Thanksgiving 2020 recipes!

Thick cut bacon is the foundation of this recipe for bacon upside down jalapeno cornbread. One of my FAVORITE Thanksgiving 2019 recipes! I cook the bacon for a bit to crisp it up before pouring the jalapeno cornbread batter into the hot skillet. The rendered fat from the bacon keeps the cornbread from sticking and adds a smokey flavor to the cornbread while it’s baking.

If you like this bacon cornbread recipe then you’ll LOVE my Vidalia Onion Upside-down Cornbread recipe!

WATCH THE STEP BY STEP VIDEO

Bacon Upside Down Cornbread

This is by no means a low fat cornbread, the bacon fat is absorbed into the batter while cooking. If you make this and feel that there is excess bacon grease in the pan (say, more than 1/4 cup) feel free to spoon it out before pouring the batter in I’m working on a low fat cornbread recipe using Greek yogurt, I’ll post a link to that as soon as it’s done.

bacon upside down jalapeno cornbread recipe

Saute the chopped jalapeno and onion in a little oil before adding to the batter to soften it, then mix it into the cottage cheese. Cottage cheese in the batter makes this cornbread unbelievably moist and lemon juice helps to make the bread tender. If you like this you’re going to LOVE my recipe for Vidalia Onion Upside Down Cornbread

Lodge Cast-Iron Skillet L10SK3ASHH41B, 12-Inch

Serve it with this EASY STOVETOP MAC AND CHEESE RECIPE!

This bacon upside down jalapeno cornbread would go great with my Church Basement Collard Greens and Slow Cooked Barbecued Pulled Pork

I do add a bit of sugar to my cornbread to enhance the flavor of the cornmeal. It’s not a lot of sugar, so the cornbread is not sweet.

bacon upside down cornbread recipe sweetsavant.com America's best food blog

bacon upside down jalapeno cornbread recipe

Demetra Overton

You will need a 12 inch cast iron skillet

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Prep Time 20

Cook Time 30

Total Time 50

Servings 8 -10 servings

Ingredients

1½ cups of fine ground yellow or white cornmeal
1 cup all purpose flour
1 and ½ teaspoons kosher salt
⅓ cup white sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
4 eggs
16 ounces of 2% cottage cheese
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup jalapeno peppers from 1-3 jalapeno peppers
1/2 cup chopped onion from one small onion
1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
8-9 strips of thick cut bacon
1/4 cup milk if you need to thin the batter You might not need it

Instructions

Heat the oven to 400 degrees
Remove the seeds from the jalapeno and dice it (you should have about 1/4 cup total)
Dice the onion
Saute the onion and jalapeno in the oil over medium heat until softened but not brown, about 5 minutes. Remove the jalapenos and onion from the skillet and let them cool while you mix the batter.
Combine the cornmeal, flour, salt, baking powder and sugar in a bowl and stir well to combine
In another bowl beat the eggs and stir in the cottage cheese and lemon juice
Combine the cottage cheese, the cornmeal mixture, and the sauteed peppers and onions. Stir and add milk if you need to thin the batter
Let the skillet cool off then lay the strips of bacon into the skillet
Cook the bacon over medium heat on the stovetop for about 3 - 5 minutes
Turn off the heat and flip the bacon over keeping it in order
Spoon the batter carefully over the bacon strips
Place the skillet into the oven and bake for 20 - 25 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center will come out clean
Let the cornbread rest for about 5 -10 minutes
Run a butter knife around the edge of the pan to make sure the cornbread isn't stuck
Place a platter on top of the skillet and, using pot holders, invert the cornbread onto the platter

bacon upside down jalapeno cornbread

36 Comments

36 Comments on bacon upside down jalapeno cornbread recipe

Zakary Morton
November 23, 2017 at 12:04 am (7 years ago)

I’m trying this for Thanksgiving tomorrow! Probably a little late to ask, but I don’t have a cast iron skillet. I’m going to use a stainless steel pan of the same size…should I increase the baking temp? And by how much would you recommend?

I’ll let you know how it turns out!
Reply
- Demetra Overton
  December 12, 2017 at 1:04 am (7 years ago)
  
  Hi Zakary! I was away for the holiday and am just seeing your question. I would not change the oven temperature when using a stainless steel pan. The cornbread should come out just fine. Increasing the oven temperature may scorch the cornbread
  Reply
Dugan W Kowal
August 10, 2017 at 5:04 pm (7 years ago)

Recipe looks fantastic! Making it soon and was wondering what other hot peppers would work? I’ve got a garden full of jalapeño, Anaheim, Poblano and Hungarian hot peppers. Thoughts?
Reply
- Demetra Overton
  August 10, 2017 at 10:55 pm (7 years ago)
  
  Wow, your garden sounds AMAZING! Poblano peppers are not very hot but they would add a delicious flavor to the cornbread. I think they would be my first choice. Anaheim peppers are also pretty mild when it comes to heat. I haven’t tried the Hungarian hot peppers, I’d love for you to try them in the cornbread and let me know what you think.
  Reply
Walter
June 4, 2017 at 9:11 pm (7 years ago)

Hi, again. I posted a year ago with a question. I found out that if you flip the cornbread over while still warm, it collapses/compresses enough to form a flat, non wobbly bread.
New question…I haven’t tried it yet but if I put the bacon slices on top of the cornbread, will the bacon sink into the batter or will it float on top? Again, I’d like to keep my “mountain” effect on the cornbread with the bacon on top. I’ve seen other websites use crumbled/chopped bacon sprinkled on top, and it stays on top.
Thanks for any help.
Reply
- Demetra Overton
  June 5, 2017 at 3:01 pm (7 years ago)
  
  Hi Walter, I haven’t tried this recipe with whole bacon slices on top. I think that if the bacon is thinly sliced it has a better chance of staying on top of the bread than if you used a thick slice of bacon. Thanks so much for reading
  Reply
Carol Mackey
October 20, 2016 at 9:43 pm (8 years ago)

Demetra, since baking powder’s chemical reaction begins immediately with the addition of a liquid, for a lighter cornbread, you might sautee the onions and peppers and cook the bacon before adding the wet ingredients to the dry. You could add the bacon fat instead of oil, let the bacon fat, onions and peppers cool a bit (so the eggs aren’t scrambled) while the bacon continues to crisp, then add the mixture to the wet ingredients, pour the batter over the bacon, and continue from there. Besides enjoying it with many different dishes, I love cornbread split and toasted, then slathered with butter and honey, or just in a bowl with milk and honey, warmed in the microwave a bit, for breakfast, Your recipe is definitely one I will be trying! Thank you!
Reply
- Demetra Overton
  October 21, 2016 at 1:16 am (8 years ago)
  
  Thank you for your suggestions!
  Reply
Laura Gatrel
October 19, 2016 at 5:40 am (8 years ago)

I am cooking this tomorrow, I just bought 3 lbs. of thick cut sugar cured bacon.
Reply
- Demetra Overton
  October 19, 2016 at 5:42 am (8 years ago)
  
  FANTASTIC! I hope you enjoy the recipe!
  Reply
April Ozbilgin
August 29, 2016 at 12:31 pm (8 years ago)

This looks so delicious. I am a “true Southerner” and I don’t put sugar in my cornbread but I would say many Southern cooks put a little sugar in many savory dishes but I don’t. I think it is really just personal preference. I will definitely try your recipe though.
Reply
- Demetra Overton
  August 29, 2016 at 8:38 pm (8 years ago)
  
  Hi April! I totally agree with you. It’s all about personal preference, a little sugar doesn’t make it too sweet. I think it just takes a bit of the harshness away from the cornmeal.
  Reply
Jonelle cash
August 6, 2016 at 12:49 am (8 years ago)

I make a sour cream corn bread that is the best .iuse 1 cup corn meal.2 eggs.1/2 cup coconut oil.1 cup sour cream .2 tsp baking powder.1/2 can cream corn mix well bake at 400 till done best ever
Reply
- Demetra Overton
  August 6, 2016 at 1:59 am (8 years ago)
  
  That sounds DELICIOUS! Thanks so much for sharing your recipe Jonelle.
  Reply
Sarah
July 13, 2016 at 11:32 pm (8 years ago)

Can you replace the cottage cheese worth anything?
Reply
- Demetra Overton
  July 14, 2016 at 1:39 am (8 years ago)
  
  You can try the same amount of Greek yogurt instead of the cottage cheese if you like.
  Reply
Teresa Sexton
July 4, 2016 at 3:49 pm (8 years ago)

This sounds so Awesome! I am gonna try it with Butter beans which will be a first for me never made dry butter beans with ham any suggestions on how to prepare?
Reply
- Demetra Overton
  July 4, 2016 at 10:51 pm (8 years ago)
  
  Thanks so much Teresa. I think the ham and butter beans sound delicious. Just simmer the butter beans in water (3 cups of water to every one cup of butter beans) with the ham bone, half an onion and some ham scraps for 45 minutes to one hour. Skim the foam off during cooking. Season with salt if necessary (the ham may be salty enough) after cooking.
  Reply
Walter
June 8, 2016 at 7:18 am (8 years ago)

I take it your cornbread comes out flat so you don’t have to worry about flipping it over? I’d like to use my own recipe for cornbread, but mine usually grows in the middle. Flipping it over would result in the cornbread wobbling when cutting.
Reply
- Demetra Overton
  June 8, 2016 at 12:23 pm (8 years ago)
  
  Hi Walter. I’ve made this cornbread quite a few times, it rises but I’ve never had it dome in the middle. It may be because my batter is very thick, but I’m not sure it that is the reason. All I can say is give your recipe a try in a cast iron skillet and see how it turns out. Turning your oven temperature down by 25 degrees may help as well. This will cook the batter more evenly. When the oven temperature is high the outside of the cornbread will set first while the center continues to rise.
  Reply
Meegan
May 4, 2016 at 5:13 pm (9 years ago)

So excited to have joined your mailing list everything I’ve read looks Yummy! BTW My boyfriend and I are both “true southerners” And he likes sugar and I don’t if it’s sweet cornbread, BUT I’m not going to deviate from your recipe, and I’ll adjust if need be.
Reply
- Meegan
  May 4, 2016 at 5:14 pm (9 years ago)
  
  And I also use flour in my cornbread
  Reply
- Demetra Overton
  May 4, 2016 at 11:52 pm (9 years ago)
  
  That’s the way to go Meegan. Try it and adjust for your taste. I hope you like it.
  Reply
Harry kennard
May 3, 2016 at 2:30 am (9 years ago)

I have been making bacon cornbread for years. If I have just corn meal I use a little flour, if it is corn meal mix I do not use flour. sometimes I use onions or jalapenos or what ever the mood I am in. I never use sugar, but it is everyone to his own taste.
Reply
- Demetra Overton
  May 4, 2016 at 12:50 am (9 years ago)
  
  I totally agree, Harry. To each their own. Make these recipes your to fit your taste.
  Reply
Betty
March 1, 2016 at 9:53 pm (9 years ago)

I would use buttermilk instead of cottage cheee
Reply
- Demetra Overton
  March 1, 2016 at 10:15 pm (9 years ago)
  
  That certainly is your choice, Betty. Thanks for reading.
  Reply
Patricia Stanton
February 23, 2016 at 1:57 am (9 years ago)

I am a true Southerner…I would never, ever use flour in my cornbread!! It just makes it too “cakey”. When I eat cornbread…I want cornbread. Other than that, I will try the other ingredients as they sound really good.
Reply
- Demetra Overton
  February 23, 2016 at 2:05 am (9 years ago)
  
  Thanks for reading, Patricia. My aunt, the woman who inspired this recipe, is also a true Southerner and she put flour in her cornbread. There are all sorts of “true Southerners” who do all sorts of things.
  Reply
Joyce
February 21, 2016 at 9:36 pm (9 years ago)

I don’t use sugar in my cornbread any more due to diabetes, I don’t really miss it
Reply
- Demetra Overton
  February 21, 2016 at 11:33 pm (9 years ago)
  
  Yes Joyce, it’s important to adjust recipes to fit your needs. It certainly will be delicious either way
  Reply
  - Vicki
    February 23, 2016 at 2:59 pm (9 years ago)
    
    Do you drain the bacon grease?
    Reply
    - Demetra Overton
      February 23, 2016 at 4:10 pm (9 years ago)
      
      Hi Vicki. I didn’t drain the bacon grease, It keeps the cornbread from sticking and adds flavor. This certainly is not a low fat dish. If you make this and feel that there is excess bacon grease in the pan (say, more than 1/4 cup) feel free to spoon it out before pouring the batter in. Thanks so much for reading.
      Reply