Spoon bread. Spoonbread. A classic Southern side dish, light as a feather. I’d never had spoonbread. But what’s not to like? A little like cornbread, a little like a souffle, a little like a pudding—it’s all those good things wrapped up in one.
It’s so easy to make, and will sit alongside any main dish—or truthfully, can take the place of a main dish if you want to keep it vegetarian.
The only pain-in-the-butt part of this recipe is that you do have to whip egg whites and fold them into the rest of the ingredients–just like a souffle.
I made my spoonbread in my souffle dish, but you can cook it in any kind of a casserole. Just pick one with slightly high sides.
Look how it rose up! The spoonbread will still be jiggly in the center.
We had our spoonbread with some chicken-apple sausage and a nice salad. It would also be good with New Orleans-style BBQ shrimp, or some greens, or some pork chops, or just with a fork and a few chives.
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Sweet Corn and Cheddar Spoonbread
(adapted from Martha Stewart)
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 2 cups milk
- 2 cups corn kernels
- 2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1/2 cayenne pepper
- 1 cup extra-sharp cheddar cheese
- 4 large eggs
- chives, for garnish
- salt, pepper
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Preheat oven to 400*. Use 1 Tbsp of the butter to grease your baking dish.
Beat egg whites and a pinch of salt until soft peaks form. Stir 1/3 of the whites into cornmeal mixture until combined, then gently fold in the remaining whites with a rubber spatula. Taste for seasoning and add salt if needed. Pour into prepared dish.
Place baking dish in oven. Reduce heat to 375 *. Bake until browned on top but still slightly loose in the center, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.
