Cowboy Cornbread

I love this meal because it is so easy, it can be prepared in the crockpot or the oven, and my kids eat it! That's a pretty rare victory! It can be prepared in about 20 minutes and the bottom layer is so flexible--you can use whatever you've got laying around that sounds good. You can throw in some green chilies if you want a bit more kick to it.

For the bottom layer:

You can really use whatever combination of ingredients suits you, but here's what I typically use.

1 lb sausage

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can diced tomatoes or 2 c. freshly diced tomatoes

1 can corn

1 onion, diced

1 bell pepper, diced

Brown sausage with onion and bell pepper. Mix all ingredients together and place in the bottom of a 9x13 pan or the bottom of your crockpot.

For the top layer I use our favorite cornbread recipe. Just spread it on top and if you are baking it in the oven, bake at 350 for about 40 minutes or until cornbread is cooked through. If you are cooking it in the crockpot, cooking time really varies based on the size of your crockpot and the temperature you cook it at. I've only done it in the crockpot a couple of times, and I think I cooked it on low for about 5 hours. If you're able to keep an eye on it the first time you make it, you can just make note of when it's cooked all the way through.

Serve with shredded cheese and sour cream on top. Yeehaw!