Cornmeal.
Favorite food word, ever.
It reminds me of farms, salt of the earth people and whole food cooking. It’s hard to imagine a dish that won’t taste good with cornmeal in it.
I’ve had this recipe in my notebook for almost 2 years now.
I’m not sure what took me so long to make it. Slow cooker chili is famous. The deep flavors that develop make you want to dive head first into the bowl.
Here’s the twist, the cornmeal crust was also made in the slow cooker right on top of the chili!
I made this on Sunday. This is not a throw in the pot and run out the door while the slow cooker magically fries, sautees and mixes the cornmeal batter. Not going to happen!
This does require some pre-cooking before the dump and dash. Such a beautiful meal though for a family weekend dinner!
Fry onions in some oil.
I go a little bit further than just softening them. I like to fry them a bit longer; about 5 miutes. Add garlic and chili powder, to taste. 2 tablespoons will make you go running for the hills, but some people like the country so that would work well. My kids did not inherit my Indian heat palette, so I sprinkled 1 teaspoon.
Add turkey, tomatoes and broth. Depending on how chunky you like the turkey, now is a good time to break it up into smaller pieces.
Drain, rinse and slowly add the beans. Bring the whole thing to a nice boil and pour into slow cooker.
Wholesome goodness. In a large mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients: flour, cornmeal (best food word), baking powder and salt and mix well.
Fine, cornmeal and shredded cheese are the best food words ever. See the left spot is missing a little cheese, my hand slipped and took some. Yes, slipped.
Stir in egg, milk, oil and cheese. You get something that looks thicker than pancake batter.
Gently pour the batter over the chili. This is not cannonball, everyone in the water! The trick is to get it on top of the chili and spread it around to seal the flavors as much as possible.
I’m using my trusted Hamilton Beach 6 quart. It’s a pretty versatile size and I’ve had it for years.
Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours.
Ingredients
- 2 T oil (and 1/4 cup for batter)
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2-5 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 t chili (or more for heat)
- 1 lb. turkey
- 1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes with liquid
- 1 cup chicken broth low sodium
- 1 15 oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 3/4 cup all -purpose flour
- 3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
Instructions
- Warm 2 T oil in large skillet. Add onion about 3-5 minutes. Add garlic and chili powder, saute until it starts to smell good! Stir in turkey, break up large chunks of meat.
- Stir in tomatoes, broth and beans. Bring to boil and pour into slow cooker.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. Mix well, then add egg, milk, 1/4 cup oil and cheese. Pour batter over chili and spread.
- Cover and cook on low 5-6 hours. Chili should be hot and crust on top should be slightly browned and cooked through.
I calculated this dish came out to about $1.50 per serving. I think it’s worth a buck.
This is my second in 30 days of slow cooking! Check my recipes link for more!
Inspired to slow cook yet?
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Hi! I'm Isra, aka The Frugalette. I took my family from fancy to frugal in 3 years, with 3 kids and 1 income, oh and found the meaning of life too! To read more about my fancy life gone frugal, 
Yum Isra! I'm going to make this TONIGHT!!
Thank you and Blessings!
Awesome Shari! Bon Apetit!
Can't wait for the weather to cool down so I can make this. I love chili and cornbread in fall.
Yes, this is definitely a cool weather kind of dish.
That looks delicious! We LOVE cornbread.
Wow that looks good, I'm going to have to try this! Thanks for sharing!
You're so welcome!
I always do it on the stove but hmmm, I like this crust top idea on there. YUMMY! I like the heat too!
PS. Have you noticed I've become slightly addicted to your blog? lol
Aww, thanks Liz, probably the only kind of addiction I encourage.
xoxo
I just printed out the recipe, I can't wait to try it, but how much cornmeal goes into the crust?
And do you think I could add a small can of corn to the crust like spoon bread?
Sorry Crystal! Just updated the recipe, it\’s 3/4 cup cornmeal. It\’s such a forgiving recipe I think you could definitely add corn for some texture and sweetness. Since it\’s cornmeal and cheese, it\’s not very sweet but more savory. Hope that helps!
Thank you! I didn't notice the lack of cornmeal when I printed it off originally. My husband found it sitting in the printer tray last night and got beyond excited to see that recipe. Guess what got moved to the menu plan early? Thanks!
Oh, that's awesome Crystal! Good eating! xoxo
I have tons of food allergies, so I can't eat this meal, but chili is def. one of the foods I miss most. This looks really really good!