Skillet pie combines deliciousness in one healthful package

Chili and cornbread are high on my list of foods that belong together. It’s not just because their flavors harmonize so well — the mellow sweetness and alluring, coarse texture of the bread playing off the soft, spicy chili.

It’s also because, with a bean-based chili, the legumes complement the grains in the cornbread nutritionally, together providing all the essential amino acids for a complete protein. Although you don’t need to eat complementary vegetable proteins at the same meal to reap their benefits, such biological teamwork only reinforces the overall power of their partnership.

This recipe brings the duo together in a single skillet, shepherd’s pie-style, with a layer of savory, chili-spiced black beans beneath a golden blanket of cornbread that is baked right on top. It’s a meal that arrives at the table with an impressive, rustic flair but is actually quick and easy to pull together.

The bean layer is boldly seasoned like a chili — with onion, garlic, chili powder, oregano and tomato paste — but with less liquid it is more of a sauté, brimming with colorful kale leaves and sweet bell pepper. If using canned black beans (or 3 cups homemade cooked beans), it comes together in about 15 minutes. You can certainly play around with the ingredients, using any leafy green such as spinach or chard, subbing the bell pepper with, say, chopped cooked broccoli, and swapping in any other type of bean.

The whole-grain cornbread layer contributes a lovely textural balance of medium-coarse cornmeal and tender whole-wheat pastry flour (you could substitute all-purpose flour), mixed with healthful oil, egg, a little milk and just enough honey to bring out the sweetness of the cornmeal while keeping the flavor on the savory side. The simple batter is spread on top of the bean layer and then baked until it is puffed, golden-brown and set in the center.

Served with a cool, creamy dollop of sour cream or yogurt, a shower of fresh cilantro leaves, and some hot sauce, it’s a winning way to bring the chilicornbread power couple to the table.