Broccoli Cheddar Cornbread

Today's recipe comes from Down Home with the Neely's: A Southern Family Cookbook by Patrick and Gina Neely. I may be a Northern girl by birth (a native New Yorker) but I am a Southern girl by taste. The flavors of the South, the peaches and pecans, the sweet potatoes, cornbread, collard greens, and pulled pork, are the flavors that make me swoon.

This recipe is one of the healthier examples in this cookbook filled with drool-producing full-color photographs. If you are a barbeque enthusiast, you will find much to love here. If you are trying to lose weight while still eating great stuff, you will also find some treasures. The turkey meatloaf is on my list to test next.

Of course, I did not stick to the original recipe. You know me by now. Even if I've never tried a recipe before, I see no reason not to tinker. So I adjusted a couple of things. First, I reduced the amount of butter by half. Not that I don't love butter! I just thought a full stick might be overkill, so I went with a half stick instead. And I also halved the corn bread mix. When I make this recipe the next time, I will substitute corn meal and baking powder for the mix. But this time I happened to have a box of mix in my pantry. Might as well use that up, I thought!

The final product came out more like a moist souffle than an actual corn bread. But really delicious! If you want a breadier version, you should use 2 boxes of corn bread mix instead of one. However, this will also up the carbs in your final product. And if you are a mom trying to sneak healthy veggies into your unsuspecting children, this recipe will be right up your alley. My teenaged daughter (who hates just about everything I cook) deemed this cornbread "okay." High praise from her, indeed.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup (half stick) unsalted butter
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
One 10-ounce package frozen chopped broccoli, thawed but not drained (I used a 16 oz. bag.)
1 (or 2) 8&1/2-ounce boxes cornbread mix
1/2 cup whole milk
8 ounces cottage cheese
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
 1 cup plus 2 TB grated cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 375F.

Heat butter over medium heat in a 10-inch cast iron skillet. Add onion and garlic, stirring until soft and fragrant. Add broccoli and saute for about 2 minutes or until heated through. In a medium bowl, stir together all ingredients except for 2 TB cheese. Pour batter over veggies in skillet and stir lightly to combine. Sprinkle 2 TB cheese over top. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean when center is tested. Cool 10 minutes in pan. Serve hot or warm. Makes 6-8 servings. Great for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner!

Comments