I kind of feel like I’m one of the last people on Earth to learn about Spoon Bread. This classic Southern dish has been around for a VERY long time. It’s just not something that I grew up eating for Thanksgiving. I’m a huge fan of cornbread, so I was pretty sure that I’d like spoon bread. It’s soft, almost like a pudding, and can be eaten with a spoon. Hence the name.
Some recipes call for whipping the egg whites, while others omit that step. I love the light, soufflé-like texture that it adds to the spoon bread. It’s worth the extra step, I promise. 🙂
If you’re looking for delicious side dishes for Thanksgiving, then give this Smoked Mozzarella and Corn Spoon Bread a try! The smoked mozzarella gives it a incredibly delicious smoky flavor that pairs very nicely with the corn.
Speaking of which, if you haven’t tried smoked mozzarella, get on that stat. It’s amazing. I purchased the Rumiano brand, which is organic and seriously delicious! I found mine at Natural Grocers, but I know that Sprouts carries some of their cheeses also.
Smoked Mozzarella and Corn Spoon Bread
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp butter
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup frozen organic sweet corn kernels
- 2/3 cup corn meal
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
- pinch of cayenne pepper
- 4 eggs , whites and yolks divided
- 1 cup shredded smoked mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° F. Butter an 8x8 casserole dish and set aside.
- In a 2-quart saucepan, combine milk, butter, cornmeal, corn, sea salt, smoked paprika and cayenne. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer, stirring frequently, until mixture is slightly thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in cheese, then let cool until just warm to the touch, about 15 minutes. Stir in the egg yolks until combined.
- While the cornmeal mixture is cooling, beat the egg whites in a clean mixing bowl until soft peaks form. Stir a 1/3 of the whites into cornmeal mixture until combined, then gently fold in the remaining whites with a rubber spatula. Pour into prepared dish and place into the preheated oven. Bake until the top is lightly browned and just set, about 25-30 minutes. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes before serving.