Easy Cheesy Loaded Cornbread
Use a mix or make your own. Then add the extras and you'll have a delicious mostly savory (with a touch of sweetness) cornbread. Crusty on top and addictive throughout, it freezes well too.
Ingredients
- 1 cornbread mix or homemade, with necessary add-ins such as milk, egg, and oil.
- 1 & 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated and divided 6 oz/180 g Divided into 1 cup/4oz/113 g for mixing in and rest for topping.
- 1 jalapeno pepper (or less), diced See below
- 2-3 scallions, diced
- 1/2 red pepper, diced
- 1 cup corn kernels Fresh (If fresh, parboil or microwave for 2 minutes with 2 tablespoons of water, then drain), canned or frozen. (If frozen, defrosted). See note below.
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 400° F/200° C. Lightly grease a 9-inch/23 cm pan or a 10-inch/25 cm cast iron pan on bottom and sides.
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Lightly sauté the diced red pepper and jalapeno (or other hot pepper) for about 5 minutes under medium heat until softened. (If using the same pan as for the cornbread, which I did, when you remove the peppers, lightly grease the pan again, to make sure all surfaces are greased.)
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Add those peppers and the other dry and vegetable ingredients together, including the dry ingredients from the mix, except for the reserved cheddar cheese to go on top. Gently combine.
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Add the liquids (egg, oil and milk specified in the mix recipe in my case) and mix just to combine. Pour into the pan and top with the reserved cheese. Bake for about 35 minutes, until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool to barely warm in the pan. Either cut in the pan or remove. Freezes well, tightly wrapped.
Recipe Notes
See the post tips for discussion of heat of the jalapeno or other pepper. I used about 3/4 of a jalapeno with a few seeds left in.
I love another Trader Joe's product besides the cornbread mix - the canned corn. I use the corn, drained straight from the can. If you prefer (and can get) fresh corn, this guide will help determine how long to cook the corn. Note that you should only cook it for half the time mentioned, as it will continue to cook in the cornbread.