What does brown sugar do to chili?

The brown sugar gave it a sweet/tangy flavor that reminded me of BBQ-sauce ! Th chili was so good - it was hard to stop eating it! I did had some extra veggies (1 cl. garlic, 1 celery stalk, 1 carrot, 1 bell pepper, 1 hot pepper) and used a can of diced tomatoes rather than tomato juice.

Where did chili and cornbread come from?

Chili is the official meal of the state of Texas and is often used for events such as cook offs or tailgates. Cornbread originated in America and was first cooked by the Native Americans and the colonists .

How much brown sugar should I add to my chili?

Mmm! Now for the piece de resistance: 1-2 heaping Tablespoons brown sugar. The chili tastes completely different without the brown sugar so if you like a subtle sweetness in your chili then you've just got to go for it! Trust me, it will not make your chili taste like candy.

What is cornbread called in the South?

It is commonly called "cornbread" in the Southern United States and is not known by a different name in this region . Cornbread is a simple bread that is made by mixing cornmeal, flour, salt, baking powder, and milk to form a batter, which is then baked in the oven.

What race invented cornbread?

Native Americans were making corn bread for thousands of years before Europeans came to the continent. They had no written records - so there is no way to find out who first did it. The name is easy - it's bread…made from corn…

Is cornbread an African American food?

Cornbread is as American as apple pie, but its origins date back far beyond the inception of this country. With roots in Mesoamerican, Native American, and African cultures ; history and people have shaped this iconic American bread into what it is today.

What happens when you add sugar to chili?

Why is sugar used in this chili recipe? Sugar is used to cut the acidity of the tomatoes used in my homemade chili recipe. Using a small amount of sugar balances the flavors which in turn creates a smoother and richer taste overall .

Does brown sugar cut acidity in chili?

Add A Little Sweet: adding a naturally sweet ingredient will help balance the acidity and add a delicious flavor aspect. Consider using sugar ( brown sugar is best due to it dissolving nicely ), molasses, honey. For a naturally sweet veggie addition try shredded sweet carrots, sweet potato, or even canned pumpkin.

Why do people put sugar in chili?

Among the many ingredients that will take your chili to the next level, sugar may be one addition your chili needs, not only to balance the acidic component of your tomato base but to also add some overall complexity to your dish .

What does adding brown sugar do?

Brown sugar adds a rich, sweet, and nutty flavor to baked goods, desserts (and even some savory dishes, too). Molasses is the key element that distinguishes brown sugar from granulated sugar, and it's this ingredient that makes brown sugar shine in banana bread, gingerbread cookies, and scores of other recipes.

Chili Cornbread Casserole Recipe - Brown Sugar Food Blog (2024)

This Chili Cornbread Casserole Dish is made with an easy and savory chili recipe and topped with a sweet and cheesy cornbread satisfying all aspect of having an amazing meal!

Chili Cornbread Casserole is the perfect comfort food dish if you want something sweet and savory!

I have shared several stories of how my mom was not the best cook growing up. In fact, she still isn’t that great at it. My mom preferred to bake more than cook. However, there were a few dishes that my mom would make that I actually look forward to. Let’s see there were her chicken and dumplings, turkey burgers, fried potatoes and onions, brownies, and the occasional chocolate chip cookies with burnt edges. Aww, the good old days. If you notice something about the meals I just mentioned that was made by my mother, they are all fairly inexpensive. There is a reason for that. The reason is that we didn’t have an expensive lifestyle…AT ALL. I am not ashamed to tell you guys I grew up from a household that received food stamps, WIC, and lived in Section 8 Housing. I am a first-generation college graduate of my family so yea, I didn’t grow up with a silver spoon in my mouth. More like a plastic spoon. HA! HA! HA! I made a funny! No? Okay, moving on.

My mom made meals for SURVIVAL! She would make big pots of wholesome and hearty stews and soups. Anything that would get us full from eating less and would leave plenty of leftovers that would last, at least, a day. If I had four kids and worked two jobs, I wouldn’t want to cook every day either, so now I get it. My mom made a lot of chili (which I hated growing up), black-eyed peas (another thing I hated growing up), ham soup, spaghetti, and anything else she could cook in her big pots. Let me just say, it is a horrible thing to force a 5 or 6-year-old to eat a bowl of beans for dinner and expect them to like it. Just awful. Oh, did I mention that she made liver and onions with gravy a few times and expected us to eat that meal as well?!!! These are dinner meals I will never force my child(ren) to eat. Nevertheless, we may not have been able to eat tacos, fancy macaroni, and cheese, or avocado toast as a meal growing up but we did eat pretty good. However, there are two comfort food dishes my mom would make that I still crave to this very day and they are Chili Mac and Chili Cornbread Casserole, which I am going to talk about in this post.

I am not a big fan of my mom’s chili. Why, because it is too sweet and doesn’t really have any “love” in it, to me. In my opinion, when my mom makes chili it’s just ground beef, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and chili seasoning. That’s eating. I add onions, pepper, different seasonings, and chipotle sauce to my chili. Not to mention my Chili is a bit thicker than my mom’s where hers is really soupy. Most of the time my mom would give us crackers to eat with our chili, which was okay at times, but what made the chili even better is the cornbread! I love some cornbread. So, you can imagine my surprise when my mom made Chili Cornbread Casserole. As a kid, I loved it! I didn’t have to worry about running out of cornbread before the chili was done with because it was all one dish! That was the advantage in my opinion. Chili Cornbread Casserole is a dish I looked forward to EVERY-SINGLE-FALL! I can only hope that my son likes Chili Cornbread Casserole as much as I did growing up.

This Chili Cornbread Casserole makes a lot of food. I used a 9X13 deep casserole dish but I had some chili left over, which was fine with me, but I wanted to let you know that you can use a bigger dish or just know that you are going to have a bowl or two of leftover chili to enjoy. You can always put the chili on a baked potato, some french fries, or whatever you like to put chili on. This Chili Cornbread Casserole is made using Jiffy Cornbread mix, but you can use whatever you want This is not a sponsored post for Jiffy Cornbread mix by any means. I just grew up on Jiffy and I love Jiffy, so it only makes sense to use Jiffy Cornbread mix in this Chili Cornbread Casserole. Nevertheless, this is a great meal for a family that is sure to hug your bellies and is fairly inexpensive to make. I hope you enjoy this casserole recipe.

Chili Cornbread Casserole Recipe

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5 from 1 review

Author: Nicole Nared-Washington from Brown Sugar Food Blog
Total Time: 55 mins
Yield: 8 1x

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Description

Eating chili and cornbread together has never been more delicious! Enjoy this Chili Cornbread Casserole when you need something hearty and comforting!

Ingredients

Scale

1 ½ c. onions, diced
1 ½ c. green bell pepper, diced
1 tbsp. garlic cloves, minced
1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. ground turkey sausage
½ tbsp. Kosher salt
½ tbsp. Coarse black pepper
2–15 oz. can tomato sauce
4.25 oz. can tomato paste
2 tbsp. Chipotle sauce
14.5 oz. chilli beans
1.25 oz. chilli seasoning
2–4.75 oz. boxes Jiffy Cornbread mix
2 eggs
2/3 c. milk
1 dollop sour cream
7 oz. cream corn
2 tbsp. honey
1 ½ c. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees.
Using a large shallow saute pan, heat 2 tbsp. Olive oil on medium heat. Add the onions and bell pepper to the pan. Saute for 5-7 minutes, just until soft and translucent. Next, add the garlic cloves and cook for 3 minutes.
Add the ground beef and ground sausage to the pan. Cook the meat with the veggies until cooked through and browned, about 10-15 minutes. Drain any excess grease and return to pan.
Season with salt and pepper, stir. Add both cans of tomato sauce, tomato paste and stir until well mixed. Add the chipotle sauce, chili beans, chili seasoning, and stir. Allow simmering for 10-15 minutes.
Pour the chili in a 9X13 casserole dish about 2/3rds.
In a large bowl, add both boxes of Jiffy cornbread, both eggs, milk, and stir. Add the dollop of sour cream, creamed corn, honey, and stir until well mixed. Pour the cornbread on top of the chilli leaving about an inch of room from the top of the casserole dish.
NOTE: I used a 9X13 casserole dish and had chili left over as it all was too much to pour in the dish. It was only about 2-3 cups of leftover chili, which was fine with me. But you can also use a 10X15 casserole dish if you have it. I would just add an extra box of Jiffy cornbread, 1 egg, and an extra ½ cup of milk when you make the cornbread mixture. You can leave everything the same. Bake for about 25-30 minutes.
Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top of the cornbread mix, place the casserole dish on top of a baking sheet just case it bakes over, and bake for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick can be inserted into the cornbread and it comes out clean. Allow to cool slightly and serve.
Top off with sour cream, chives, or sliced jalapeno.
If you prefer a less than sweet cornbread, you can omit the honey and add the diced jalapeno to the mix if you wish. Get creative.

Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 40 mins
Category: Entree