Mom's Meaty Cornbread Skillet & A Virtual Potluck

Martha White cornbread with ground beef or sausage, corn, vegetables, and cheese make up this filling skillet meal.

Happy Thursday everyone! It's that time of year again for all things cornbread and cast iron! Why cornbread you ask? Well April is when the 19th Annual National Cornbread Festival takes place in South Pittsburg, Tennessee! This year the cornbread festival will be on April 25th - 26th! I was invited to be a judge for the cook off competition, but my schedule got the best of me. It saddens me that I have to miss this huge event, but there's always next year.

The 2015 National Cornbread Cook Off  will be a bit different for this years competition. Ten of their First Place Winners from past years will be returning to the cornbread festival to defend their title, prepare their winning recipe, and take part in an All-Star-Cook Off! Here's a list of all the previous winners and everyone that will be competing.  I can't wait to see who will be crowned the cornbread winner!  

Today's recipe that I'm sharing is a tasty one. This recipe is one of my absolute favorite recipes that my Mother in law makes. Anytime we visit we can usually count on meatloaf, chicken spaghetti or this Meaty Cornbread Skillet for dinner. 

Moms always makes her cornbread homemade all the way, but sometimes I like substituting with a cornbread mix, especially if I'm in a pinch for time. Martha Whites cornbread mixes taste just like homemade, so no one will ever know not even mom! 

To kick off the Cornbread Festival Martha White® is hosting a Virtual Cornbread Potluck along with myself and a few of my favorite blogs. We were asked to bring our best ever cornbread recipe that utilizes Martha Whites Cornbread Mixes. My Moms Meaty Cornbread Skillet is the recipe that came to mind as well as the one that I'm contributing.  

So everyone pull up a chair, find a place at the table and enjoy the potluck! Below is a list of bloggers who are participating in the 2015 Virtual Cornbread Potluck and their recipes. Please take a moment and stop by each of their sites and check out their cornbread creations. Before I forget there just might be a little giveaway at the end of this post!

• Cornbread Waffles with Chili Fixens - From The Country Cook
• Mexican Chicken Cornbread Casserole - From Christin at Spicy Southern Kitchen
• Cornbread Pan Sandwiches - From Christy at Southern Plate
• Chicken Taco Cornbread Wedges - From Jenny at Picky Palate
• BLT Cornbread Salad - From Linda at Southern Pantry 
• Kicken Crab Corn Muffins - From Melissa's Southern Style Kitchen
• Cheesy Chorizo Cornbread - From Paula at Call Me PMC
• Stuffed Peppers with Cheesy Cornbread Crust - Robyn at Add a Pinch
• Mom's Mexican Cornbread - From Stacey at Southern Bite
• Taco Cornbread Muffins - From Stephanie at Plain Chicken 

Lets get started with the step by step directions on how to make this meaty cornbread skillet.

In a large skillet brown the ground beef or breakfast sausage, onion, garlic, and diced jalapeno peppers. Drain off any excess grease from skillet. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. In a large bowl mix the corn bread mix according to package instructions (substituting buttermilk for milk and adding the beaten eggs). Add the cream corn and one cup of shredded cheese. Mix to combine and set aside. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add one tablespoon of bacon grease to a large cast iron skillet (mine measures 11 inches). Place the skillet into the hot oven until the bacon grease melts and the skillet is nice and hot. Remove skillet and sprinkle enough corn meal to lightly cover the bottom of the skillet (this gives the cornbread a crispy bottom). You know it's hot enough when the corn meal sizzles. 

Pour half of the cornbread batter into the pan. Add the meat mixture and the remaining 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheese. Pour the remaining cornbread batter over the meat. Place the skillet in a 350 degree oven and bake for 30 - 35 minutes or until the cornbread is lightly brown on top and cooked through. Test with a toothpick by inserting into the cornbread if it comes out clean it's done.  

Cool in skillet about 10 - 15 minutes before turning the cornbread onto a serving plate. Slice and enjoy. Serve with a salad to complete the meal. 


Mom's Meaty Cornbread Skillet
(mommyskitchen.net)

Ingredients: 
2 - (7 ounce) pkgs Martha White Yellow Cornbread Mix (not corn muffin mix)
1 - pound ground beef or breakfast sausage
1/2 - cup onion, chopped
1 - clove garlic, minced
2 - 3 fresh jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced
salt and pepper, to taste
1 1/3 - cups buttermilk, well shaken
2 - eggs, well beaten
1 - (14 ounce) can creamed corn 
2 1/2  - cups cheddar, Colby Jack, or pepper jack cheese, shredded 
1 - tablespoon bacon grease 
cornmeal, for dusting of skillet

Directions:
In a large skillet brown the ground beef or breakfast sausage, onion, garlic, and diced jalapeno peppers. Drain off any excess grease from skillet. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. 

In a large bowl mix the corn bread mix according to package instructions (substituting buttermilk for milk and adding the beaten eggs). Add the cream corn and one cup of shredded cheese. Mix to combine and set aside. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add one tablespoon of bacon grease to a large cast iron skillet (mine measures 11 inches). Place the skillet into the hot oven until the bacon grease melts and the skillet is nice and hot. 

Remove skillet and sprinkle enough corn meal to lightly cover the bottom of the skillet (this gives the cornbread a crispy bottom). You know it's hot enough when the corn meal sizzles. 

Pour half of the cornbread batter into the pan. Add the meat mixture and the remaining 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheese. Pour the remaining cornbread batter over the meat. 

Place the skillet in a 350 degree oven and bake for 30 - 35 minutes or until the cornbread is lightly brown on top and cooked through. 

Test with a toothpick by inserting into the cornbread if it comes out clean it's done. Let cool, turn cornbread onto a serving plate, slice, and enjoy! 

Servings: 8

Cook's Note: I make this recipe with either ground beef or breakfast sausage. Trust me this dish is awesome either way. 

Last but not least! The nice folks at Martha White and Lodge Cast Iron are hosting a giveaways! One lucky Mommy's Kitchen reader will win a "Cornbread Prize Package" See below for details on how to enter. 

This Giveaway is now CLOSED! Thank you to all that entered. 

The winner of the cornbread prize package is comment #140 Karen Fluharty

Giveaway Prize Includes: 
1 - Lodge Cast Iron Wedge Cornbread Pan
1 - Copy of the Lodge Cast Iron Cookbook - A Treasure of Timeless, Delicious Recipes
1 - Package of Martha White Cornbread Mix

How to Enter: 
Just leave a comment on this post telling me how you like your cornbread? Do you like it sweet or just plain ole cornbread? (mandatory entry)

Bonus Entry: 
Click the Tweet button below and tweet this giveaway for a bonus entry.
(Come back and leave a separate comment for your tweet).

The giveaway starts Thursday, April 9th 2015 and closes on Wednesday, April 15th 2015 at midnight (CST). A random winner will be chosen and the winner will be contacted via email. The winner will have 48 hours to reply and claim their prize. If you comment anonymously please include your email address in the event that you're a winner. Giveaway is open to US Residents only due to shipping charges. 

Disclosure: This post is sponsored on behalf of Martha White. I was provided with a gift card for the products purchased to make this recipe and for my time and efforts in creating this post. All opinions are my own. 


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