Summer chili cornbread cobbler really focuses on summer tomatoes and peaches! A lightly-sweetened cornbread topping is the finishing touch.
This post first appeared on May 24, 2018 and was last updated February 18, 2021.
Peaches and tomatoes are here! You know what that means? It’s summer chili cornbread cobbler time!
We usually associate chili with pure fall/winter fare, but a recent craving for chili in the dead of summer had us dreaming of a summer version. The chili base is made with fresh tomatoes (vs canned) and a has few fresh peaches tossed in to really bring the summer game.
We used a combination of San Marzano and Opalka tomatoes, both plum-shaped and considered to be “paste” tomatoes, ideal for cooking and canning. The flavour of these tomatoes is through the roof, but the texture is so-so for fresh eating. They’re thick-walled, and not as juicy as typical heirloom tomatoes, which is exactly what you want for making luxurious sauces.
The chili base is pretty minimal. As much as we love the complex and time-consuming winter versions, extra chunky and loaded with spices and various chillies, this one is delicious in its own summery way, with a focus on the fresh tomato and peach flavours.
The cobbler topping is a little more buttery than regular cornbread. It’s also lightly-sweetened, which is perfect for absorbing the delicious chili juices underneath.
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Use the JUMP TO RECIPE button at the top, or scroll to the bottom of the post to see the printable recipe card with full ingredient measurements and complete instructions.
Ingredients
For The Tomato-Peach Chili
- plum tomatoes (i.e. Roma, San Marzano, Opalka, etc..)
- peaches
- coconut oil, butter, or ghee
- onion
- garlic
- ground cumin
- chipotle pepper powder
- salt
- cooked or canned pinto beans
For The Cornbread Topping
- light spelt or unbleached all-purpose flour
- cornmeal
- baking soda
- baking powder
- salt
- 1 egg
- kefir or buttermilk
- honey
- butter
Method
- *Optional But Recommended* Start by peeling the peaches and tomatoes. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and score an “X” at the blossom end of each fruit with a sharp knife. Prepare a large pot of cold water. Drop the fruit in the boiling water and transfer to the bowl of cold water as soon as the skins start to peel, about 30 seconds, maybe a little longer for the peaches. Peel off all the skins with your hands and discard. They should come right off, but you can use a knife if you need to.
- Roughly chop the tomatoes. Pit the peaches and chop them as well. Set aside.
- Melt the butter, coconut oil, or ghee over medium heat in a cast iron skillet. Sauté the onions and garlic until translucent and starting to brown. Add the spices and sauté for a few more minutes. Add the tomatoes and peaches, lower heat, and cover. Simmer for 10 minutes.
- While the chili is simmering, prepare the cornbread topping. Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk together the kefir/buttermilk, egg, and honey. Add the wet ingredient mix to the dry ingredients and whisk to combine. Pour in the melted butter and whisk again until fully incorporated. Let the cornbread batter sit for 10 minutes.
- In the meantime, remove the lid from the chili and slightly increase the heat to maintain a simmer, and continue cooking for another 10 minutes or so, until slightly reduced. Taste for salt/heat and adjust to suit your taste.
- Stir in the beans and cook for a few minutes more. If the chili is too watery, continue reducing until the desired consistency is reached, but note that cornbread topping will soak up some of the liquid. Alternatively, if it’s too dry, add a little bit of water, simmer, and taste/season before topping.
- Remove the chili from the heat and spoon the cornbread batter all over the top. Bake the cornbread cobbler for 20-22 minutes, or until the cornbread is cooked through and golden. Rest for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with cherry tomatoes, cilantro, and/or chillies.
More Savoury Summer Recipes
Orzo Pesto Salad With Tomatoes & Fresh Mozzarella
Vegan Yellow Curry Noodle Bowls
Rainbow Salad With Nutritional Yeast Dressing
Green Goddess Sandwich With Creamy Herb “Mayo” (vegan)
Recipe
Summer Chili Cornbread Cobbler
Description
Equipment
- Large pot
- sharp knife
- 10 to 12-inch (25 to 30-cm) cast iron skillet
- Whisk
- Wooden spoon
- Measuring cups and spoons or a digital kitchen scale
Ingredients
For The Chili
- 2 lbs plum tomatoes, i.e. Roma, San Marzano, Opalka, etc..
- ½ lb peaches, about 2-3 small peaches
- 2 to 3 tablespoon coconut oil, butter, or ghee to generously coat the skillet
- 1 medium cooking onion, roughly chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon chipotle pepper powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1-½ cups cooked pinto beans, or 1 can, drained
For The Cornbread Topping
- 1-¼ cup light spelt, or unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cornmeal
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- 1 cup kefir or buttermilk
- 2 tablespoon honey
- ⅓ cup butter, melted
Optional Garnishes
- cherry tomatoes, halved
- cilantro
- thinly sliced chillis
Instructions
- Start by peeling the peaches and tomatoes. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and score an “X” at the blossom end of each fruit with a sharp knife.
- Prepare a large pot of cold water.
- Drop the fruit in the boiling water and transfer to the bowl of cold water as soon as the skins start to peel, about 30 seconds, maybe a little longer for the peaches.
- Peel off all the skins with your hands and discard. They should come right off, but you can use a knife if you need to.
- Trim the stem end and roughly chop the tomatoes. Pit the peaches and chop them as well. Set the tomatoes and peaches aside.
- In a 10 to 12-inch (25 to 30-cm) cast iron skillet, melt the butter, oil, or ghee over medium heat.
- Sauté the onions and garlic with a few pinches of salt, until translucent and starting to brown. Add the spices and sauté for a few more minutes. Add the tomatoes and peaches, lower heat, and cover. Simmer for 10 minutes.
- While the chili is simmering, preheat the oven to 375°F (190ºC) and start preparing the cornbread topping.
- Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
- Whisk together the kefir/buttermilk, egg, and honey.
- Add the wet ingredient mix to the dry ingredients and whisk to combine.
- Pour in the melted butter and whisk again until fully incorporated. Let the cornbread batter sit for 10 minutes.
- In the meantime, remove the lid from the simmering chili and slightly increase the heat to maintain a simmer, and continue cooking for another 10 minutes or so, until slightly reduced. Taste for salt/heat and adjust to suit your taste.
- Stir in the beans and cook for a few minutes more. If the chili is too watery, continue reducing until the desired consistency is reached, but note that cornbread topping will soak up some of the liquid. Alternatively, if it’s too dry, add a little bit of water, simmer, and taste/season before topping.
- Remove the chili from the heat and spoon the cornbread batter all over the top. Distribute it evenly, but don’t worry too much about the gaps, as the batter will spread to cover the surface of the skillet.
- Bake the cornbread cobbler for 20-22 minutes, or until the cornbread is cooked through and golden. Rest for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with cherry tomatoes, cilantro, and/or chillies.
lynsey | lynseylovesfood says
i love this idea! Killed it Sofia. xo
Sofia // From the Land we Live on says
Thanks so much, Lynsey :)
Sherrie says
GIRL YOU ARE A GENIUS!!! I’ve never thought about a summer chili, or a chili cobbler, both are blowing my mind.
Sofia // From the Land we Live on says
A little weird, but somehow they work! I’ll take genius over weird though :) Thanks so much, Sherrie!
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says
I love the peaches in this chili! Such a fabulous summer recipe!
Sofia // From the Land we Live on says
They’re totally meant for it, adding sweetness and summer vibes :) Thanks, Katrina!
My Dish is Bomb says
Wow, this is an amazing way to have chili, I’ve always found it kind of boring with rice but would love this. And plum tomatoes do have the best flavour :)
Sofia // From the Land we Live on says
Thanks :) The cornbread does make it a little more interesting. Hope you like it!
RubyCake says
This is looks just gorgeous (as with everything you post). I have never had a savoury cobbler before but I can’t wait to try this!!
Sofia // From the Land we Live on says
Thanks! Hope you like it :)
CakePants says
Wow, this looks phenomenal!! I never would have thought to use peaches in chili, but it sounds terrific. I’m sure this would be a hit in my household – looking forward to trying it!
Sofia // From the Land we Live on says
Yeah! totally new for me as well, but they go so well together. Hope you and your family like it!
Ines says
Hi Sofia,
I made your recipe (in a vegan version + with millet flour due to not having bought cornmeal) and it was absolutely delicious! Plus it looked totally amazing. Thanks :)
Ines
Sofia // From the Land we Live on says
Thanks so much for the feedback, Ines :) Great to know that the recipe works with millet flour and I’m so happy that you like it! For others making it, do you mind sharing your substitutes for the vegan version?
J S says
What size cast iron skillet is needed?
Sofia // From the Land we Live on says
10.25″ (maybe labelled 9″, as that’s the diameter of the bottom). Thanks for asking! I totally missed that in the instructions. Will update the recipe :)
Judy says
It was ABSOLUTELY delicious but I found that the amount of cornbread was really too high, like twice as much as the chili. did you also obtain this, or did I reduce my chili too much ? also, my cornbread was slightly dry but I used milk instead of buttermilk so I know how to solve this next time I bake this recipe ;)
Sofia // From the Land we Live on says
Thanks so much for your feedback, Judy! Not sure why you ended up with so much cornbread…maybe it was the reduction, or how juicy the tomatoes/peaches were. I found that the cornbread absorbed a lot of the chili when I had it the next day so it was cornbread heavy…but was ok with the ratio when it was just baked. You can scale it to make more chili or less cornbread next time! Hopefully that works out better for you, and glad you like it otherwise.
Marry says
I love to comment on a good meal before I tackle the dishes…Super tasty and easy recipe. I was suspicious that the chili needed more ingredients but nope, it was perfect as is. I got the best San Marzano tomatoes and a big fat peach at the farmers market. I halved the recipe and used my 10″ cast iron skillet. Skipped the cilantro and cherry tomatoes, didn’t need them. Thanks for the recipe!