On a cold, dreary day, there’s nothing quite as comforting as a cozy casserole. This recipe is quick and easy to prepare. You can even prepare it ahead and store it in the fridge for 1-2 days before baking. It’s warm comfort food at its finest!

Recipe

• 5 slices bacon
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 cup gluten free flour (1:1 flour works best)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup cooking oil
• 1 cup shredded cheddar
• 1-2 cups steamed chopped broccoli

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In 9×13″ pan, spread bacon pieces. Bake in preheated oven for 10-15 minutes. Remove slices and set aside to cool. With basting brush, coat bottom and sides of pan with bacon grease, then pour off remaining grease.

In a large bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Slowly stir in milk, egg, and oil until well-combined. Crumble cooled bacon pieces. Stir in cheddar, broccoli, and bacon pieces.

Pour mixture into prepared baking dish and spread evenly.

Bake at 375 degrees F for approximately 30 minutes, until brown and crispy.

Cut into pieces to serve.

Notes

While I used traditional bacon for this recipe, it could work well with a turkey bacon or another bacon substitute. If you are vegetarian or vegan, the bacon could also be eliminated altogether. Simply grease the baking dish with traditional oils.

For simplicity and cost-effectiveness, I find that 1:1 flour mixtures are hard to beat. I’ve had great success with both Bob Mills’ 1:1 Gluten Free Flour and Namaste Perfect Flour Blend, but there are countless great options out there.

I try not to use refined sugars if possible. This recipe does call for some sugar, and I typically use organic cane sugar. You could also substitute another sweetener, such as honey or stevia instead.

The milk in this recipe can easily be substituted with almond, coconut, or oat milk. Or, if you aren’t able to use any kind of milk (or just don’t have it on hand), you could always use water. It will make the casserole a little less rich, but shouldn’t impact the bake or flavor significantly.

If you aren’t able to eat eggs, there are some easy substitutions. You could use a vegetable egg product, chia, or flax. I’ve also had good results with 1 Tbsp of vinegar and 1 tsp of baking soda.

Since the quantity of oil in this recipe is small, I often use canola or avocado oil. You could also use coconut oil, or eliminate the oil altogether and use 1/4 of unsweetened applesauce.

This recipe includes the steps to make the cornbread from scratch, but if you struggle with fatigue or pain and need an easy shortcut, it could also be made with boxed cornbread mix. A great gluten free cornbread option that’s also affordable is Aldi’s Live GFree cornbread mix. Just use two boxes of mix (prepared as indicated on the package) and add cheddar, broccoli, and bacon and bake as described above.

If you need a dairy-free or vegan option, simply swap out the cheese in this recipe for a shredded vegan cheese. For a slightly different flavor, you could also try substituting with goat cheese.

This casserole can be eaten alone, or paired with baked beans or a tasty soup.

Enjoy!