Mexical Cheesy Pot Pie

Mexicali Cheesy Pot Pie Adapted from Pam's Midwest Kitchen Korner
1 lb. ground turkey, 93% lean
1 large onion, chopped
2 tbsp. chili powder
1 tbsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. each salt and pepper
1 (10 oz.) can Rotel diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup frozen peas and carrots
5 oz. cheddar cheese, divided

For corn bread topping:
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. chipotle chili powder
1 egg, lightly beaten
2/3 cup milk, 1%
2 tbsp. vegetable oil

Directions:  Brown ground turkey and onions in large pan until cooked. Season with chili powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Stir in tomatoes, corn and peas & carrots (used whatever veggies you want.) Transfer to an 8 x 8 in. baking dish.

Top with half the cheddar cheese.

In a bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, chipotle powder and salt. Stir in egg, milk and oil. Spread evenly over turkey mixture. Top with the rest of the cheese. Bake, uncovered for about 35 minutes or until topping is set.

Modifications:
-I used whole wheat.
-I did not use peas or carrots.
-I used a can of drained corn.
-I used a can of tomatoes with peppers and celery
  rather than Ro-Tel.
-I used an Italian blend cheese.

Here's what you'll need for the meat mixture:

Here's what you'll need for the cornbread mixture:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Chop up the onion. 

Place the turkey and the onions in a skillet and cook through.

Once cooked, add corn and Ro-tel. I used a can of tomatoes with peppers and celery.  I just cut up the tomatoes a little more.

Add the spices.

Meanwhile, add all of the ingredients for the cornbread mixture.

Place the meat mixture into a greased baking dish.  Spread the cornbread mixture out and put in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until cornbread rises.

About 5 minutes before finished, sprinkle cheese on top and put back in the oven until melted.

Here's what you'll end up with:

Our Thoughts:

This meal turned out to be somewhat of a pantry meal.  I changed a lot of the ingredients or omitted them because I didn't have them on hand.

I thought the combination of the cornbread with the meat mixture tasted really great.  There were several textures in there that complimented each other.  The one issue I had was that it was a little dry.  The cornbread soaked up most of the juices from the tomatoes so I wish that I would not have drained the corn before putting it in.

I was also a little worried about making the cornbread topping out of the whole wheat but it had a good texture and flavor.  Of course, you could always use one of those Jiffy corn muffin mixtures and it would work great, too.

Scott said that he thought the meat mixture tasted great (and it was actually pretty healthy) but that it was too much cornbread for him.  He didn't like that every bite had cornbread and he pulled it back and was just scooping the meat out of the bottom of the pan.  In that case, you could always just make the cornbread on the side and serve it that way.

Hope you enjoy!

April