I (Kate) am CRAZY about Ina Garten’s Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread. It is way more exciting to eat than regular cornbread, not too sweet, and scrumptious with the greens and cheese. Not everyone at our table likes heat, so I always remove the jalapeno seeds; the cheese also counteracts the heat. When I know I’ll be serving this for dinner, a happy song drifts into my head throughout the day “Jalapeno Cornbread for dinner tonight!!”
To make it easier to prepare for a vacation mindset, I improvised using Jiffy corn muffin mixes. We like the slightly heartier texture and flavor even better. Now we have a version of the cornbread that tastes as wonderful as ever and is also fast to make. If you’ll only have 5 minutes to get it into the oven, you can seed and chop the jalapeno and scallions the night before and keep them in the refrigerator. I even get my baking pan out of the cupboard ahead of time, so the prep almost happens on its own.
Cornbread with Cheese, Scallions, and Jalapeño
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup milk
3 8.5-ounce boxes Jiffy corn muffin mix
1 8-ounce packed grated cheese (cheddar, colby jack, Mexican mix, or monterey jack), divided
1/2 bunch scallions, both white and green parts, chopped
1 fresh jalapeño pepper, seeds removed and discarded, minced
Heat the oven to 350 degrees and coat a 9 x 13 x 2-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Crack eggs into a large bowl and beat with a fork or whisk until the whites and yolks are thoroughly combined. Add milk and stir to mix. Pour three boxes corn muffin mix into eggs and milk and stir just barely until combined--it’s okay if there are a few lumps. Mix in 1/2 of the cheese, 1/2 of the scallions, and all of the jalapenos.
With a rubber spatula, smooth the batter into the pan, then sprinkle with the remaining cheese and scallions. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. You can serve it warm if you like, but do give it 10 minutes to cool first.
