BBQ Macaroni Bake with Cornbread Topping

Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Servings: 12
Yield: 12 servings

Description

A BBQ blend of ground turkey, Cheddar cheese, corn, and macaroni is given a cornbread topping and baked golden in this easy casserole.

Ingredients

cooking spray
1 (16 ounce) package elbow macaroni
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup diced onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 1/2 pounds ground turkey
1 1/2 cups barbeque sauce (such as KC Masterpiece® Original)
1 (8 ounce) bag frozen corn
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 (7 1/2 ounce) packages cornbread mix (such as Jiffy®)
2/3 cup milk
2 eggs
1 (12 ounce) package shredded Cheddar cheese
salt and ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1 Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
2 Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook elbow macaroni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain.
3 While pasta boils, heat oil in a 3-quart pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook and stir until onion is translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add ground turkey and cook and stir until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in barbeque sauce, corn, and red pepper flakes. Mix well, reduce heat, and let simmer for 5 minutes.
4 Meanwhile, mix cornbread mix, milk, and eggs together in a bowl. Set aside.
5 Combine macaroni, meat mixture, Cheddar cheese, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Pour mixture into the prepared dish. Spoon cornbread batter on top.
6 Bake in the preheated oven until cornbread is light golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before serving.