Beef, Bean, and Corn-Bread Casserole

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound 93% ultra-lean ground beef
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• Vegetable cooking spray
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 (8-ounce) cans no-salt-added tomato sauce
• 1 (16-ounce) can pinto beans, drained
• 1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained
• 3/4 cup skim milk
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 1/3 cups self-rising yellow cornmeal mix

Preparation

1. Cook beef, onion, and garlic in a large saucepan coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat until browned, stirring frequently to crumble the beef. Drain the beef mixture in a colander.
2. Return beef mixture to pan. Add chili powder, cumin, sugar, oregano, tomato sauce, pinto beans, and chiles; cover and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes. Pour mixture into a 2-quart casserole coated with cooking spray; set aside.
3. Combine the milk and egg in a bowl, and stir well. Add the cornmeal mix, and stir well. Pour the cornmeal mixture over the beef mixture. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until the corn-bread topping is lightly browned.
4. Make-Ahead Tips: You can assemble the casserole ahead of time, omitting the corn-bread topping, cover and chill in the refrigerator or freeze (thaw frozen casserole overnight in the refrigerator).