Sunday, September 19, 2010

Ham and Two-Cheese Spoon Bread

Ham and Two-Cheese Spoon BreadHave you ever had spoon bread before? It's not exactly a bread and it's not exactly a souffle, we'll call it a cornmeal souffle, shall we?

In keeping with my breakfast theme this month, this savory breakfast dish is great on its own or as a side to sausage. If you're thinking healthier, a bit of homemade applesauce on the side makes it a wholesome and hot send-off in the mornings.

2¾ cups milk
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon dried thyme
⅛ teaspoon ground red pepper
¾ cup cornmeal
2 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
cooking spray
1 cup diced onion
8 ounces diced ham
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
¼ cup grated Parmesan
4 large egg whites

Combine milk, sugar, dried thyme and pepper in a saucepan over medium-high heat. When mixture begins to simmer gradually add cornmeal in a slow, steady stream, stirring well with a whisk. Cook 3 minutes or until thickened and smooth, stirring constantly.

Transfer cornmeal mixture to a large bowl. Add yolks, stirring with a whisk. Let stand 10 minutes.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion, saute 6 minutes or until tender. Add cornmeal mixture. Recoat pan with cooking spray. Add ham; saute 5 minutes or until ham browns. Add cornmeal mixture. Stir in cheese. Beat egg white to stiff peaks (don’t overbeat) and fold into cornmeal mix.

Bake in 1½ quart casserole dish coated with cooking spray for 50 minutes until puffed and golden brown and set in center.

Adapted from Cooking Light

5 comments:

Teresa said...

Thanks! This was very good. I used 8oz diced smoked sausage (I had that on hand), used chipotle powder for the red pepper, and added about 1/3 tsp of red curry powder. It gave it a nice warmth that wasn't hot. Hubby really liked it too!

Carinne said...

Just wanted to double check - this doesn't have any flour in it? I could actually make this for Clara! Wonderful, I'll have to try it.

Inkling said...

It's a lean month for us, but I just happen to have these ingredients on hand. I plan to make this tonight. Thanks for sharing it! If you have any fun recipes using beans but no tomato sauce (because that's just not in my pantry right now), I'm all ears. =)

Krista said...

This looks yummy and I want to try it, but I'm already confused... it says add cornmeal mixture twice... how does that work?

jubilee said...

Um. Yum! I love making breakfast for dinner. My kids will love this one. Can't wait to try it!