Creamy Cornbread Casserole

My Creamy Cornbread Casserole is a tender and delicious corn spoonbread that makes an excellent side dish for Thanksgiving or even your favorite bowl of chili!

CREAMY CORNBREAD CASSEROLE

When you think of cornbread you might think of something more along the lines of my Sour Cream Cornbread, cut into deliciously perfect squares and paired with a steaming hot bowl of chili. Cornbread makes a fantastic side for holiday meals too, and a great corn casserole is almost always a staple. This Creamy Cornbread Casserole is a delicious marriage of the two!

I recently had on opportunity to attend the Iowa Corn Quest, sponsored by Iowa Corn. I, and a bunch of other food bloggers, had the experience of a lifetime learning about corn, the processes involved with growing it and keeping it healthy, and all the different uses like clean energy and livestock feed in addition to just being something delicious that we enjoy at the dinner table.

One of the last meals we enjoyed together was a Mexican fiesta that included a creamy cornbread casserole side dish. Believe it or not it was something I’d never eaten before and I knew that I had to try it out at home.

What makes this Corn Casserole so special?

• It’s sweet and creamy, with a texture somewhere between a bread and a pudding.
• It’s got corn three ways: regular sweet corn kernels, creamed corn and cornmeal, for loads of sweet, crisp corn in every bite.
• No mixes here! I make my own Jiffy style cornbread mix from scratch!

HOW TO MAKE CORNBREAD CASSEROLE

A typical baked corn casserole has creamed corn and sweet corn, mixed with a binder like flour, cornmeal and eggs. A creamier dish is going to include milk or sour cream; sometimes a lot of sour cream. I was going for something that was creamy and full of sweet corn flavor, but had more of a cornbread-like texture. This Creamy Cornbread Casserole fit the bill perfectly.

Here are the ingredients you need to make corn casserole

• Corn – I used one can of creamed corn and one can of sweet corn kernels. This gives a nice creamy texture along with the contrasting pop of the kernels.
• Sour cream – I only used a half cup of sour cream to make this corn casserole extra creamy.
• Homemade Jiffy Cornbread mix – A lot of the recipes you’ll see online call for a box of cornbread mix. You could certainly use that, but I just sort of made my own cornbread mix with flour, cornmeal, baking powder and a little sugar. Same taste and texture without all the extra “stuff” added.
• Butter – makes everything better.
• Cheddar cheese – I am a sucker for cheese in cornbread so I knew I needed to add a little to this cornbread casserole. Make sure to shred it off the block yourself. The pre-shredded cheese in the bag has a preservative coating that makes it difficult to melt.

The result was a soft and creamy, tender corn side dish. My kids couldn’t get enough of this amazing corn casserole and I kind of felt the same way. The texture was beautifully soft and creamy with a slightly sweet completely delicious cornbread flavor. This Creamy Corn Casserole will definitely be making the rounds this holiday season!

CAN I MAKE CORN CASSEROLE THE DAY BEFORE?

Absolutely! This cornbread casserole can be prepared a day before; just let it cool, then cover and refrigerate. To heat, bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. You could also just prepare the batter in advance, then bake it according to the instructions in the recipe below. You may need to add a few minutes due to the casserole being chilled.

Serving Suggestions

There isn’t much that won’t go with this casserole! If you want to add a little color you could sprinkle some freshly chopped parsley on top but I like it just the way it is. One thing I will say about serving is you may want to keep a spoon handing to eat with. It is more like a thick pudding than a bread.

What to do with leftovers

Cover leftover cornbread casserole tightly and store in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave or enjoy cold.

To freeze, allow the casserole to cool completely. Scoop into an airtight freezer container and freeze for up to 6 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat in the microwave to serve.

Here are some more delicious corn recipes:

• Cheesy Hot Corn Dip
• Mexican Street Corn Salad
• Chili and Cornbread Skillet
• Hot Mexican Corn Dip
• Microwave Corn on the Cob

Creamy Cornbread Casserole

My  Creamy Cornbread Casserole is a tender and delicious corn spoonbread that makes an excellent side dish for Thanksgiving or even your favorite bowl of chili!

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Servings: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup yellow corn meal
• 3 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 15- ounce can whole kernel corn drained
• 1 15- ounce can cream style corn
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup butter 1/2 stick, melted
• 1/2 cup freshly shredded sharp cheddar cheese or more to taste

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 8 or 9-inch round or square baking dish.
• In a small bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine the cans of corn, sour cream, melted butter, cheddar cheese and flour mixture until combined. *If you are a fan of cheesy cornbread, feel free to add more cheese.
• Pour mixture into the prepared baking dish and bake for 50 minutes or until golden brown and set in the middle.
• Serve warm.