I made something last night to use up the last bit of cornmeal mix that I bought in NC, and it reminded me of the yummier 1970s random-ingredient casseroles of my youth. It’s easy, and cheap, and full of veggies, so y’all might like it.
Dice up a red bell pepper and half an onion, saute. When it starts to sweat, add a pound of ground beef and brown it with a bunch of mexican spice mix or chili powder or what have you. Be generous, this tends to be bland once it’s finished — I wished I had jacked up the flavor more in mine.
When the meat is almost done, add a drained can of corn and a drained can of pinto beans. Add some hot sauce if you feel like it. Add a can of diced or whole tomatoes cut up and their juice. Add salt to taste and more spice mix if you think it needs it.
Pour all this into a glass baking dish. Top with some grated cheese — I only had a tiny bit left, so perhaps more cheese would have made it more savory. Top that with prepared cornbread batter, and bake according to the cornbread directions.