Navajo Cornbread

A rustic, savory cornbread recipe chocked full of jalapeno peppers, jack cheese, creamed corn and green onions.

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Two years ago we had a potluck dinner at work for Christmas. As I always do, I skipped right past the bread when I was fixing my plate.

I don’t skip the bread because I’m low-carbing it or because I have a gluten allergy, I skip it because when there are 40’leven amazing, savory dishes and homemade desserts, I ain’t taking up any real estate in my stomach with bread.

I just so happened to be standing in line next to Bubba, one of my coworkers, and he asked me why I wasn’t going to get some of his wife’s cornbread.

Not wanting to offend Bubba (or his wife), I snagged a little square of cornbread. When I sat down to eat, I obligingly tasted a tiny nibble of the cornbread.

And completely and totally fell in love.

It was this rustic, savory cornbread chocked full of jalapenos and cheese and corn and green onions and it was glorious! It wasn’t even hot anymore because it had been cooked hours, if not days ahead of our feast but it was still magnificent!

I, of course, found Bubba and asked him for his wife’s recipe. He said he’d ask but never came through with the recipe. Over the next year I’d ask him again occasionally and all he’d tell me was that she found it online.

Time passed and I never got the recipe.

Then guess what Bubba brought to the potluck again the next year?? That’s right! His wife’s glorious cornbread!

I cornered Bubba and asked for the recipe again and again he told me it was from the internet. I made him asked him politely to pull his phone out and call her right now dang it! please call to ask for the recipe.

Thankfully she responded and sent me a copy of the recipe!

When I tell you I am IN LOVE with this cornbread, I mean it. Now, I’ll tell ya, it’s a lot of ingredients and work for one lee-little ol’ pan of cornbread but I promise it's worth it.

Sometimes I serve it with a crock pot of pinto beans over rice and don't even worry about cooking any meat. It really, really is that good.

Or if I want to put on the dog when we have folks over for a football game and I have a big pot of chili on the stove, I'll make this to go with it.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO MAKE NAVAJO CORNBREAD

• yellow cornmeal
• flour
• baking powder
• salt
• eggs
• can of creamed corn
• sour cream
• milk
• vegetable oil
• jalapeno pepper
• green onions
• colby jack cheese

WHY IS IT CALLED NAVAJO CORNBREAD?

I have no idea. I didn't come up with the name for it. I can't tell you if it's a traditional Navajo recipe but I doubt it. I can't count how many recipes out there are named after regions, countries and people that have nothing to do with their namesakes. Russian Tea Cakes and Mexican Wedding Cookies are the same recipe and are not even a thing in either country.

All that being said, I was a little concerned about being insensitive so I tried to research it. I didn't find an authentic Navajo recipe like this but I did learn that cornbread originated with Native Americans (later becoming a staple for many African slaves). I imagine whoever originally named this cornbread recipe was likely trying to pay homage to its Native American roots.

NOTES ABOUT MAKING NAVAJO CORNBREAD

• Use PLAIN yellow cornmeal. Not self-rising. If you can't find plain cornmeal, see the next note. 
• I don’t know for sure if this can be made with self-rising cornmeal since I haven't used it myself but I imagine it can – I would use 2 cups then omit the plain cornmeal and flour and reduce the salt and baking powder by half.
• This recipe is NOT spicy so long as you properly seed the jalapenos. If you’d like to add some heat, keep all or some of the pepper seeds in the recipe.
• That's not a type where it says to use 2 teaspoons of salt. It's perfect. The original recipe calls for one tablespoon of salt. Yikes, right?!

Recipe for Navajo Cornbread

Navajo Cornbread

Yield: 18 Servings

Author: Mandy Rivers | South Your Mouth

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 1 HourTotal time: 1 H & 15 M

A rustic, savory cornbread recipe chocked full of jalapeno peppers, jack cheese, creamed corn and green onions.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups plain yellow cornmeal
• 1/2 cup plain flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 14-oz can creamed corn
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 cup milk or buttermilk
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely diced
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped (about a cup)
• 8 oz. colby jack cheese, shredded

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13x9 baking dish or 12-inch cast iron skillet (cooking spray works fine).
2. Combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt then stir to combine; set aside.
3. Combine eggs, creamed corn, sour cream, milk and vegetable oil in a large bowl then mix well. Stir in cornmeal mixture, jalapenos, onions and cheese.
4. Pour cornbread mixture into greased pan then bake at 350 degrees for 55-70 minutes or until golden brown and set in the center (cast iron will cook faster). Let cornbread rest in the pan 15 minutes before serving.

Notes

• Use PLAIN yellow cornmeal. Not self-rising. If you can't find plain cornmeal, see the next note. 
• I don’t know for sure if this can be made with self-rising cornmeal since I haven't used it myself but I imagine it can – I would use 2 cups then omit the plain cornmeal and flour and reduce the salt and baking powder by half.
• This recipe is NOT spicy so long as you properly seed the jalapenos. If you’d like to add some heat, keep all or some of the pepper seeds in the recipe.
• 8 oz of cheese yields about 2 cups shredded.
• That's not a type where it says to use 2 teaspoons of salt. It's perfect. The original recipe calls for one tablespoon of salt. Yikes, right?!

https://www.southyourmouth.com/2019/01/navajo-cornbread.html

Images and text © South Your Mouth LLC 2019

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