Healthy Cornmeal Recipes

Serve this simple vegetarian side dish warm or room temperature alongside grilled meats and a stacked summer salad. A flash under the broiler leaves these slices of corn-studded polenta golden on the outside and soft on the inside; an herby, smoky tomato-pepper salad acts like a salsa to be spooned over the top.

These crispy and golden hush puppies, studded with bits of onion and jalapeño, get a healthy makeover by skipping the deep fryer. The air fryer delivers on the classic crispy crust while using just a fraction of the oil from the classic version.

Stirring chopped corn kernels into the batter and serving these homemade hush puppies with a lemony herb yogurt sauce give these tasty bites fresh flavor. Holding the frying oil at a steady 360 degrees F prevents the dough from absorbing too much.

Serve these crispy zucchini fritters with creamy dill-yogurt sauce during the summer when zucchinis are abundant at the farmers' market (or in your backyard garden). The key to the best fritters is moisture management. Zucchini is primarily made up of water, so this recipe starts with a two-step process of salting and squeezing the vegetable to remove as much of that water as possible. Once that simple step is done, this easy healthy recipe comes together in a snap.

This cheesy corn casserole is surprisingly light and fluffy, thanks to eggs and a whirl in the blender. The sweet corn batter and salty Cheddar cheese make this casserole pleasing to kids and adults alike.

This simple gluten-free cornbread recipe makes a great side dish for chili night or use it in your favorite cornbread stuffing recipe to easily make it gluten-free-friendly.

When corn stands are full of fresh, tasty corn in late summer, grab a few extra ears for this 35-minute corn cake recipe. Loaded with fresh corn, carrot and green pepper, each patty is cooked until crispy and golden-brown and served with a cilantro-lime yogurt dip.

Baking cornbread in a cast-iron skillet results in the ideal crispy crust enclosing a tender crumb. In this recipe, tender corn kernels provide additional texture. As with many recipes, how much sugar you like in your cornbread may depend on how your grandmother made it, so add more or less sugar to taste.

Mushrooms are a rich, meaty addition in this healthy cornbread stuffing recipe. Here we use oyster mushrooms, but you can use any variety you like. If you have time, bake the cornbread a day or two in advance so it has time to dry out a bit, which lets it absorb the flavors more readily.

Cornbread studded with plenty of herbs gives this classic stuffing a subtly sweet flavor.

Made with edamame, a variety of healthy vegetables and served over hearty polenta, this recipe is vegetarian, flavorful, and filling.

Creamy polenta is topped with a mixture of tomatoes and shrimp in this 25-minute seafood entrée. Don't skimp on the orange peel--it adds a delicious zest to this under-200 calorie meal.