We recently had a bit of a chilly spell (in the middle of spring in Florida!), and when the weather dips a little, chili pretty much always hits the spot. All con carne mean is “with meat” (and this is certainly meaty!), but in my mind Chili con Carne is always chili served with a sweet cornbread (aka, cake).
Now, I know I’ve mentioned before that sweet cornbread is a little bit anathema in hard-core Southern homes, but this is the one place that is probably the exception. For reasons that are beyond my ken, and probably beyond my lifespan, chili with sweet cornbread (usually of the Jiffy mix variety) is a thing, and that’s what I’ve tried to re-create here. While this is technically a casserole, I’m in the habit of calling any casserole topped with bready products and baked off an “upside down pie.” That’s probably just a weird Mandy-ism, but I like it, so that’s what this shall be called!
Notes: I made this to be flavorful, but fairly mild heat-wise, so if you like your chili on the hotter side you may want to add some chopped jalapenos or a few generous splashes of your favorite hot sauce to the mix before you bake it.
PrintUpside-Down Chili Con Carne Pie
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings
- Category: Casserole, Baked
- Method: Baked, Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
For the chili:
- 1 lb (16 oz/ 454 g) ground beef
- 1 3/4 oz (50 g) onion, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small can (4 oz/ 113 g) diced green chilies, undrained
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/2 c (4 fl oz/ 118 ml) beef broth
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano
- 8 turns of fresh ground black pepper
- a few shakes of paprika
- 2 oz (57 g) shredded cheddar cheese
For the cornbread:
- 4 oz (113 g) fine almond flour
- 1 scoop (approx. 1/3 oz/ 10 g) plain powdered collagen peptides
- 1 oz (28 g) granulated Swerve (or preferred equivalent sweetener)
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- generous pinch sea salt
- 1/2 stick (2 oz/ 57 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1/4 c (2 fl oz/ 59 ml) heavy cream
- 2 large eggs
Instructions
Make the chili:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, and prepare a 9″ deep dish pie plate.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, begin browning ground beef.
- Once the beef begins really giving off its juices, add in the onion and garlic and continue to cook until the beef is cooked through.
- Add green chilies and spices to the pan and stir well.
- Add broth and tomato paste and stir well. Continue to cook for 2-3 minutes over medium-high to cook a little of the liquid off and to thicken to your liking.
- Transfer the mixture to the pie plate and let stand while mixing your batter.
Make the cornbread batter:
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the almond flour, collagen peptides, Swerve, salt, and baking powder and mix well with a fork or a whisk.
- Measure out the heavy cream, crack the eggs into it, then beat the cream and eggs together.
- Add the egg/cream mixture and the butter to the dry ingredients and stir well with a whisk until smooth, then set aside.
To finish assembling:
- Before topping your meat mixture, add the cheese to the pie plate and mix to combine.
- Pour the cornbread batter over the top of the chili and cheese mixture in the pie plate and use the back of a spoon to gently spread it over the entire surface of the chili.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes, until the top is set and fairly deep golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and let stand 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
This is great topped with a little sour cream and sliced green onion. Kick up the heat by adding some chopped jalapenos or a few generous dashes of your favorite hot sauce.
Per serving: 415.5 cal, 25.3 g protein, 32.5 g fat, 9.4 g carbs, 2.3 g fiber, 3.1 g sugar alcohol, 4 g NET carbs
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/8 recipe
Keywords: Chili con Carne, Casserole, Cornbread, Upside-Down Pie
Mary K Jett says
Since I live alone, I make pot pies. This will be great as individual pot pies. I use 8oz ramekins. Freeze some for later and keep some out to eat.
deborah hoke says
what can I use instead of the collagen peptide called for in this recipe. I am loathe to buy another ingredient that I use in only one recipe. Will egg white powder work? I don’t know the purpose of collagen peptide in a recipe. Binding? Flavor?
Please advise. I enjoy your recipes, but my cupboard runneth over.
Mandy Pagano says
Collagen peptides in my baked recipes are a way to retain moisture while also lightening the end product.
Keto baked goods, because they’re nut-based, tend not to retain moisture and can be really, really dense. The collagen peptides just help with that.
You can leave it out if you want, or experiment with adding a little egg white powder in its place. It won’t be identical in texture, but it will still taste fine.
Paula says
I made a corn bread recipe with ground pork skins added. Really had that cornbread texture so this may b a good sub.
Elizabeth says
Thank you Mandy. I’m anxious to try this dish. While typing the recipe, I wondered what in the world collagen peptides was. I somewhat of a newbie with the Keto–I’ve been on it approx 6 weeks with so much still to learn. Someone asked what I missed the most and I said beans. I love chili, refried beans, hamhock and beans. Again, I can’t wait to try this. Thanks.
★★★★★
Shannon says
Look up Mark Sisson’s Collagen Peptide Pan Sauce recipe. Collagen is one of the most important things in our bodies for structure, including skin in our bodies!!! Uh, wrinkles, tendons, flexibility!! YOu will have many uses for the collagen peptides if you really look into it!!
Mark Kloch says
Why the mixed measurements? oz & g It is extremely annoying!
Mandy Pagano says
With the exception of the ground beef (and a pound, which is 16 oz, is a pretty standard way of packaging meat), all of those are fluid ounces, which is really how one should measure liquids. I’m unaware of liquids being commonly measured in weight instead of volume. If the beef is a problem, the pound of ground beef is 453.59 grams.