I come from a very traditional midwestern family where some Thanksgiving traditions are not to be messed with. I don’t know how some of these culinary delights came to be, but I’m sure many of you can relate… the infamous canned green bean casserole made with canned cream of mushroom soup and canned fried onions? Plain white mashed potatoes with a stick of butter? Sweet potatoes made sweeter with sticky marshmallows? And I’m not sure if this is a midwest thing or a “my family” thing, but there’s always Jello (and not for dessert… it’s “dinner Jello”).*
I won’t be with my family this Thanksgiving, but if I were, I might bring something like this to spice things up…
I’ve had cornbread stuffing on my mind lately and when I saw these cute little poblano peppers at the farmers market, I knew they would add just the right kick (of course you could use jalapeños if you can’t find poblanos).
It’s a bit of an extra step to have to make the cornbread, but you can make it a day or two in advance. (And it’s ok if you sample a piece).
I mixed in some traditional stuffing ingredients – onions, celery, carrots, and sage – as well as some southwestern accents – scallions, cilantro and mexican oregano. And for a healthy kick I even snuck in some kale.
*disclaimer: my mom is also not a fan of the green bean casserole and of course she makes many other delicious Thanksgiving dishes aside from the ones I listed above. And “dinner-jello” is made with love by my Aunt Kathy, and was, in fact, my sister’s favorite dish as a kid.
{ loving this enamelware, pictured above, from the new West Elm Market }
Ingredients
- 1 batch of cornbread, coarsely crumbled (a recipe you like, or see below)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped carrots
- 1/2 cup chopped celery
- 1/4 -1/3 cup chopped poblanos or jalapeños (depends on how spicy you want it)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- scant 1/4 cup chopped fresh sage
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1/4 cup white wine (whatever you’re drinking)
- 1/2 cup corn (frozen works fine)
- 1/2 cup chopped scallions
- 1/4 cup dried currants
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced kale
- salt & pepper
- 1/2 cup almond milk, unsweetened
- 1/4 cup melted butter (or vegan earth balance butter)
- 1.5 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro (reserve some for garnish)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- In a large skillet heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, cook for a few minutes until they start to soften. Add carrots, celery, salt and pepper, and continue cooking until the vegetables soften. About 5 minutes. Add poblanos, garlic, sage, oregano and cook a few minutes more. Deglaze the pan with a splash of white wine. Add the corn, scallions, currants and kale (and some more salt) and cook for just another few minutes until the kale wilts down. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
- Whisk together almond milk, melted butter and maple syrup. Set aside.
- Place crumbled cornbread in a large bowl, add the cooked veggies from the pan, and toss it all together. Pour almond milk mixture on top and toss again. Mix in the chopped cilantro. Taste and adjust seasonings, keeping in mind that it will taste (a lot) less spicy once it’s baked.
- Pour into a greased 11×9 (or similar) pan and bake for approximately 15-20 minutes. You want the inside to remain soft, and the outside just slightly crisped. I turned my broiler on for the last 2-3 minutes to get a nice golden crust.
- *Alternatively, you could stuff this in the turkey and/or bake some separately if you have vegetarian guests.
Very beautiful pictures!!
Being from NZ (Thanksgiving doesn’t exist there) I do appreciate hearing of these tradational family dishes. Even if they make me giggle (I didn’t even know green beans came in a can!). I cant believe only one square of cornbread is missing. I know my husband and I would have to sample one each for sure. Great alternative to a typical stuffing – and the enamelware IS beautiful.
Mem’ries…..
That is the Thanksgiving of my childhood, along with a big turkey and the football game. Very thankful for not having to endure it any longer!
This looks amazing! I will definitely give it a try.
Yes, that is SO Midwestern!!! I live in Ohio and grew up eating every single Thanksgiving item on your list (except the sweet potato casserole but now my SIL brings it every year
I love cornbread by itself, and this variation looks and sounds amazing.
I have to know what goes into dinner jello, is it savory or sweet? I’ve never heard of that and am so curious!
It’s sweet (like, dessert sweet)… some people put cranberries in red Jello… my family’s recipe had a layer of cream cheese in the middle.
I’m pretty much a traditionalist when it comes to stuffing. No nuts, no fruit, etc. I like to keep things simple. But this?? This has to be made. I have a definite thing for cornbread and these flavors, but would have never thought to turn it into a stuffing. I know my husband and our friends would be a huge fan of this, so I might have to switch plans and make it for Thursday!
Spicy poblano stuffing sounds like a fabulous idea! Although I do think I’d have a hard time not just eating the pan of cornbread by itself…
yea… if it sat around any longer there would have been way less cornbread left for the stuffing. It was a matter of speed really…
Love this spin on regular stuffing. The cornbread and poblanos are a great add-in. I’m not a huge fan of the normal stuffing. This is a version I know I’d love. I’ll definitely give it a try soon
Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Yes! Just what I’m looking for! Traditional with a modern vegan gluten-free twist! Thank you!
This looks absolutely amazing!! I’ve been trying to come up with a vegan and GF stuffing recipe that my non-vegan family members will like too, and this sounds perfect! We’re in TX, so this Southwestern-style recipe is right up my alley; and I love that you used cornbread–genius!
Rachel
Thanks – I’m hoping my meat eaters will like it too
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We were just going through my husband’s late grandmother’s recipe box and were laughing at all the marshmallow recipes. And Jello recipes. My husband was telling me about how he had to suffer through quite a few of the recipes when he was younger. She was from the Mid-West also:)
aww, that’s sweet. Our family Jello was passed down through my grandmother as well
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