An easy cheddar chive spoonbread that requires just 5 minutes of prep! It’s as easy as stirring a few ingredients and popping it in the oven. The mixture of creamed corn, sour cream, and cheddar make this one of the best Thanksgiving side dishes!

Okay, I confess. 

The hardest thing about this garlic cheddar chive spoonbread is figuring out what to name it. I mean, some people call this spoonbread, others call it corn pudding, but regardless of the name, you need to know this a corn pudding or spoonbread or whatever it is, comes baked in a skillet or casserole dish spiked with sharp cheddar cheese, fresh chopped chives, and garlic powder. And if you think for a second that this corn casserole is one thing you can skip at the Thanksgiving (or Christmas) table, it most definitely is not.

I’ll be honest, up until a few years ago, I had no idea what spoonbread was. My best friend (and neighbor at the time) brought over some for me to try when she did a test run on her Thanksgiving side, and I hit her up with all the questions! What is spoonbread? Is that cornmeal? Did you add cheese? I mean, can you blame me? I was itching to make my own version of it!

It’s no secret how I feel about Thanksgiving sides. I mean, I love my garlic roasted brussel sprouts, sweet potato casserole, slow cooker creamed corn that I shared just the other day, brown butter honey glazed carrots, twice baked potato casserole, caramelized onion lentil rice, and the one-hour garlic herb dinner rolls that are not to be missed. Still, now I think I’ll have to retire one of these to make room for my new found love of cheesy spoonbread.

WHAT EXACTLY IS SPOONBREAD?

Spoonbread is exactly what it sounds like; a moist bread that is served with the help of a spoon. It’s most commonly made in the south using cornmeal and is a savory sort of pudding. The only real difference I find between spoonbread and corn pudding is that corn pudding usually also contains whole kernel corn, whereas out cheddar chive spoonbread usually only contains cream-style corn.

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO MAKE GARLIC CHEDDAR CHIVE SPOONBREAD?

• sour cream
• milk
• eggs
• butter
• cream-style corn
• chives
• seasonings (garlic powder, salt, sugar)
• corn muffin mix
• shredded cheddar cheese

HOW TO MAKE GARLIC CHEDDAR CHIVE SPOONBREAD:

1. Preheat the oven and prep the baking dish. You want to spray with cooking spray or grease it so that nothing sticks to the skillet or casserole dish.
2. Combine all the wet ingredients and the seasonings in a large bowl. Then stir in the corn muffin mix until just combined. You don’t want to overmix it once you add the cornbread mix so that the bread isn’t tough.
3. Bake it until it sets on the top, about 26-32 minutes. If you use a cast-iron skillet, it will take less time, and more time if you use a casserole dish.

I’M FEEDING A CROWD, CAN YOU DOUBLE THE SPOONBREAD RECIPE?

Yes, I think you could. If you’re feeding more people, you can simply double all the ingredients and pour this into a greased 13×9 baking dish and allow for the spoonbread casserole to cook for slightly longer until it sets.

TIPS FOR MAKING AWESOME SPOONBREAD:

• Use the cream-style corn found in the canned vegetable aisle
• Bake the spoonbread just ahead of serving time. You want to serve it while it’s still warm from the oven. This is one of those ideal dishes to make while the turkey is cooling. That little window of time is all you need to bake this spoonbread up!
• If you decide to make this earlier in the day, you can reheat it in a 200ºF oven for about 10-12 minutes. It does taste best when served warm from the oven!
• Play around with the flavors! I’ve made this with jalapeño and cheddar, as well as the cheddar and chive version. 
  • My friend that made this made it with roughly 4 ounces of defrosted green beans and a 1/2 teaspoon of mustard seeds. 
  • You could also swap the jalapeños for a minced chipotle pepper in adobo sauce to give this a Mexican twist!

I made several batches of this spoonbread while I was recipe testing, and I kid you not, we gobbled most of it right up! Leftovers went it to bowls of chili, served under eggs, and some was even eaten straight from the skillet.

I hope you’ll consider adding this as a side to your Thanksgiving menu, and if you’ve got guests coming that aren’t comfortable cooking, send this recipe their way. Just about anyone can make this simple spoonbread recipe!

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