Cheddar Cast Iron Skillet Cornbread with Veggies

A slice of cornbread topped with jalapeños, tomatoes, and cheese on a white plate, with additional jalapeño slices on the side.

Cheddar Cast Iron Skillet Cornbread with Veggies

Cheddar Iron Skillet Cornbread with Veggies is loaded with corn, cheddar, and spicy toppings. Red and green peppers bake inside, while jalapeno, red onions, tomatoes, and Cotija cheese top it off. This moist cornbread will make you rethink it as just a side dish.

Course Bread

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 30

Total Time 50

Servings slices

Calories 484kcal

Author Jere' Cassidy

Equipment

Ingredients

Cornbread Batter

2 tablespoon butter for melting in skillet
3 cups yellow cornmeal medium grind
11/2 cups AP flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3 cups buttermilk
3 large eggs
¼ cup unsalted butter melted
⅔ cup fresh or frozen corn kernels thaw the frozen corn
1 cup sharp shredded cheddar cheese
¼ cup green bell pepper seeded and diced
¼ cup red bell pepper seeded and diced

Cornbread Topping

1 jalapeno pepper seeded and diced or sliced
1 medium-sized tomato seeded and diced or sliced
½ cup red onion peeled and diced or sliced
½ cup Cotija Cheese crumbled

Instructions

Making the cornbread batter

Heat the oven to 425° F. and add 2 tablespoons of butter to a 10" cast iron skillet and put in the oven to melt the butter and get the skillet hot.
On a large cutting board, prep all the peppers and the tomato by seeding and dicing. Peel the onion and dice.
In a large mixing bowl add the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pepper and whisk to combine.
Measure the buttermilk and beat in the three eggs. Pour this mixture into the dry inredients mixture along with the melted butter and lightly mix.
Add the corn, shredded cheddar cheese, and the green and red bell peppers. Mix together thoroughly.
Carefully remove the cast iron from the oven, it will be very hot. Pour the cornbread batter into the skillet. It will probably sizzle.
Add toppings, except the Cotija cheese. Bake the cornbread for 25-30 minutes at 425° F. until the bread is baked through and golden brown.
When the bread is done, remove from the oven and sprinkle with the crumbled Cojita cheese.
Serve warm. Store the leftover cornbread in a sealed container on the counter for two days.

Notes

I put the skillet in the hot oven to melt the butter, but the butter can also be melted on the stovetop.
You want the skillet to be really hot when you add the batter. It should sizzle, and this is what makes a golden-brown crust on the cornbread.
You can also bake this bread in a 9 x 13" baking pan.
This recipe is very adaptable in terms of the batter, fillings, and toppings. Feel free to add veggies you like.
Slicing the bread into servings: I used the standard serving size of 8 slices for this recipe, but you can slice it into small slices or even squares.

Nutrition