Scout Chef Kitchen Presents: Dutch Oven FIESTA (a full-meal cornbread recipe)

Welcome back to Scout Chef Kitchen! This for sure is my favorite recipe I have made so far. I got it from The Scout’s Campfire Cookbook for Kids (and added some comments and adjustments), which has been quite the asset for right now! It was super easy to make and really filling as well. Not only did I eat it for dinner, but also breakfast the next day, and will for sure have it for lunch in a couple of hours (haha).

Ingredients

1 medium onion

1 lb. ground beef (I used venison, which was great)

1 packet of taco seasoning (I mixed my own, more info on that below!)

1 can diced tomatoes and green chilies

1 can sweet corn (I used a bag of frozen fire-roasted corn, which was awesome)

2 1/2 cups of Scout's Own cornbread (I am gluten free, so I used Bob’s gluten free cornmeal and made the cornbread based on the recipe on the back of the bag)

2 eggs

1 cup milk

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

OPTIONAL (because I am ALWAYS looking for ways to sneak in extra veggies):

1 diced orange bell pepper

1 cup of diced carrots

½ cup of cauliflower rice

Make It

I made this in my kitchen instead of over a campfire and used my “inside” Dutch oven on my stovetop and in my oven.

1. Preheat the oven to 350°
2. Set the Dutch oven on medium heat on the stove top (or if you are outside, preheat the Dutch oven over 25 briquettes)
3. Chop up your onion and throw into the Dutch oven
4. Add the ground beef (again, I used ground venison, and it was amazing)
5. Break up and cook the meat fully (no pink!), mixing it with the onions
6. Stir taco seasoning. I made my own with equal parts garlic and cumin (those are the biggest quantities), some onion powder, some paprika (for color), some oregano, salt, pepper, a dash (or 2) of chili powder. What I love about making my own is that it takes out the additives that are in most seasoning packets, AND I can adjust the spice/flavors on it.
7. Dump in the can of tomatoes and chilies (this is where my sense of smell did a total happy dance!)
8. If you are using a can of corn, drain it first and add. If you are using frozen corn like I did, just throw that in here! Simmer this on super low while you prep the cornbread mix (next step)
9. Prepare your corn bread mix (Again, the Jiffy’s uses the 2 eggs and 2/3 milk listed above. You can make your own, just follow your recipe as stated)
10. Turn the stove off and use a spatula to layer the cornbread over the meat mixture. Do not mix the cornbread mixture in, just layer it evenly on top.
11. Move the Dutch oven into the oven, or if you are outside, move 17 of the briquettes to the lid. Bake for 30 minutes.

Because I used a different cornbread mix, I baked for a bit longer (about 45 minutes), so just do the regular check that your bread is baked through (inserted knife or toothpick comes out clean). Your time will vary if you have a smaller Dutch oven (resulting in a thicker layer of cornbread) – you will need to add time. You could also cut the cornbread recipe in half to keep it light.

This made enough for 8-10 people, which works well for how my family works because it gives us lunches and dinners for a few more days!

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