Cornbread Chili Pie (vegan)

A cozy and flavorful chili medley of beans, vegetables, tomatoes, and mushrooms, featuring a golden cornbread topping.

Sometimes you just want a bowl of chili. This is one of those simple comfort casserole dishes that satisfies you on a chilly fall evening. I’ve already posted my Instant Pot Veggie Bean Chili and Instant Pot Pumpkin Chili. Both of these recipes use the convenience and ease of a pressure cooker, which is great for soups, stews, broth, and chili. And while you could use the Instant Pot to make this chili portion of this Cornbread Chili Pie, I promise this works out easy and quick on the stove.

The process is simple.

1. Mix the liquids, flax, and cornmeal.
2. Make the chili.
3. Add the flour and baking powder to the wet batter.
4. Fill the casserole dish and bake.

Yep, it’s simple. And absolutely delicious. So I’ll start in order of appearance. This Cornbread Chili Pie has a delicious golden cornbread topping. Much like my Vegan Cornbread Muffins, the cornbread consists of four primary ingredients: flour, cornmeal flour, plant milk, and ground flaxseed. I love that this cornbread doesn’t contain any eggs, butter, or oil; and it’s sweetened with a little maple syrup and apple sauce.

I like using whole grains as much as possible. In this recipe, I use white whole wheat flour and course ground cornmeal. Alternatively, I’ve had excellent success using regular white flour and stoneground corn meal. The resulting texture is slightly lighter and fluffier. But as said, I strive to use whole grains whenever I can. This will result in a fantastic cornbread topping with a nice golden crust. If you follow a gluten-free diet, simply use a gluten-free baking flour blend.

I also strive to incorporate flaxseed in baked goods whenever possible. Flax provides so many nutritional benefits. One tablespoon (the amount used in this recipe) provides a 1.3 gram of protein, 1.9 grams of fiber, and 3 grams of fat, including 1,597 mg in plant-based omega-3 fatty acids. These powerful little seeds also contain B vitamins and minerals and are beneficial in lowering cholesterol and blood pressure, which decrease the risk of stroke and heart disease. (Healthline)

This recipe calls for three cups or two cans of pinto beans. But honestly, this Cornbread Chili Pie is fantastic with lots of different kinds of beans. I like soaking my beans overnight and then cooking them in my Instant Pot. Soaking helps improve digestibility. But beans also pack quite a bit of nutrition. Just one cup of pinto beans contains 15 grams of fiber, 15 grams of plant-based protein, and 1 gram of fat. Pinto beans also contain quite a bit of healthful vitamins and minerals, including thiamine, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, zinc, and calcium!

Rich in antioxidants, pinto beans actually combat free radicals and decrease inflammation. And the vitamins and minerals help lower cholesterol and heart disease, which reduces the risk of cancer, heart disease, and stroke. Due to their high quality fiber and protein content, pinto beans help maintain a steady and slow stream of sugar in the bloodstream – not too fast, but just right. (Healthline)

This Cornbread Chili Pie uses the standard fare of onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, and tomatoes. Nothing fancy. Just good wholesome fresh ingredients chopped up. And instead of oil, I sauté my vegetables using a little water or broth. My Umami Vegetable Broth provides an incredible depth of flavor and is easy to make in a pressure cooker. Simply save your scraps and add water. Not only is it absolutely free, it doesn’t contain any sodium, artificial colors or flavors, or preservatives.

In addition to the vibrant fresh vegetables and mushrooms, I like adding in a little minced jalapeño pepper to kick things up a bit. But please remove the jalapeño seeds or omit altogether if you don’t like spicy foods. I also like using one chipotle pepper in adobo sauce. But again, if you don’t like spicy foods, it’s super important to remove the seeds loaded inside the chipotle pepper. I love the smoky flavor the chipotle pepper adds. This results in a flavorful but somewhat mild chili. Add more or less jalapeño or chipotle pepper and seeds to your taste preference.

The one thing that chili has in common is the fragrant spices used to imbue that unmistakable chili flavor. In addition to the jalapeño and chipotle pepper, my spice blend includes an equal measure of smoked paprika, oregano, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, as well as some freshly ground black pepper, and fresh cilantro. I promise you that your kitchen will smell spectacular!!

I normally use a large casserole dish when preparing and serving this Cornbread Chili Pie. It’s super simple. But sometimes, it’s a lot more fun to use smaller baking dishes to offer individual servings. Honestly, it’s up to you. But it can be fun to shake things up a bit every now and then. And you know, I’ve learned that any time I can do something fun this year, it’s a very good thing.

I hope you enjoy this Cornbread Chili Pie as much as I do.  

I’m just starting out and would love to see your results. Please leave a comment and rate it down below, tag a picture @pebblesandtoast and #pebblesandtoast on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook!   Enjoy!!   

And don’t forget to subscribe for new recipes today!!

Cornbread Chili Pie

Chili Filling Ingredients

• 3 cups pinto beans, cooked* (2 cans)
• 1 onion, chopped
• ½ green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 red or yellow bell pepper, chopped
• 4-5 large crimini mushrooms, chopped
• ½ seeded jalapeno, minced (optional)
• 2 Tbsp garlic, minced
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 2/3 cup vegetable broth or water
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• ¼ cup cilantro, minced
• 1 chipotle pepper in adobo, seeds removed
• Salt and pepper to taste (optional)

Cornbread Ingredients

• 1 cup plant milk
• ½ cup applesauce
• ¼ cup maple syrup 
• 1 Tbsp ground flaxseed (flax meal)
• 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• ¾ cup cornmeal
• 1 cup flour*
• 1 Tbsp baking powder

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, stir together the liquids, ground flaxseed, and cornmeal.  Set aside.

1. Sauté vegetables, mushrooms, and garlic for 5-8 minutes.

1. Preheat oven to 375° F.
2. Stir in beans, spices, tomatoes, tomato sauce, chipotle pepper, and vegetable broth or water.  Simmer for 10-15 minutes.

1. Meanwhile, add the flour and baking powder to the liquid-flaxseed-cornmeal batter.

1. Pour the bean and vegetable mixture into a casserole dish.  
2. Spoon the cornbread batter on top of the chili.
3. Bake 40-45 minutes, until golden on top.
4. Serve with diced avocado and tomato, if desired.

Note

* You can use any combination of beans.  Pinto beans and black beans are ideal, but I’ve also used a bean medley.

** You can use any type of flour, including a gluten-free baking flour blend. I prefer using white whole wheat flour.

• This is a great dutch oven recipe when you’re camping.  To keep things even more simple, you can make the cornbread topping by combining 2 packages Jiffy cornbread mix and 1½ cups plant milk.
• If you prefer a higher level of heat, you can use the entire jalepeno pepper and two chipotle peppers.
• For the avocado tomato salsa, I add a dash of garlic powder and onion powder to one diced tomato and one cubed avocado. Stir to combine and serve as an accompaniment with this casserole to enhance the flavors.