Note: You can either make this soft and quiche-like (use instant polenta) or “flaky” like from a boxed mix (use dry polenta). Please make sure to check recipe notes!
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💭 Why you’ll love this recipe
Fluffy quiche-like cornbread - I contemplated calling this a cornbread quiche, because it’s super soft and fluffy. It’s also super forgiving! Perfect side for a big family meal - I love having this as a side for a big meal (like at Thanksgiving) because it’s scrumptious and disappears in no timeGreat as a make-ahead side - it’s super easy to freeze, and you can just pop it in the oven when you’re ready to eat it again
⭐ Origin Story
I had some pre-cooked polenta (the type that comes as a log) and I stumbled on an Ottolenghi cornbread recipe using polenta. I was inspired to tweak his recipe to use pre-cooked polenta, and the result was amazing. Fluffy, moist interior + crisp exterior. We’re in business, folks!
📋 Ingredients & variations
This recipe uses instant (pre-cooked) polenta as the base. But it works just as well with dry cornmeal for a more traditional texture (see recipe notes for weight substitutions). I use jalapenos, cheddar, and cotija cheese toppings - but you can add corn and red onions. If you don’t have cotija on hand, try one of these other options! !
Substitutions and Variations
My cornbread uses eggs and Greek yogurt and also has flour in it, so it’s not gluten free. However, here are some substitutions to accommodate dietary restrictions:
Make it gluten-free. Use ¾ cup of cornmeal and ¼ cup of rice flour instead of all purpose flour; I’ve found rice flour helps make it more crumbly. The texture is not exactly the same, but it’s still darn delicious! Make it vegan. Use 1.5 cups of soy milk +2 teaspoon of lemon juice instead of Greek yogurt or use vegan yogurt (the key is to make sure the batter is soft and fluid, so that the end result is moist and fluffy). Other non-dairy milk works, but soy is probably your best option. For eggs, just use a “flax” egg (1 tablespoon of flax meal + 2.5 tablespoon of water, rest for 15 minutes per flax egg - so you’ll need 2 tablespoon of flax meal and 5 tablespoon of water)Make cornbread muffins. Prepare the batter exactly as described and then instead of dumping it in a skillet, fill a muffin tray about ⅔ of the way to make cornbread muffins instead. This batter should be perfect for 12 muffins.
🥘 Make fluffy cast iron skillet cornbread
Preheat the oven to 375F and pop your cast iron skillet to heat up. When your cast iron skillet is warm, the bottom will crisp up since it’ll cook faster. Sift or mix dry ingredients together, then add all wet ingredients. Then you fold in the scallions, jalapenos, and cheddar cheese. Your batter is ready. First, mix all the dry ingredients together (i.e. all purpose flour, baking powder and soda, garlic powder and onion salt). Then add wet ingredients into the dry ingredients (i.e. finely chopped pre-cooked polenta, oil, eggs, and Greek yogurt). Carefully remove skillet with mitts, pour your batter and top off with toppings I use the remaining cheddar cheese, jalapenos, and cotija cheese as toppings. But you can also use red onions, charred corn kernels or even just cheddar. Then, pop back into the oven - in about 40 minutes, your cornbread is ready to go.
🍴 Storage and serving suggestions
Storage: I highly recommend eating this recipe the day it’s made, or the day after it’s made. Just cover with beeswax wrap and leave it at room temperature to store. When ready to eat, pop into the oven at 350F for 5 minutes to reheat (ideally still in the skillet). That said, you can also freeze the cornbread for a month. Make sure that you transfer to an airtight container, cool down and then pop in the freezer. When you want to eat it, thaw first for about 30 minutes then pop into the oven at 350 for 10 minutes. Top off with some extra cheese for some extra deliciousness. Serving suggestions: The skillet cornbread is great to be had by itself or with some fresh avocados on top. It also goes great with any type of chili, stew or rich, hearty vegetable or meat dishes. If you make muffins, they are great for a savory breakfast. If you loved this recipe, check out some of my other sides recipes you’ll love: If you tried this recipe, don’t forget to comment and rate! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
📖 Recipe
