Cornmeal Cheddar Chipotle Waffles

Serve up these cornmeal cheddar chipotle waffles with salsa and a fried egg for the ultimate breakfast for dinner. Side of bacon optional!

When did breakfast for dinner become a thing? Was it always a thing? I can’t recall ever having pancakes or waffles for dinner as a kid, but suspect I would have been pretty pumped to do so. And I definitely recall a few times circa college having cereal for dinner, because that’s delicious and requires zero effort. In fact it’s possible I still have cereal for dinner sometimes when the husband travels and the little one is already asleep. It’s the little things.

Maybe that’s where it starts? You pour cereal a few times for dinner, because it sounds good and you can, and pretty soon you’re reflecting on the truth that tons of breakfast foods are amazing, and there’s no good reason to cordon them off to the first meal of the day. Before long, you’re day-dreaming about not only traditional pancakes and french toast, but envisioning new ways to combine or spice them up to make them 125% worthy of dinner. No? Just me?

Cornmeal Cheddar Chipotle Waffles

Whether your day-dreams are about dinner or anything else, I suspect we can all get behind the idea of eating waffles at any time of day. This savory take jumps with flavor – you’ll mix grated cheddar, chives, and diced chipotle chili peppers right into the thick cornmeal batter.

Put an Egg On It

The waffle recipe is adapted, barely, from one of the most fun cookbooks we own, Waffles by Dawn Yanagihara. A whole cookbook devoted to the joy of waffles? Obviously!

And my favorite toppings are inspired by this oldie-but-goodie Joy the Baker affair. Because adding a fried egg and salsa is never wrong. We chowed these with a generous spoonful of relatively mild pico de gallo, which added a certain freshness without getting into competition with the waffle. That said, I’m sure any salsa you enjoy, or, uh, have in the fridge, would be delicious.

[clickToTweet tweet=”The ultimate breakfast for dinner? Cornmeal cheddar chipotle waffles with salsa and a fried egg!” quote=”The ultimate breakfast for dinner? Cornmeal cheddar chipotle waffles with salsa and a fried egg!”]

How about you? Do you make breakfast dinner? Do you use “regular” breakfast recipes or spin them somehow? I’m on this train now and craving more inspiration, so please help me out in the comments below!

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Cornmeal Cheddar Chipotle Waffles

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 15 mins

Total Time: 30 mins

Servings: 8 waffles

Serve up these cornmeal cheddar chipotle waffles with salsa and a fried egg for the ultimate breakfast for dinner - side of bacon optional!

Ingredients

For the Waffles:

• 1 cup (140 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (150 grams) stone-ground yellow cornmeal
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 4 ounces (115 grams) sharp cheddar cheese shredded
• 2 eggs
• 1 3/4 cups (420 mililiters) buttermilk
• 1 chipotle chili in adobo sauce minced and seeded
• 6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled
• 1-2 tablespoons minced chives to taste

To Top:

• Salsa
• Fried eggs

Instructions

• Preheat a waffle iron. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, sea salt, and baking soda. Add the cheese and toss to combine, using the whisk or your hands to break up any large clumps.
• In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs until well combined, then whisk in the buttermilk and stir in the chipotle chili. Slowly stir in the butter. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients, and fold gently just until the batter is evenly moistened. Add the chives and fold again gently.
• Pour a generous 1/2 cup of the batter (or the recommended amount for your iron!) into the waffle iron, and use a rubber spatula to spread the batter close to the edges. Close the lid and bake the waffle until deep golden brown. Remove waffle and plate immediately or transfer to the oven. (See note below.) Top with salsa and a fried egg, or any other fixings your heart desires.

Notes

1. If you would like to serve all the waffles at once, keep them warm and crisp in the oven until you’re ready to eat. Preheat the oven to 225 degrees F (110 degrees C), position a wire rack in the middle position, and transfer cooked waffles directly from the waffle iron to the wire rack until it’s time to serve.
2. If you have a few minutes to spare, allow the waffle batter to rest after you fold in the chives and before you begin pouring it into the iron. This is not strictly necessary, but I have found nearly every waffle batter, this one included, yields a finished product with a nicer texture if allowed to rest for a few minutes at this stage.

Nutrition Estimate

Calories: 383kcal, Carbohydrates: 31g, Protein: 15g, Fat: 21g, Saturated Fat: 11g, Cholesterol: 247mg, Sodium: 404mg, Potassium: 342mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 805IU, Vitamin C: 0.2mg, Calcium: 242mg, Iron: 2.5mg

Did you make this recipe?Leave a review below, then snap a quick picture and tag @nourishandfete on Instagram so I can see it!

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American, Tex-Mex

Keyword: cornmeal chipotle waffles

Author: Monica | Nourish + Fete

Inspired by Joy the Baker and adapted from Waffles by Dawn Yanagihara