Mouthwatering Wednesday: 'Cornbread Taco Bake' mixes Tex-Mex with soul food

Forget about “Taco Tuesday” because you can’t limit tacos to just one night a week! We want to help you shake up the formula. Thanks to our friends over at Cooking Professionally, we are mixing soul food and Tex-Mex in a way you can’t believe.

The Cornbread Taco Bake is a juicy, savory, spicy taco filling with plenty of beef and bright green peppers, all bubbles beneath a fluffy, sweet cornbread crust. Crunchy fried onions and sharp cheese on top make the dish just that much more magical! This is terrific Tex-Mex that will make everyone happy, no matter the day of the week!

Time: 45 minutes

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 1 (15.25-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
• 1 (1-ounce) envelope taco seasoning
• 1 (8.5-ounce) package cornbread/muffin mix, plus ingredients required according to package directions
• 1 (2.8-ounce) can French-fried onions, divided
• 1/3 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

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Directions

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Step 2: In a large skillet, cook the beef over medium heat until no longer pink, about 5-7 minutes.

Step 3: Grease a 2-quart baking dish.

Step 4: Drain the fat from the skillet.

Step 5: Stir in the corn, the tomato sauce, the water, the green pepper, and the taco seasoning.

Step 6: Spoon the beef mixture into the prepared baking dish.

Step 7: Prepare the cornbread batter according to package directions.

Step 8: Stir 1/2 of the onions into the cornbread batter.

Step 9: Spread the cornbread batter over the beef mixture.

Step 10: Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes.