Monday Munchies: Spicy Cornbread Skillet Pie

I’ve made Texas Pepper Jelly’s Spicy Cornbread Skillet Pie in several ways now, and each one was equally yummy! The basic recipe stays the same – it’s the fruit and pepper jelly choices that jazz it up.

Basic recipe:

1 teaspoons olive oil
1 pound any kind of sausage your family likes – I’ve used kielbasa, links, bulk sausage, and all kinds of Italian and Polish sausage. Your call, here.
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 8.5 oz box of corn muffin mix
1/2 cup grated parmesian
1/2 cup milk – I use skim
1 large egg
1/2 cup Texas Pepper Jelly – any flavor
1/2 cup whatever kind of fruit your pepper jelly choice used
(My family likes Berry Medley best, with blackberries, for this dish.)

Set your oven to 400.
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil, add the sausage, brown on all sides.
Drain the meat well, but don’t pour out the oil from the skillet yet; you still need it. On a cutting board, cut the sausage into small pieces, an inch or less, and let the pieces drain some more on thick paper towels.

Add the peppers and onion to the skillet and cook, stirring constantly, for a few minutes; then stir in the garlic. Stir a few more minutes, and add the sausage pieces to the skillet. Turn the burner OFF. If you are using a cast iron skillet, leave contents in it and cover them with your fruit and pepper jelly choice. If your skillet is not oven-friendly, transfer contents to a large baking dish and THEN cover with the fruit and pepper jelly choices.

In a large bowl, mix together the corn muffin mix, Parmesian, milk, and egg. Spread this batter over the skillet/baking dish mixture, leaving a quarter-inch border.

Bake in your 400 degree oven until golden brown, which should be for about 15 minutes. If a toothpick comes out icky, let it bake another five minutes.

My family loves this dish for breakfast, claiming that sausage makes it breakfast food. However, I think it’s even better left over, and I like it for lunch as well.

I also like it hot OR cold, but my family prefers it hot. We usually spread more pepper jelly over the top of the corn bread, too. I put mushrooms in it once, but my family did not care for that so I’ve never done it again. I used some leftover corn once, too, and that went over really well.