Sweetly, light, and crumbly, cornbread has a grainy texture and flavor that complement perfectly when served as a side to any hearty meals. The yellow, pillowy, heavenly squares may look modest at first, but once you taste them, there’s no going back.
The beauty of cornbread is that it is quite versatile and can be paired with many dishes. You can never run out of options from soups and vegetables to devouring them on their own with a pad of butter.
What to eat with cornbread? Other than chili, cornbread pairs well with meat, soup, beans, seafood, and chicken.
Furthermore, it tastes good as a side kick for main dishes including ground beef chili, meatloaf, bean and ham stew, chicken noodle soup, pork chop and gravy, BBQ beef or ribs, salmon patties and fried chicken.
Cornbread is made with cornmeal, butter, and a touch of sugar, honey or maple syrup. The balance creates a sweet and salty, or sweet and spicy flavor that marries well with other savory dishes.
From breakfast to summer seasons, cornbread is a good side dish that goes well with a variety of dishes such as roasted veggies, creamy soup and hearty meats. In this article, we answer the frequently asked questions about what to eat with cornbread that’ll explode in your mouth every bite.
What flavor goes well with cornbread?
Cornbread goes well with fruits like fig, raspberry, apricot and orange flavors. Due to its natural sweetness, it will greatly blend with less sugary spreads.
Other than sweetness, here are some savory and spicy flavor combination that you can try out:
- cornbread + jalapeño + feta cheese
- cornbread + butter + salt
- cornbread + butter + honey
- cornbread + cheddar cheese + thyme
- cornbread + bacon + maple syrup
However, jam, honey and butter are the most commonly preferred spreads for cornbread consumption. These flavors are a great addition to cornbread since they not only add taste, but also make it palatable.
What is cornbread traditionally eaten with?
Cornbread is traditionally eaten with butter, jam or honey. It is regarded as incomplete if butter, jam or honey is excluded, and the spreads are typically served on the side.
However, depend on the region, cornbread is eaten with different sides. In the southern states, the cornbread is eaten with molasses, while on the other hand northern states prefers butter and honey.
Cooked vegetables are also well-known dish that are traditionally eaten with cornbread as well. These vegetables include kale, collard greens, and spinach that simply sautéed with salt, pepper, and olive oil.
What dish goes well with cornbread?
Cornbread can be served hot, warm, or at room temperature. No matter what condition it is in, the slice of cornbread makes a perfect side dish to improve a main dish.
If you are looking for dishes other than chili, soup or steamed and buttered vegetables, here are other option that go well with cornbread:
- Meat: roasted pork, roasted chicken, barbecue chicken, meatloaf, pork chop, BBQ beef or ribs, fried chicken
- Seafood: salmon patties, crawfish cornbread with gravy, shrimp chili
- Stew: beans and ham stew, sage thyme chicken stew, beef stew, lentil stew
- Jam: strawberry, blueberry, raspberry, blackberry, fig, sour cherry chia, chili jam
- Butter: honey butter, maple butter, fluffy whipped, herb honey, cinnamon honey butter, maple brown butter
The flavor combinations on each dish are generally superb; thus is much recommended due to the sweetness of the cornbread, which is combined with a savory hit from the main dish.
When making specialty butter or jam, combining cornbread with less sugary recipes helps control the sweetness present in the bread, making it suitable for consumption.
What soup goes well with cornbread?
Dipping crumbly texture cornbread into hearty and delicious soup is something you cannot go wrong with. Whether it is vegetarian, seafood or meaty soup, the sweetness of cornbread blends well with savory, spicy, and salty stew.
Here are soup options to pair with cornbread for maximum flavor:
- potato soup
- mushroom soup
- cheeseburger soup
- roasted butternut soup
- cannelloni bean-vegetable soup
- apple and butternut squash soup
- collard green soup
- cowboy soup
- roasted tomato soup
- tortilla soup
- taco soup
- albondigas soup
- minestrone
- shrimp soup
- french onion soup
Eat With Cornbread: Conclusion
When inspiration and creativity are put on pause, cornbread can turn out to be a boring snack by itself. However, one can pair cornbread with other dishes to get the most out of it.
Most people pair cornbread with spreads such as honey and butter or molasses depending on the region. But there are various dishes to pair with other than chili.
From soup to stews, BBQ beef or chicken and seafood dishes, the sweetness of cornbread balances well and gives a sweet and savory taste to every bite.
The crumble is easy to soak in the liquid from soup, making cornbread a great side dish to serve with tortilla soup, creamy potato or vegetable soup.
Whether cornbread is served hot, warm, or at room temperature, use these flavor combinations to enjoy your meal every time.