Southwest Ground Beef and Corn Casserole

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb. ground beef

• 1 small onion

• 2 cloves garlic

• 1 jalapeño chili (optional)

• 1 tsp. chili powder (or up to 1 Tbsp. if you want more heat)

• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin

• 1/2 tsp. salt

• 1/2 tsp. black pepper

• 1 1/2 cups frozen corn (or kernels cut from 2 ears corn)

• 1 can red enchilada sauce (10 oz. or 1 1/8 cups, mild or medium)

• 1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

• 1 can diced tomatoes with green chiles (10 oz., such as Rotele)

• 1 can sliced ripe black olives (2.2 oz. drained weight, drained)

• 1 large egg

• 1/3 cup milk

• 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 pkg. corn muffin mix (8.5 oz., such as Jiffy)

• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

• fresh cilantro leaves

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Chop onion and mince garlic. Chop jalapeño, if using, and set it aside separately.
2. Place a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add ground beef, onion, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until beef is browned and onion is tender, 6-7 minutes. Remove from heat. Drain and discard fat.
3. Stir in chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, and corn. In a small bowl, combine enchilada sauce and flour, then add to beef mixture. Drain tomatoes well, discarding liquid. Stir tomatoes into beef mixture along with olives. Transfer beef mixture to a 7- by 11-inch or a 9-inch square baking dish.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk egg to blend. Add milk and olive oil and whisk to combine. Stir in corn muffin mix until blended, then stir in cheese and chopped jalapeño. Dollop cornbread mixture onto beef mixture and spread gently with the back of a spoon to reach the sides of the dish and level it evenly.
5. Bake casserole until cornbread is golden and a toothpick inserted in center of cornbread comes out clean, 35-40 minutes. Cut casserole into squares and scatter cilantro on top if you like.