How to make Hannah Dasher's Southern comfort food recipes
Looking for classic Southern comfort food?
Country singer and cookbook author Hannah Dasher stopped by "Good Morning America" on Thursday to share four Southern-inspired recipes from her cookbook "Stand By Your Pan," which features 100 easy, affordable dishes inspired by Southern cooking and country music.
From garlic cheddar butter biscuits and classic tomato pie to chicken scallop and nostalgic banana pudding, these recipes are perfect for your next family meal.
Scroll below for the full recipes.
1977 Banana Puddin'
"Nashville 1977: It was the year Elvis died, Skynyrd's plane crashed, and 'Smokey and the Bandit,' my favorite film of all time, was the highest-grossing film at the box office," Dasher writes alongside this recipe. "Meanwhile, Tammy Wynette was having a date night at home with her new boyfriend, Burt Reynolds. She nearly sent the movie star into a diabetic coma when she served him her famous banana puddin'. (True story. He passed out on her couch. She didn't realize he was hypoglycemic.) This is my version of that recipe, but I add sour cream to make it richer. Stand by Your Insulin."
Yield: Makes 8 to 10 servings
Ingredients
From-scratch vanilla pudding:
11-ounce box vanilla wafers, crushed, divided
2 cups sugar
1 cup self-rising flour
Pinch of salt
6 large egg yolks
5 cups whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
6 ripe bananas, sliced
For the meringue:
6 large egg whites, at room temperature (just let them sit out while making the pudding)
1/2 cup sugar
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spread half of the crushed vanilla wafers to cover the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Reserve the remaining wafers.
Make the pudding: In a large heavy saucepan or pot, whisk the sugar with the flour and salt. Add the egg yolks. Do not whisk the egg yolks yet or the mixture will be lumpy. Add 2 cups of milk, then begin whisking as you gradually add the remaining milk. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the pudding begins to bubble and thicken, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the vanilla. Let cool to room temperature. Fold the sour cream into the cooled pudding mixture.
In the baking dish, spread the sliced bananas evenly over the vanilla wafers and pour the pudding over the top. Sprinkle the reserved wafers over the pudding.
Make the meringue: In a medium bowl, with an electric mixer on high, beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. With the mixer running, gradually beat in the sugar to make a meringue with stiff and shiny peaks. Spread the meringue evenly over the top layer, being sure it touches the sides of the dish. Make it look pretty.
Bake the pudding until the meringue tips are golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Serve immediately or chill for 3 to 4 hours. The pudding can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Tips from Dasher:
1. Sour cream makes this richer -- allow the pudding to cool before adding it.
2. Toss your banana slices with a little splash of lemon juice to keep them from turning brown.
3. Skip the meringue and use sweetened whipped cream instead. Assemble the pudding and chill it. Add the whipped cream before serving.
4. For faster, stiffer peaks, make your meringue in a chilled glass bowl.
Chicken Scallop
"This makes chicken spaghetti feel shame," Dasher writes. "This was Grandma's recipe. It fits perfectly in two deep-dish pie pans -- one for you, one for a friend or the freezer."
Yield: Makes 2 casseroles, 6 to 8 servings each
Ingredients
8 ounces egg noodles
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1/2 large green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped (1 cup)
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups whole milk
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
1 rotisserie chicken, deboned, deskinned, and chopped, or 4 cups white and dark meat, cooked, seasoned, and chopped
1 1/2 cups small curd cottage cheese
4-ounce jar diced pimentos, drained
2 cups freshly shredded sharp cheddar, divided
Sweet or smoked paprika, for garnish
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Cook the egg noodles according to the package directions in salted water. Drain and rinse in a colander and set aside.
Melt the butter in an extra-large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, green pepper, and celery, and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Salt and pepper the veggies. Reduce heat to medium-low, and sprinkle in the flour, stirring well to coat the veggies. Gradually whisk in the milk until the mixture is smooth and thickened, about 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste and cayenne pepper, if using. Remove from the heat and stir in the chicken, cottage cheese, and pimentos, followed by the cooked egg noodles. Divide the filling between the prepared pans. Top each with 1 cup of cheddar and sprinkle of paprika.
Bake until bubbling, about 45 to 50 minutes. Serve hot.
Tips from Dasher:
1. This recipe makes two casseroles, great for feeding a crowd
2. It freezes well. Makes one to eat and one to freeze or give away to save you time down the road!
3. This is a great way to use up that leftover rotisserie chicken and the lonely celery, onion, and bell pepper sitting in your fridge.
4. One rotisserie chicken, if deboned correctly, should render 3 1/2 to 4 cups of meat. Don't leave any meat on the bones! All of that yummy dark meat is flavor!
Garlic Cheddar Butter Biscuits
"Pull UP, Red Lobster... these biscuits just stole yo' man," Dasher writes.
Yield: Makes 9 biscuits
Ingredients
3/4 cup unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), cut into tablespoons
2 teaspoons garlic powder, divided
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk, preferably full-fat
1 cup half-and-half
1 1/2 cups freshly shredded sharp cheddar
Dried parsley, for the topping
Directions
Preheat the oven to 450 F. Melt the butter in the oven in a square 9-by-9-inch baking dish while oven preheats. Remove the butter when it is melted but not brown, and whisk in 1 teaspoon of garlic powder. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the garlic butter in a small bowl for the topping. Leave the remaining garlic butter in the baking dish.
In a mixing bowl, whisk the remaining garlic powder, flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Pour the buttermilk and half-and-half into the flour mixture and stir just until moistened -- it can still be a little lumpy. Fold in the cheese. Pour the batter over the melted butter in the baking dish, and spread it evenly to the edges with your spoon. Using a dinner knife, cut the batter into 9 equal squares so the butter will travel everywhere. Pour the reserved garlic butter evenly over the batter. Sprinkle with dried parsley.
Bake until the biscuits are golden brown, about 25 to 28 minutes (reduce bake time by 5 to 10 minutes if using a metal baking pan). Let sit for 5 minutes and serve warm. You can reheat these the same day, and they'll taste fresh. Wrap a biscuit in a damp paper towel and microwave for 10 seconds.
Tips from Dasher:
1. You will need to double sift your flour before measuring it if you aren't using White Lily.
2. Shred your own cheese if time allows. You will notice the difference.
3. Great side for a seafood boil! Great for a BLT or shrimp salad sandwich.
4. To reheat, wrap each biscuit in a damp paper towel and microwave for 10 to 15 seconds.
Mama's Tomato Pie
"Simple and fancy at the same time," Dasher writes. "If you can't get homegrown tomatoes, buy Campari tomatoes. You don't have to peel them. Serve this for lunch, brunch, or as a side dish. This one's inspired by my hot mama."
Yield: Makes 8 servings
Ingredients
5 ripe Campari tomatoes, thinly sliced (about 1/2-inch)
Salt, for sprinkling
1 frozen deep-dish piecrust, thawed, pierced with a fork
1 heaping cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
1 large egg
2 cups shredded sharp Vermont white cheddar, divided
1/4 cup plain breadcrumbs
2 teaspoon brown sugar
4 slices thick-cut bacon, cooked until crisp, cooled and crumbled
1 medium sweet onion, such as Vidalia, chopped
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 F. Lightly sprinkle the tomatoes with salt on both sides. Place on baking sheets lined with paper towels, and cover with more paper towels. Let the tomatoes sweat on the baking sheet for about 30 minutes.
Line a deep-dish pie plate with the piecrust. Poke holes in the crust with a fork, top with foil, and fill with dried beans or uncooked rice. Bake 7 to 8 minutes. Remove the foil and the beans or rice, and set the crust aside. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 F.
In a medium bowl, whisk to combine the mayonnaise, Parmesan, and egg. Mix in 1 cup of the shredded cheddar.
Sprinkle the breadcrumbs in the bottom of the piecrust. Top with half of the tomatoes and sprinkle with half of the brown sugar, bacon, and onion. Spread with half of the mayonnaise mixture. Repeat layers and top with the remaining cheese. Tent the crust with foil. Bake about 35 to 40 minutes. Serve warm.
Tips from Dasher:
1. This is a great way to use up some of those tomatoes from your garden.
2. Campari tomatoes make a good substitute for homegrown tomatoes.
3. Add cooked bacon!
4. Multiple cheeses work for this dish -- Parmesan, Fontina, Gouda, mozzarella, Havarti, provolone, white and orange cheddar. Also add fresh herbs if you have them.
5. Replace the deep dish pie crust with two regular crusts.
