Description
Honey Cornbread Pasta Bake is a sweet and savory one-pan dish featuring a moist honey cornbread base layered with cheesy pasta and caramelized sausage. It’s a bold, comforting fusion perfect for family dinners or potlucks.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 2 cups elbow or small shell pasta
- 1 box cornbread mix (or homemade batter)
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup milk (for cornbread)
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp butter, melted
- 1/2 lb sausage (spicy or sweet), cut into small chunks
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup cream cheese or sour cream
- 1/2 cup heavy cream or milk
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Fresh thyme or rosemary (optional garnish)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease a large baking dish.
- Boil pasta until just under al dente. Drain and set aside.
- In a skillet, brown sausage pieces. Add garlic and onion; sauté until translucent. Remove from heat.
- In the same pan, stir in cream cheese, cream, and half the cheddar. Mix until smooth. Add cooked pasta and sausage, stir to coat.
- Prepare cornbread batter by combining cornbread mix, eggs, milk, honey, and melted butter. Stir until smooth.
- Pour cornbread batter into baking dish as base layer. Spoon pasta and sausage mixture on top. Sprinkle remaining cheddar over it.
- Bake for 30–35 minutes until golden and bubbling.
- Cool for 10 minutes. Top with sour cream or fresh herbs if desired. Serve warm.
Notes
- Use spicy sausage and jalapeños for extra heat.
- Can be made vegetarian with mushrooms or beans.
- Freeze in slices for quick future meals.
- Add veggies like corn or spinach for more texture.
- Prep ahead and bake just before serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 510
- Sugar: 9g
- Sodium: 740mg
- Fat: 28g
- Saturated Fat: 14g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 42g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 19g
- Cholesterol: 115mg