Cornbread on top, chili on the bottom, this Dutch oven classic is the perfect one pot campfire meal to keep you warm and toasty all night long.
Two of the biggest names in comfort food join forces in this Dutch oven chili & cornbread combo. True, chili and cornbread can be made in two separate pans. But by using a Dutch oven it becomes a one pot meal. Light and fluffy cornbread layered on top of spicy chili with half the mess? Sign us up!
Start by making your chili in the Dutch oven over the campfire. We sauteed our onions with a little olive oil, before adding our beans, tomatoes, green chiles, tomato paste, and spices. While that simmered away, we turned our attention to making our cornbread batter. Our “from scratch” recipe uses cornmeal, flour, milk, an egg, baking powder, and honey, but if it’s late in the season and you want to cut some corners, nobody will hold it against you if you use a store-bought mix!
Move the Dutch oven away from the direct heat to stop it from bubbling. Then add the batter on top of the chili and cover with the lid. Shovel some embers from the fire on top. Embers from softwood tend to lose their heat faster than those from hardwood, so if your embers start to cool, replace them with fresh ones. After roughly 20 minutes undercover, check, and when the cornbread has cooked through and is ready, enjoy!
GEAR SPOTLIGHT: Dutch Ovens
Hands down, the most versatile piece of camp cookware we own is a Dutch oven. This piece of equipment opens up a whole new world of cooking options: you can cook stews, bake lasagna, braise chicken, and of course, make this chili & cornbread meal! It can be used on a camp stove or directly over the fire. The short legs and rimmed lid allow you to place embers/coals on top as well as underneath, cooking your meal from both directions.
We have this Lodge version which can be found on Amazon or at REI, but the next one we buy will be this Barebones Dutch oven. The unique lid design allows you to control the steam inside, making it perfect for baking things like pizza!
Dutch Oven Vegetarian Chili & Cornbread
Ingredients
For the Chili
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced (or 2 teaspoons garlic powder)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1-2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 (14.5 oz) can black beans, drained
- 1 (14.5 oz) can kidney beans, drained
- 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
- 1 (4 oz) can diced green chiles
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
For the Cornbread Topper
- 1 cup cornmeal
- ½ cup flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons honey
Instructions
- In a 10”/4 qt Dutch oven over medium heat, saute the onion in oil until soft and just beginning to turn golden, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and spices and saute for 1 minute. Add the beans, tomatoes, chiles, and tomato paste, stir to combine. Simmer for 10 minutes until thickened.
- In the meantime, prepare the cornbread batter. Mix all the dry ingredients in a medium bowl and stir to combine. Add the milk, egg, and honey and mix until a batter forms.
- Move Dutch oven over indirect heat to reduce bubbling. Pour the batter over the chili as evenly as possible, then cover the Dutch oven with a lid and shovel embers or coals onto the top. You’re going for a temperature of approx. 400-425F.
- Bake until the cornbread has cooked through and is no longer wet in the center, about 20 minutes.
- Serve with your favorite chili toppings & enjoy!
