can’t get enough of it. Thanks Steph!! I love your recipes:)
Can’t wait to make this! Looks delicious! Thank you!!!
Made this tonight absolutely delicious!!
Steph,
Can this be prepped in the morning day before work and then baked in the evening?
I would leave the topping off until right before baking!
I made the chili on 3/10/2022, poured it into the casserole dish I was using, and refrigerated it until today (3/12/22) when I had a chance to make the cornbread topping. I heated the casserole in the microwave before pouring on the cornbread (that I had mixed with chopped scallions), sprinkled the top with Chipotle Pepper powder, and it was beyond fabulous! (That’s a long way of confirming Steph’s recommendation to “leave the topping off until right before baking!”) Nicola
Delicious! Easy to make and not a ton of ingredients needed. Perfect meal for the cold weather.
Wow!!! This was absolutely amazing!
Amazing recipe!
Easy and delicious!
Steph, not sure what I did wrong but my cornbread topping sank to the bottom. Did I have to much liquid you think? Ugh. Waiting for it to come out of oven.
Really enjoyed this one! Good chili and I love the sweetness of the cornbread on top!
Make this. You won’t regret it. Seriously out of this world delicious and such a great idea. I used whole milk and then entire box of Jiffy. Adjusted the points accordingly.
Curious if anyone has made this with ground turkey and almond milk (vs ground beef and skim)? Can’t wait to try this!
I just searched all the comments wondering the same thing. Did you try it with ground turkey and almond milk? If so, how did it turn out?
I made this with unsweetened oat milk and 99% fat free ground turkey. It has good flavor. The only issue I had with it is the chili was really soupy so I removed most of the liquid before I put the cornbread topping on top and baked it. If I make it in the future I would only maybe use half a cup of broth. I feel a cup of broth was too much. And that was after letting it simmer for a half an hour.
Okay so I took a chance and made it with ground turkey and almond milk…omgoodness absolutely delicious!! so glad I tried it.
My husband wanted me to make this one and I put it off for a couple months because it didn’t sound like something I would like. Big mistake. It was so good and a step up from your average chili recipe in the flavor department. My husband couldn’t stop raving about it either!
This was great! Delicious flavors and quick to throw together. Next time I might double the chili part and then add the topping. It was so good. We had seconds!
This is the third time I’ve made this fabulous recipe … I fold scallions (chopped on the diagonal) into the cornbread topping, and sprinkle the topping with Chipotle Pepper powder before baking. Magnificent recipe, @sweetstephanieandsteph! Magnificent!
I am obsessed with this recipe. So delicious and it reheated nicely for my lunch. Thank you!
Loved!!! Used Rotel, it’s what I had and topped with 2TB of lite cheese! So good! Thanks Steph!
Hi Stephanie – Love your recipes. What size baking dish do you use to bake this?
I tried this randomly on a chilly fall day, because I’ve fallen in love with Steph’s recipes and I figured this would be equally as good. Holy cow. It is SO good. I followed it exactly, except used 80/20 beef and drained off the fat after cooking the onions and the beef. It was a big hit with the adults and kiddos in the house! I topped it only with a dollop of Fage 0% greek yogurt, as a sour cream substitute.
Win! Win! Hubby loved it!
This is such an easy recipe and super filling!!! I’ve made this multiple times and enjoy it every time!!
Made this for the first time last week when we had a few days of fall weather here in FL. My husband said it was one of the best meals I’ve made. It was darn good. Thanks, Steph.
I followed the recipe exactly and it was SO GOOD!!!! I had the leftovers for lunch AND dinner today because I was craving it! I will make this again and again. LOVE IT!!!! The serving size is plenty; one serving left me full/satisfied as my entire meal.
Hi Stephanie trying this now 😊 you lost kidney beans but in the directions say add pinto beans. Just want to clarify which type? Thank you for your yummy recipes!
This was a hit tonight with my whole family, including my 2 year old! I used the whole box of corn muffin mix (because why not) and substituted chicken broth for beef broth since I had some that needed to be used up – it turned out amazing! Thanks so much for an easy meal that the whole family loved. This will definitely be in the rotation for us!
You need to in nclude casserole dish size!!
I don’t know why I ever doubt you!! I’ve made so many of your recipes and after I started this one I was nervous my boys wouldn’t like the cornbread mixed in their chili. WRONG!! My husband said this is staple worthy. My picky 6 year old LOVED it and my teenager scarfed it down with no comments. The cornbread to chili ratio is perfect. Phenomenal as always. THANK YOU!
this is the best chili I have ever eaten. my fiancé loved it so much too! it will be a staple for us !!!
Love this today, a snowy day in New England
I really enjoyed this one! I made the chili portion the day before (weekend meal prep) and just reheated it and added the topping and baked. I didn’t find it too watery which may have helped with it sitting a day. My husband was quick to grab leftovers for his work lunch. While easy enough to throw together, some week nights I’m just exhausted and this was a great low effort meal when prepped ahead.
My only complaint is the point value on new WW system went up to 7 points (not Steph’s fault). I suggest pre tracking some these to know accurate points.
Thanks Steph!
The recipe list says Kidney beans but the directions indicate pinto beans, which is it?
Very good and the entire family loved it. I made it gluten free using the Martha white gluten free cornbread mix with one egg and 1/2 cup milk and it turned out perfect! Thank you again Stephanie for another wonderful low point dinner.
This was absolutely delicious! The chili had just the right amount of thickness and the cornbread topping was firm. Will definitely be making this again!