Description
Cornbread Sausage Casserole is a comforting and flavorful dish combining savory pork sausage, sweet cornbread, creamy corn, and melty cheese with vibrant peppers. Perfect for breakfast, brunch, or dinner, this easy-to-make casserole delivers hearty satisfaction and colorful appeal.
Ingredients
Scale
Sausage Mixture
- 1 pound ground pork breakfast sausage
- 1/2 cup diced yellow onion (about 1 small)
- 1/2 cup finely diced red pepper (about 1 small)
- 2 diced jalapeño peppers (or 1/4 cup finely diced green pepper for milder flavor)
Cornbread Batter
- 1 (16-oz) box cornbread mix
- 1 (15-oz) can cream-style corn
- 2/3 cup water (or 1/3 cup water plus 1/3 cup buttermilk for richer taste)
Topping
- 1 (8-oz) package shredded Cheddar-Monterey Jack cheese
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 350°F. Lightly grease an 11"x7" baking pan to prevent sticking.
- Cook Sausage: In a skillet over medium heat, cook the ground pork breakfast sausage until it starts to brown.
- Sauté Vegetables with Sausage: Add diced yellow onion, red pepper, and jalapeño peppers (or green pepper as preferred) to the skillet. Cook for 4-5 minutes until the vegetables soften and the sausage is fully browned. Drain excess fat and set the mixture aside.
- Make Cornbread Batter: In a bowl, combine the cornbread mix, cream-style corn, and water (or water and buttermilk mix) until well blended.
- Assemble the Casserole: Spread a 1/2-inch layer of the cornbread batter evenly in the prepared baking pan. Layer the cooked sausage and vegetable mixture over the batter, then sprinkle the shredded Cheddar-Monterey Jack cheese on top. Finally, spread the remaining cornbread batter evenly over the cheese layer.
- Bake: Place the casserole in the preheated oven and bake uncovered for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cornbread comes out clean.
- Rest and Serve: Remove the casserole from the oven and let it stand for 10 minutes before slicing and serving to allow the layers to set.
Notes
- For a milder version suitable for children, substitute jalapeño peppers with green bell peppers.
- Use buttermilk instead of water in the cornbread batter to achieve a richer flavor and moist texture.
- Drain excess fat from cooked sausage to reduce greasiness and improve texture.
- This casserole works great for any meal of the day: breakfast, brunch, or dinner.
- You can add extra veggies like corn kernels or diced tomatoes for more flavor and nutrition.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 600 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 700 mg
- Fat: 39 g
- Saturated Fat: 15 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 20 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 38 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 24 g
- Cholesterol: 80 mg
