During this time of uncertainty with no end in sight, we’re going to cook with all the ingredients we have. The normal, the random, and those forgotten impulse buys we made a month ago. This is quarantined cooking. 

Working from home does not make life simpler or give us more time to knockout chores around the house like planning dinner every night. There is a big adjustment when confined to one place, learning to separate work from home and when to pause one to do the other. In these moments, a simple and quick meal like a casserole or savory one-dish-bake can ease the stress of balancing it all. This casserole uses inexpensive ingredients, is quick, and can easily be adjusted to add more flavor and ingredients as you’d prefer. Make it spicier, add black olives, or include sour cream to make it creamier. It’s a hearty meal in less than an hour. Plus, it gets better the next day. ––Justin Burke 

Fiesta Cornbread Casserole 
Serves 4-6

Ingredients

2 pounds ground beef or turkey
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 packets taco seasoning
½ cup water
1 cup salsa
1 4.5 ounce can chopped green chilies
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup corn, frozen
2 boxes cornbread mix or your preferred cornbread recipe
1 ½ cups cheddar cheese, shredded 

 

Directions 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Using a large pan or dutch oven over medium-high heat, add oil and cook the ground meat until evenly brown. Once browned, season with salt and black pepper. 
3. Add onions and cook until onions are translucent.
4. Add taco seasoning, water, salsa, and green chilies and stir and bring to a boil. Decrease heat to low and simmer. 
5. Meanwhile, in a separate pan over medium-high heat, melt butter and add corn. Saute corn until kernels start to brown, then season with salt and black pepper. Remove from heat and set aside. 
6. Prepare cornbread batter according to package directions or preferred recipe. Fold in cheese and corn. 
7. Spoon ground meat mixture into a 13×9-inch casserole dish and spread evenly. Spread cornbread batter evenly over the top of ground meat. 
8. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until cornbread is golden brown and filling is bubbling. Remove and cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. 
9. Serve with sour cream, salsa, and extra cheese. 

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