
Breakfast Cornbread Casserole with Ham and Kale
The combination of ham and kale is traditional for a reason: it’s so unbelievably good. But this satisfying casserole is easy to adapt to other greens and meat pairings, depending on what you have on hand: Try cooked sausage with frozen spinach or Andouille with frozen mustard greens.
Level: Easy
Total: 1 hr 25 min
Prep: 10 min
Inactive: 15 min
Cook: 1 hr
Yield: 8 to 10 servings
Ingredients
Creamed corn:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the baking dish
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Two 16-ounce bags frozen corn, thawed
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 pound thick-sliced deli ham, diced
5 ounces frozen kale (about 1 3/4 cups)
Cornbread topping:
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup shredded sharp yellow Cheddar
Hot sauce, for serving
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 2-quart oval baking dish.
2. For the creamed corn: Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper, and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the corn and cream, and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reduces in volume and bubbles rapidly, about 15 minutes. Transfer 2 cups of the corn mixture to a food processor, puree until smooth, then stir it back into the skillet. Fold in the ham and kale. Transfer the creamed corn to the prepared baking dish; set aside. Clean the food processor bowl.
3. For the cornbread topping: Pulse the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper in a food processor to combine. Add the butter, and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add the cream and 1/2 cup of the Cheddar, and pulse until the batter just comes together.
4. To assemble: Sprinkle the cornmeal batter over the creamed corn. (Don’t worry if the corn isn’t completely covered; the batter will puff and spread as it bakes.) Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup Cheddar. Place the casserole on a baking sheet, and bake until the corn is bubbling and the crust is puffed and golden brown, about 35 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes. Serve with hot sauce.
- 3 tablespoons Unsalted Butter plus more for greasing the baking dish
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Two 16 ounce bags frozen corn thawed
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1/2 pound thick-sliced deli ham diced
- 5 ounces frozen kale (about 1 3/4 cups)
- 3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
- 3/4 cup All Purpose Flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon Sugar
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 sticks cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces (12 tablespoons)
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup shredded sharp yellow Cheddar
- Hot sauce, for serving