Canyon Casserole, photo courtesy of Martha White
I don’t know what y’all had for supper last night but this easy to make Canyon Casserole is what we had and I barely had to wash the dish when we were done because my brood scraped it clean! Usually, an 8×8 casserole is enough for the four of us, but I’m going to have to double this recipe next time because while my husband and son ate their fill at supper, they both asked me later in the evening if any was left.
I love suppers like that, don’t you? The beauty of this recipe is that it is pretty economical, a meal in one, and packed with a wonderful southwestern flavor. I want to thank my friends at Martha White for letting me share their Canyon Casserole recipe with you. This one came from their website originally (lots of fun recipes there!), but I’ve now adopted it into my personal recipe file. 🙂
While we’re talking about Martha White, how many of y’all are planning on coming to the National Cornbread Festival this year? I’m so excited to have been asked to be a judge again and plan on making it early this time so I have more time to walk around and enjoy all of the great festivities! Food, crafts, fun, and more. This is a big old hometown festival done right and it’s definitely worth the trip! I do hope you’ll join me in South Pittsburg, Tennessee April 27-28, and come hungry!
You’ll need: Milk, Taco Seasoning, Vegetable oil (just a little bit), egg, Self Rising Cornmeal Mix, Diced tomatoes, whole kernel corn, ground beef, and some shredded cheddar cheese.
The cheddar cheese was shy and I hated to make it pose when it didn’t want to so just imagine it there.
Cook ground beef until well done then drain.
Stir in tomatoes in juice, drained corn, taco seasoning, and water.
Stir up really well and cook it over medium high just until nice and bubbly.
Grease an 8×8 baking dish.
Pour meat filling into dish.
Mix up Self Rising Cornmeal, egg, milk, oil, and cheese. Stir until well blended.
Drop by spoonfuls over the top of meat mixture.
Bake at 400 for 30-35 minutes.
While this was in the oven, my teenage son came in the kitchen twice to declare
“Something smells good, when is that going to be done?”
“Is it done yet?”
Canyon Casserole
DIG IN!
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 ounce pkg taco seasoning
- 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes undrained
- 14.5 ounce can whole kernel corn drained
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup Martha White Self Rising White Buttermilk Corn Meal Mix can use yellow self rising corn meal mix
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400. Spray an 8 inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- Brown ground beef in large skillet until fully cooked. Drain off any grease. Add in Taco seasoning, water, tomatoes, and corn. Stir and bring just to a boil. Pour into baking dish.
- In small bowl, stir together corn meal mix, milk, egg, oil, and cheese until well blended. Drop by spoonfuls onto top of meat mixture in baking dish.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown on top. Enjoy!
This recipe has a few very minor adaptations. Original recipe may be found here.
“The invariable mark of wisdom is to see the miraculous in the common.”
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
What did y’all have for supper last night?
What are you having tonight?
I’d love to hear in the comments below!
Yum 
Yummy i do this but make it a shepards pie and use the corn bread!! Will do this lots easier, but will still have to have lettuce, maters, and sour cream to go on top, with of course salsa!!!
I love your recipies love them, I am so happy I found you!!!!
hugs
wow!!! Sounds good!!! What about adding a drained can of black beans with the corn, tomatoes, etc.??? That would be a good add-in!!!
Betty, that exactly what i thought of!! Going to try to make this gluten, dairy, egg, etc. free as well…wish me luck. Thank you SOO much for the recipe Christy!! I’m excited to get a new idea for dinner!!!!
I found a variation of this recipe on the back of a can of pork and beans a very long time ago! Mix browned ground beef, pork and beans, a small can of diced green chiles, taco seasoning, and a couple tablespoons of water. Put mixture into baking pan then top with Jiffy corn muffin mix (prepared according to directions on box) mixed with shredded cheddar. Deeeeelicious!! 🙂
One of my family’s favorite meals! We like to make it with creamed corn because of the creamy texture it gives it.
I have a question about the recipe and the two bottom pictures of the finished product. The top picture looks to be a fully filled 8×8 while the bottom shot seems to be a fully filled 9×13. Which pan does the recipe call for? I have a rather large brood and if your family of 4 finished an 8×8 I’d like to know if I need to double the recipe for the 9×13. (^.^)
Thanks
I had the same thought and then I looked the recipe back over and saw it said to grease an 8 x 8 dish. Also I thought, with my experience with chili, with 1 lb of hamburger, 1 can each of corn and tomatoes it probably would fill an 8 x 8. Hope that helps if you need to know before Christy has a chance to answer.
Hey Dawn! That bottom photo was courtesy of Martha White and they used a rectangle dish that isn’t quite a 9×13, but holds what an 8×8 would hold (hope this makes sense!). The other pictures are mine and I used an 8×8. To make a 9×13 you would definitely need to double it 🙂
Gratefully,
Christy
Now, I know what’s for supper! Canyon Casserole! YUM!
Thanks! 😀
We’ve always called this “tamale pie” in California and include quite a bit of Mexican sesonings. I’ve even made it with tofu which takes on the flavor of the entire dish. Oh, and it must have cheese mixed with the cornmeal topping! Yum
We’ve always called it “tamale pie” in my family too! I think the recipe was in a cookbook that came with one of my grandma’s microwaves. : )
I make one very similar to this, also. Like Betty Jorday said, I add black beans to mine. It is also good with chicken. I also serve it with lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, salsa, & extra cheese!
Hi there Christy!… love your site and your recipes… and following your success and gentle personality!… keep it up!… I have a question… I live in the remote northern area of Canada and am not able to find self rising cornfmeal mix, can you suggest an alternative?
thanks a bunch! 🙂
Another good one! Thank you! I love your delicious easy recipes! Last night we had sloppy joes and bean salad. The night before was your slow cooker chicken and wild rice (yummy!) with a side of fresh string beans. Tonight is beef stroganoff with a green salad.
I make something similar, but I use smoked sausage instead of ground beef and I’ve even used hotdogs, chopped up when we didn’t have the sausage.
Looks Good!! And I think I have all the ing. on hand, sounds like supper to me!
We love this one, but we’ve always called it Tamale Pie 🙂
This looks so good! I just pinned onto my Church Suppers board. Think it would be a big crowd-pleaser and very economical, too! Thanks, Christy. Last night, for church supper, we cooked for 45, and had fried ham steaks, roasted potatoes with a little onion thrown in, Southern-style green beans (you know that means bacon grease), chopped salad with oranges & walnuts & craisins, biscuits, birthday cake, and ice cream. Maybe Canyon Casserole will be on next week’s menu!
Kathy, I bet your southern green beans are a lot like mine! https://www.southernplate.com/2009/06/sweet-and-sour-green-beans.html Here is my recipe and yes bacon grease! lol Everything sounds so good!!!! I wish our church did those!! I may just have to defect and move wherever you are! (JUST KIDDING! ) but if we ever do move to where you are, I’m visiting your church first!
Gratefully,
Christy
I make this but call it Mexican Cornbread Pie. I make it in a cast iron skillet and pour half of the cornbread mixture in the heated skillet to make a bottom crust, pour the other ingredients on top of that and then top off with the rest of the cornbread mix and bake 45-50 minutes. It’s delicious !!
It’s what’s for dinner!!
Why drain the corn, I would use the juice from it instead of the water called for. Other than that I would not make any changes.
Just curious if you always use organic milk?
I usually do, not because its organic, but because it has such a long shelf life. We don’t really drink milk but use it in baking and coffee so it takes a long time for us to use it up and regular milk expires before I can 🙂
Hey Christy,
I add a can of red beans or pinto beans or kidney beans to this recipe. We call it Granny’s Hamburger Pie and my children will take you down for it and even Mr. Picky (better known as my wonderful husband!) loves this.
Have been making this for years…you can add black beans or pinto beans to the casserole too! I call it “Mexican Casserole”.
I also serve it with sour cream and black olives to add on as toppings. My family loves it.
That looks delicious! I’m definitely going to try it, but since my family prefers their corn on the side. I’ll use a can of drained pinto beans instead.
Christy,
I have this recipe that I cut from the packaging of a 5 pound bag of cornmeal that is so old that it has turned yellow, but that’s the one I use each time I make this casserole.
Reminds me of a recipe my next door neighbor gave me when I got married. She called it Corn Pone Pie. It had pinto beans in it, I think. I’ll be making this soon.
I’m glad you tried this recipe! It’s one I’ve eyed on the cornmeal bag, but you just never know how something may turn out. It’s nice to have a recommendation from someone whose recipes you like 🙂
I have a recipe very similar to this called “hamburger corn pie”. It had a pound of hamburger and 1/4 pound ground sausage. Also mine does not use taco seasoning, but chili powder and other seasonings. Nor does mine use the cornbread mix, which sound like an easier idea. The finished product looks just like yours.
Had chicken planks last nite,going to fix this casserole tonite.We love your recipesLooking for potluck recipes for a large group,do you have any?
I love Brenda’s suggestion to use a cast iron skillet with the cornbread
on top and bottom of casserole. I just had a friend buy me two new cast iron
skillets at the antique market and can not wait to get them. I will be trying this
recipe. Thanks Christy!
Tamale Pie and the recipe is in almost every cookbook.
And I know what you’re thinking next, Sara! How awesome, then, that its now on Southern Plate with a fresh name!!
You’re so right and I couldn’t agree more!
Hi Christy! This sure does sound yummy and I just the DH would love it. For us gals who can’t our hands on “self-rising cornmeal” would it work if I just used a box of Jiffy cornbread mix? I’m thinking that Jiffy is a small sized mix and might just be the perfect size for this. What are your thoughts on this? As always, thanks for sharing. I just love your site! Oh, before I forget, DH has a bone to pick with you! Seems you’re being blamed for my new obsession with vintage Pyrex lol!
I make this a lot as well. I also add in whole pinto beans and diced bell pepper. I add cheese and diced green chile to the Jiffy mix and bake it. We call it ‘Tamale Pie’. So good, quick and easy.