Cornbread Panzanella

Greetings from Peru! (That’s future me talking to you — I’m clearly writing this on the bus home to Maryland the night before my flight. Ah the powers of the Internet and pre-scheduled publishing.)

Most years, our Thanksgiving plans involve at least three dozen family friends and multiple 15-pound turkeys. We go potluck-style (my fam is usually on dessert duty) and get a wide array of Turkey Day staples: mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, stuffing, sauteed greens, garlic bread — and that’s not even mentioning the array of Indian dishes that family friends usually make.

But even with all of these dishes, there’s no way to please everyone. My beloved Brussels sprouts rarely make an appearance, since few people on Earth love them as much as I do. Roasted vegetables get pushed out, since the turkeys hog all of the oven space. So does cornbread, because when there’s already mashed potatoes and garlic bread and stuffing on the table, who has room for more carbs? It’s a shame, since all of those things are delicious. (Especially Brussels sprouts.)

Usually, the least interesting menu item at Thanksgiving is the salad. A pile of salad greens, some sliced out-of-season cherry tomatoes, a cucumber or two, some sliced baby carrots, all slicked with bottled salad dressing — perfectly serviceable, but hardly anything to write home about. I’ll put some on my plate in a fake show of virtue, but it’s easily my least favorite part of the dinner.

This cornbread panzanella livens up your holiday salad and also allows you to feature those items that are so neglected in your Thankgsiving spread. Roasted Brussels sprouts and butternut squash (the original recipe called for sweet potatoes, but given my previous mishaps with those, I went with the much safer pre-cut squash) are tossed with baby spinach, a balsamic vinaigrette, cheese and toasted cornbread cubes, which are tossed with rosemary and thyme, balancing the sweetness of the cornbread nicely.

The salad components can be made ahead easily: whether you’re making the cornbread from scratch or buying it like I did, you can take care of that a few days early. You can also roast the vegetables a few days in advance and mix up the dressing the morning of dinner. Toast the cubes and toss the salad together just before serving, and voila — a delicious Thanksgiving salad.

(This is also a great way to use up leftover roast veggies and cornbread, if your spread happens to include these. Also, can you invite me over? I love cornbread.)

Cornbread Panzanella
Adapted from Naturally Ella
Serves 4-6

– 1 pound cornbread (for convenience I used store-bought, but the original recipe includes instructions for making your own)

– 1/4 cup olive oil, divided

– 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

– 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary

– 1 20-ounce package diced butternut squash

– 2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved

– 1-1/2 shallots, diced

– salt and pepper, to taste

– 3 cups fresh baby spinach, washed and dried

– 2 ounces blue cheese, crumbled

– 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

– 1 tablespoon brown mustard

1) Preheat the oven to 350F. Cut the cornbread into 1/2-inch cubes. Toss the cornbread with 1 tablespoon olive oil and rosemary, then place on a lined baking sheet and toast for 13-15 minutes, stirring halfway, until the cornbread is firm and browned.

2) Toss the butternut squash, Brussels sprouts, shallots, 1 tablespoon oil, and salt and pepper. Roast until the vegetables are browned, 40-50 minutes.

3) While the vegetables roast, combine the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil with the balsamic vinegar and mustard. Stir well until the dressing is combined.

4) To serve, combine the roasted vegetables, toasted cornbread cubes, spinach and blue cheese in a large bowl. Drizzle dressing on top and toss until the panzanella is well coated.