Skillet Ham and Cheddar Cornbread
This cheesy Skillet Ham and Cheddar Cornbread is filled with cubed ham, sweet corn, tangy green onions and cheddar cheese turning it into a meal in itself. It’s ideal for dressing up a bowl of beans, soup or stew and you’ll find the flavor combination to be a tasty twist on traditional cornbread. The skillet lends itself to a crisp and golden crust that makes it hard to resist.
Easy Skillet Ham and Cheddar Cornbread Recipe
I have a 10-inch cast iron skillet that my Mom gave to me several years ago. It’s perfect for making cornbread like this ham, cheese and corn filled skillet cornbread. I came across my skillet while sorting through my cabinets recently and after one look it was obvious, that it needed a little TLC. So, I set about to bring my skillet back to life. Cast iron skillets need to be used and kept “seasoned.” New cast iron skillets have been pre-seasoned during manufacturing, but, if you’re as fortunate as I am, to have been gifted a “hand me down” skillet you may need to bring it back to life. You can read more about seasoning cast iron on the Lodge Cast Iron website here. How to make Ham and Cheese Cornbread:
- Cornmeal – Plain white cornmeal. You could use plain yellow cornmeal, too.
- Flour – Plain all purpose flour.
- Fats – Solid vegetable shortening for the skillet and vegetable oil for the batter.
- Leavening – Baking powder and salt.
- Seasonings – Granulated sugar, onion powder and garlic powder.
- Milk – Buttermilk, low fat is fine.
- Eggs – 2 large eggs.
- Mix-ins – Diced ham, corn and green onions.
- Cheese – Shredded sharp cheddar cheese.
Iron Skillet Ham and Cheddar Cornbread
After researching how to re-season my skillet successfully, I was chomping at the bit to give it a whirl. I decided to bake a batch of ham and cheddar cornbread to use some delectable ham I had in the freezer. If you’ve never cooked in cast iron, you’re really in for a treat. Food actually tastes different when cooked in cast iron. Having my cast iron skillet back in circulation not only for making cornbread but also, main dish meals like my Nacho Beef Rotini Skillet and desserts like Apple Pie and more.
- Ingredients you’ll need to make homemade Skillet Ham and Cheddar Cornbread: Plain white cornmeal, all purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, buttermilk, vegetable oil, vegetable shortening, large eggs, shredded cheddar cheese, whole kernel corn, cubed ham and chopped green onions.
- Kitchen gadgets you’ll need: A 10 inch cast iron skillet or similar size oven safe skillet, mixing bowls, measuring cups and spoons, cheese grater, sharp knife and cutting board.
- You can bake this cornbread in a similar size oven safe skillet or baking dish.
- You can store leftover Ham and Cheddar cornbread chilled in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. Reheat in the microwave in single serving portions.
- You can use another flavor of cheese in the same amount. Use Swiss cheese, Asiago, Colby or Mozzarella cheese. Cheddar is always in my fridge and works extremely well with the ham.
- You can also freeze this cornbread after baking and cooling. Wrap in freezer wrap and store for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
More Southern Style Cornbread Recipes to Make
Cornbread ties with biscuits as the beloved house breads of the South. More cornbread recipes you may also like to try:
- Cheddar Bacon Jalapeno Bacon Cornbread Loaf is baked in a loaf pan.
- Skillet Zucchini Bacon Cornbread will have the kids eating their veggies and loving it!
- In the summer when fresh okra is is in season, it’s the perfect time to make homemade Okra Cornbread.
- Kickin’ Crab Corn Muffins are a fabulous and affordable way to stretch jumbo lump crab meat into more servings.
- When you need individual servings bake a batch of these Cornbread Muffins.
- The family will love this homemade Sweet Potato Cornbread in the fall.
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Helpful Kitchen Items:
Skillet Ham and Cheddar Cornbread
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp solid vegetable shortening
- 1 cup plain white cornmeal
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 3 Tbsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1 3/4 cups buttermilk
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup small diced ham
- 1 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese divided
- 1 cup whole kernel sweet corn
- 4 chopped green onions
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place 2 tablespoons of solid vegetable shortening into a 10 inch cast iron skillet and set it into the oven to preheat and melt the shortening.
- In a medium mixing bowl, sift together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, garlic and onion powders.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together buttermilk, vegetable oil and eggs until combined.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix together until all of the dry ingredients are fully moistened.
- Next, add ham, 1 cup of shredded sharp cheddar cheese, corn and green onions to the batter. Mix well.
- Remove the skillet from the oven and swirl the melted shortening around the pan coating the bottom and sides completely. Discard any excess.
- Pour the batter into the hot skillet and spread evenly. Sprinkle the remaining cheddar cheese on top.
- Place into the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
- Rest for 5 minutes before cutting and serving.
I found this recipe by googling ham and cheese cornbread. Figured if I thought it up, somebody else has already done it. I made it but used the smoked pork loin I had in the fridge and used cooked broccoli instead of corn. It is in the oven now. Pretty sure it will be amazing. Thanks for the recipe.
Welcome! Sounds great Karen and terrific improv as well.
Wow, now this is exactly what the doctor ordered. Thank you very much for this recipe!
Love my castiron set.
anxious to make this….. when you say 10inch pan —— where does it measure 10? on the bottom or the top? I know it is a silly question- but it could make a difference. I have contacted the mfg re sizes before, and they said the numbers were to indicate different skillets – not inches??? appreciate your help. sue
Wow that’s an interesting response from them. My skillets do have the size on the bottom. Measure across the skillet from side to side. You can also make this in a 9 x 9-inch baking pan if you prefer.
Sorry this response is 5 years late, but I just saw your recipe and this post. The numbers on the bottom of OLD cast iron skillets is not for size. It was to indicate which hole on the top of a cast iron stove the pan went. Thus the ridge that’s on the bottom of old skillets. The ridge held the skillet in the hole. However, if you’re measuring a skillet, you should measure the bottom. The recipe looks fantastic, by the way. I have bookmarked it for the future.
Hi Rita, you probably could in a pinch. You might consider 2 boxes of the Martha White corn muffin mix. Hope it works well for you!
In pinch, could I use prepared Cornbread mix and just add on the ham, chesse and green onions? Thinking of doing it for a breakfast in the office and it would be so much to mix and back while getting ready
Thanks,
Rita
Lard is usually in the refrigerated case of most any store. If you can’t find it in yours, look in any Mexican grocery store. They will have it for sure.
Thank you for this recipe, I’m sure it will be put into the supper
rotation here, and find it’s way into saddlebags for lunches.
I made this tonight. It was soooooo good
Sounds good to me! 🙂
heat my skillet with bacon grease or butter b4 oil,, but this pone a winner (Y)
@cisanana Great! Hope you like it, thanks for visiting! ~ Melissa
I use a solid vegetable shortening in this cornbread, like Crisco or any of your favorite brands of solid shortening will work equally as well. ~ Melissa
Where can you find lard these days? I don’t see it in the stores where I live in South Carolina.
Well, I just happen to have some leftover ham hanging out in the fridge! Guess what we’re having for supper! Thanks…..you’ve done it again 🙂 !
What a nice memory, thanks for sharing. The sugar in this cornbread lends a slight sweetness to the batter that we enjoy. You could certainly leave it out and have a more savory version like you describe your Grandmother making, if that’s your preference. Thanks for your visit. 🙂 ~ Melissa
My grandmother made yellow cornbread in the skillet as you have done. I can’t recall her putting sugar in hers unless she was making Cornbread Muffins and that was cooked in Muffin Tins. Why do you put sugar in yours? Another Corn Bread Nanny made was in a steep almost conical shaped bowl. It was called Scalded Corn Pones. These were made with White Cornmeal, salt, and Baking Powder to the best I remember. She stirred the dry ingredients together then formed a ole in the center with the fork and began adding the boiling water into the hole, stirring round & round to pull the cornmeal down into the water. When it was sticking together & could not be turned withe fork, she halved it & picked up one half slapping it from hand to hand fashioning the pone. If her hands got too hot, she put them in cold running water from the kitchen sink faucet. She had pre-heated a pancake flat skillet using bacon grease in a very hot oven. She would put the pone on that, quickly shape the second pone, add it on the skillet & then put them into the hot oven. These when came out of the oven there was a crisp light golden crust all the way around each pone and the center was slightly moist. My favorite way to eat it was right from the oven with lots of butter, sometimes also broken into a bowl then covered with cold milk. I don’t have a real recipe, sadly. I can remember Nanny telling to hurry passing the pone from hand to hand to keep my hand from being burned. She never had to put her hand in the cold water nealy as much as I did! Love Scalded Corn Bread!!!
Mama made her corn pone with white cornmeal, pinch of soda, 1 tsp of salt,and hot water using the method you described. She oftentimes added cracklings to this…yummy yummy yummy to my tummy, especially with turnips!
Crackling cornbread is so good it sounds like your Mama was a great cook. Thanks so much for sharing your memory.
Anytime!! 🙂
I will try that, thank you sweetheart!!
Thanks Didi! It was actually quite simple, the recommendation is to use lard [I know} but, I chose vegetable shortening and it worked like a charm! Clean, slather with shortening and put into a 200 degree oven for 2-3 hours. Wipe away the excess and use… Emeril has a posting on Food Network of his method…easy!
This sounds crunchy and decadent!!!
Another winner as usual my friend!!
So, if I send you my cast iron, can you fix it? LOL