cornbread casserole

By AbbyIvie

Ingredients

• 1 tsbp butter or oil
• 1 1/2 cups of onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves garlic, minced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 15 oz. cans black beans, drained
• 1 10 oz. can of tomatoes and green chiles (mild, unless you're daring), drained
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 box corn bread prepared as directed

Preparation

Step 1

Add butter or oil to heavy skillet on medium heat. Add the onions and saute until soft and translucent. Add garlic and salt and pepper to taste. Saute for 2 more minutes and remove from heat.

When the cornbread is done, remove it from the oven and get ready to layer the remaining ingredients. First add the beans, and then the onion mixture.
Then after the tomatoes/peppers are drained, sprinkle them on the top of your casserole. I always leave a portion of the dish without tomatoes for those people who have an aversion to cooked tomatoes. You could do the same with the onions if you wanted to. Finish it off by topping it with the shredded cheese.

In order to make the casserole, move your oven rack up a bit so that it's closer to the flame and turn the heat up to 450. We're trying to melt the cheese and heat the other ingredients, without baking the cornbread for too much longer so that it doesn't get too dry. Bake for 7-10 minutes, checking frequently to make sure you don't burn your cheese. When your cheese is as melty as you want it, then pull it out and serve warm. If you are taking this dish to a potluck to share, you might get it all layered up and then stick it in your host's' oven when you get there.