Baseball Season Calls for a Chili Cheese Hot Dog Casserole Recipe (7 Ingredients, 35 Minutes) by Donna John

Need a fun dish to eat while you watch your favorite baseball team? Instead of grilling and serving hot dogs, make this easy chili cheese dog casserole recipe! This casserole has all the flavors of a chili dog baked into one dish. Serve with your favorite hot dog toppings and you've got a recipe that will get more attention than the new Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) Challenge System.

To make this high-protein hot dog casserole you will need just a few ingredients. Here's your shopping list: a package or box or cornbread mix (plus the ingredients to make it), hot dogs, a can of chili, brown sugar, chili powder and cheddar cheese. The only prep is cutting up the hot dogs and grating the cheese (you could use pre-shredded cheese but freshly grated melts better). The prepared cornbread mix is layered with the other ingredients that have been cooked together on the stovetop, then baked until golden.

Here are some tips from the coach (me!) who already made this easy casserole recipe:

• If you're serving it with chopped onions, you can soak them in water for about 10 minutes to remove some of their bite.
  

• Use whatever cheese you like, but cheddar cheese is traditional on a chili cheese dog.

• You can use regular hot dogs, all-beef hot dogs or even turkey hot dogs for this recipe.
  

• Don't put too much of the cornbread batter on the bottom of the pan. You want more of it on top.

• I needed milk and one egg to make my Jiffy cornbread mix.

• For some spice, you could make this with jalapeno cornbread mix.

• You could add some vegetables to this recipe. Simply cook some chopped onion and green bell pepper in a little olive oil until soft, then add the hot dogs to the skillet to brown.

• Next time I will wait and add the shredded cheese halfway through cooking time so it stays cheesier. If you put it on at the beginning of cooking time, you can cover the casserole with foil to prevent it from getting too brown.

This may be fun served during the big game, but it's also a quick and easy weeknight dinner that the kids will love. Serve this easy chili dog casserole with your favorite hot dog toppings like chopped onions and pickled jalapenos.

Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 5  minutes
Cook Time: 30 to 35 minutes
Total Time: 35 to 40 minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 8.5 ounces (1 package) cornbread mix, plus ingredients to make it
• 16 ounces (1 package) hot dogs, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 15 ounces (1 can) chili (with or without beans)
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (divided)

Here's how to make it: 

1. Put the cornbread mix plus ingredients to make it into a mixing bowl.
   
2. Mix well.
   
3. Spread half (or a little less than half) of the cornbread mix onto the bottom of a buttered square baking pan or similar size baking dish.
   
4. Put the hot dogs into a skillet and cook until lightly browned.
   
5. Add the chili, brown sugar, garlic powder and chili powder.
   
6. Stir to combine and heat through.
   
7. Stir in half of the cheese.
   
8. Spoon the mixture over the cornbread batter.
   
9. Top with the remaining cornbread batter and the shredded cheese.
   
10. Bake in a preheated 350-degree F oven for about 25 to 30 minutes.
    
11. Serve the casserole with desired toppings.
    

Recipe cooking times, nutritional information and servings are approximate and provided for your convenience. However, 30Seconds is not responsible for the outcome of any recipe, nor may you have the same results because of variations in ingredients, temperatures, altitude, errors, omissions or cooking/baking abilities. Any nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and it is up to the individual to ascertain accuracy. To ensure image quality, we may occasionally use stock photography.

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