My husband couldn't believe it wasn't real cornbread and neither could I. This will be a fave in our house going forward, as is the spaghettie squash casserole.
We used goya white northern, but you can use any white bean. OMG, it is so delish. I drained all the fat off the meat after I cooked it and used cabot 50% reduced fat cheddar, so I feel very virtuous and it is was still sooooo good.
Yes, they will totally work. I can't wait for you to try it. I was like, oh brother this will not have anything to do with cornbread. But the texture and the taste is amazing and the whole dish is so satisfying. Enjoy!!
I made it last night and realized at the last minute that I didn't have enough navy beans so I mixed garbanzos in. It still worked We did a little better at portion control the second time.
Tammie, Thanks for the link. Just looked back up through the thread. No one who said it's yummy is from the south. One of us Southern Chickies need to try it out.
Someone compared it to Shepherds Pie. That's more my take on it. I would never confuse it with cornbread but it's very good and worth trying.
Karen - I would be surprised if it triggered bread cravings. It is easy to overeat especially the first time but I don't think your brain will be confused
mock cornbread - can't believe it
We did a little better at portion control the second time. 
