Jalapeno Cornbread Chili Casserole is an easy vegan comfort food casserole recipe with a quick jalapeño cheddar cornbread crust baked right on top of the lentil chili. It’s warm and savory and comes together in one dish. Nutfree soyfree. Glutenfree option.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: 55 minutes
  • Total time: 65 minutes
  • Yield: 6
  • Category: Main Course, Side Dish
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

For the Chili

  • 2 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 1/4 cup chopped onion
  • 1/2 red bell pepper (chopped)
  • 1/2 cup Split red lentils (use 1/3 cup if you like less lentilly chili)
  • 15 oz can black beans, drained or 1.5 cups cooked beans
  • 1 tbsp chili powder blend
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground oregano
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 2 cups diced canned tomatoes (or fresh tomatoes. If using fresh tomatoes, add in 1 tbsp of tomato paste as well.)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper

For the Cornbread

  • 2 tbsp maple syrup
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 3/4 cup non-dairy milk (Such as almond, oat, soy or light coconut)
  • 1 tsp vinegar

Dry Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup Medium grain cornmeal (or fine grain or grits)
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch or tapioca starch
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tbsp chopped pickled jalapaneo
  • 1/4 to 1/3 cup of vegan cheddar shreds (or use 1-2 tbsp nutritional yeast)
  • 1 jalapeno thinly sliced for topping

Method

  1. In a 9x9 casserole dish, add all of the ingredients under "for the chili" and mix well. Add 1 1/2 cups of water and mix in, and even out the mixture
  2. Place in a pre-heated oven at 400 degrees F(205 C). Bake for 35 -45 minutes. (Cover with parchment to help cook faster, optional)
  3. Meanwhile make your cornbread mixture.Mix all the dry ingredients, cornmeal, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cornstarch in a bowl, then add in the wet ingredients and mix well.
  4. Add in the pickled Jalapenos and vegan cheddar shreds and mix, and let the mixture sit for five minutes to hydrate. Check if you need more non-dairy milk and add a tablespoon or more if needed to make a thick but spreadable batter.
  5. Take the chili casserole out of the oven, the lentils by now should be al dente, or just about done. There should be barely any liquid in the mixture. If it's too liquidy, then bake for another 10 minutes.
  6. -Spread the cornbread mixture over the casserole, and even it out with a spatula, spread the sliced jalapenos on top.
  7. Put the casserole back in the oven to bake for another 25-30 minutes, check if the cornbread is done in the center and the sides are starting to turn golden, thats when the casserole is done.
  8. Take the casserole out and cool for 5 minutes. Slice and serve large helpings and enjoy! Store: Cover the baking dish and refrigerate for upto 3 days.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.