Cheddar Chili Cornbread Pasta Bake

This cheddar chili cornbread pasta bake is exactly what it sounds like: baked pasta with chili, cheddar, and cornbread! It’s a great casserole dish to pass at fall potlucks.

Jump to recipe

This recipe is the reason why I made a double batch of chili just for me. But it also comes in handy if you like to jazz up leftovers into a new meal (I happen to fall into that category). Sure chili freezes well, but why take up prime freezer real estate when you can transform it? Or fine put it in the freezer…

I don’t know why but I rarely think to freeze leftovers. Probably because I know I will forget it exists. I know this from experience as I was attempting to eat everything in my fridge before the holidays arrived. Normally, creating a new dish would have resulted in creating even more leftovers but I brought this dish to a potluck and it was a huge success! Which means no more leftovers, hooray!

…but now what am I supposed to eat?

The simplicity of this recipe combined with comforting flavors make this dish great. On the bottom is a layer of elbow noodles (of whichever shape you prefer), topped with shredded cheddar cheese, chili, and cornbread batter. The bread bakes right on top! Add a little more cheese at the end of the baking time and you’ve got a cheesy chili pasta casserole ready to warm you up from the inside out.

Need some greens in your life? Add one of these as a side dish to round out the meal:

• Crispy Parmesan Green Beans
• Fall Harvest Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette
• Parmesan Roasted Broccoli
• Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Jalapeno Aioli
• Roasted Green Bean Salad with Cranberries and Toasted Pecans

CHEDDAR CHILI CORNBREAD PASTA BAKE

Print

Yield: 6-8 servings Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cooking Time: 40 Minutes 40 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups uncooked elbow noodles
• 1 cup freshly grated cheddar cheese
• 2-1/2 – 3 cups of leftover chili
• 1 batch of your favorite cornbread (I used half of this recipe and baked the other half as muffins)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Boil water and prepare pasta according to directions, shaving 2 minutes off the cooking time since the noodles are going into the oven. While the pasta is boiling, mix up a batch of your favorite cornbread and grate cheese. Drain pasta.
3. Spray an 8×8-inch baking dish with non-stick spray. Add pasta to the bottom of the dish, then layer on 3/4 cup of the cheese and chili. Top with your cornbread batter, spreading gently with a spoon. Don’t worry if it doesn’t reach the edges.
4. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until cornbread is golden on top and cooked underneath*. Add remaining 1/4 cup of cheese and cook 5 minutes longer. Serve immediately.

Notes

*Depending on what cornbread you use, the cooking time may vary, so check after 30 minutes.

Source: Adapted slightly from How Sweet It Is.

Did you make this recipe? I want to see! Tag @THESPIFFYCOOKIE on Instagram and hashtag it #THESPIFFYCOOKIE

Post updated 10/21/21. Photo above is the original.