Beef Tamale Casserole

We are in the grips of an arctic blast. Waking up to 7 degrees this early in November seems way too early and just not right.  A warm up in the kitchen was needed so I set out to create a 

with a Beef Tamale Casserole.

A comfort food casserole that's a a real winner in my book.  Besides being kid friendly, layers of spiced beef, enchilada and tomato sauce, cheesy goodness topped with sweet cornbread is an irresistible dish. I skipped making cornbread from scratch and went for easy using a box mix. I substituted buttermilk for the milk. If you are a family of cheese lovers reserve some of the cheese and sprinkle over the cornbread before baking. Suggested cornbreads in my order of preference Famous Daves Cornbread, Krusteaz Honey Cornbread, 2 boxes of Jiffy Cornbread.
You can vary the "hotness" of this recipe by increasing the spices or using hot enchilada sauce over mild.
Ingredients:

• 1 box cornbread mix
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 cup each diced onions and mini sweet red and yellow peppers
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 tsp. each chili powder, cumin, taco seasoning
• 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 can (10 oz.) enchilada sauce mild
• 1 can (10 oz.) Rotel diced tomatoes with green chiles
• 1 cup frozen corn (no need to thaw) 
• 1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 cups shredded Mexican Cheese (pre-packaged) 

Directions:

• Brown ground beef with onions, peppers, garlic and spices.
• Drain and return mixture back to pan. Make sure beef is crumbled and add in enchilada sauce, diced tomatoes, corn, beans and cheese.
• Pour into greased casserole dish.
• Make cornbread according to manufacturer's directions. Place large spoonfuls of cornbread over beef mixture covering as much of baking pan as possible. It will spread during baking time.
  
• Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes. Additional cheese can be sprinkled over the cornbread the last 5 minutes of baking time.