Easy Cheesy Corn Casserole
Clear a spot on your Turkey Day table for this delicious corn casserole. All you need are a handful of pantry staples. It’s one of the easiest holiday sides you’ll ever make.
It’s crunch time. If you’re still finalizing side dish options for your Thanksgiving Day menu, I’ve got you covered with this quick and easy corn casserole. The ingredients are simple and probably already in your kitchen. Here’s what you’ll need:
Green pepper and onion – Simple aromatics like green pepper and onion add a little crunch, color, and flavor to this casserole. You can substitute red, yellow, or orange bell pepper for the green pepper if you prefer.
Butter and oil blend – Sauté the green pepper and onion in a couple tablespoons of a butter and oil blend, often called spreadable butter. As the name implies, it’s just a mixture of butter and oil. Of course, you could just use olive oil or butter to sauté the vegetables.
Flour and milk – To create the sauce that holds the corn casserole together, you’ll need a little flour and milk. The flour gets sprinkled over the sautéed vegetables and then cooked for a couple minutes. You’re creating a quick roux of sorts. When the milk hits the cooked, flour coated vegetables, a thickened sauce forms.
Extra sharp cheddar cheese – If you have “extra sharp” cheddar cheese, use it instead of a mild cheddar. Extra sharp cheese is aged longer, resulting in a bolder, more intense flavor. I also like using a small block of cheese and grating it myself instead of using bagged, shredded cheese. Pre-shredded cheese is often tossed in potato starch to keep the shreds from sticking together. The added starch can have a drying effect on the cheese that yields a somewhat gritty, dry texture when melted.
Sugar – While not absolutely necessary, a touch of sugar adds a little special something to this casserole.
Salt and black pepper – The seasonings for this simple side dish couldn’t be more basic, just salt and black pepper.
Corn – Frozen corn works really well in this recipe. I find the taste and texture of frozen corn superior to canned corn. Before stirring the corn into the cheesy sauce, make sure it’s thawed.
Grated parmesan cheese and thinly sliced green onion – Sprinkling a little parmesan cheese over the top of the corn casserole and heating it under the broiler creates a crusty, savory, and delicious topping. Just before serving, garnish the casserole with thinly sliced green onion. It adds a wonderful pop of color along with a fresh, subtle onion flavor.
If you’re looking to alleviate some food preparation stress on Thanksgiving Day, make this corn casserole one or two days in advance and keep it in the refrigerator. Let the refrigerated casserole sit at room temperature for one to two hours before placing it in the oven.
To your health,
Darlene
Follow Recipes Made Healthy on Instagram
EASY CHEESY CORN CASSEROLE
Yield: 6 servings
Serving Size: 1/2 cup
Prep: 10 minutes
Ready: 50 minutes
INGREDIENTS
Vegetable oil cooking spray
2 tablespoons spreadable butter and oil blend (such as Land O Lakes Butter with Olive Oil)
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced green pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 cup 1% milk
3/4 cup (2 ounces) shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 package (16 ounce) frozen corn kernels, thawed
3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
2 to 3 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an oven-safe baking dish with cooking spray; set aside.
In a large skillet, melt butter and oil blend over medium heat. Add onion and green pepper to skillet and sauté vegetables until crisp-tender, about 2 to 4 minutes. Stir in flour and continue to cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove skillet from heat and slowly add milk, stirring constantly until smooth. Reduce heat to medium-low, return skillet to heat and continue to stir until sauce thickens, about 1 to 2 minutes.
To thickened sauce, add cheese, sugar, salt, and black pepper and stir to combine. Add corn and stir to combine. Pour into prepared baking dish, place in oven, and bake (uncovered) for 30 to 35 minutes.
Remove casserole from oven and set oven temperature to broil. Sprinkle top of casserole with parmesan cheese. Return casserole to oven and allow parmesan topping to brown, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from oven and allow casserole to cool slightly, about 5 minutes. Garnish top of casserole with green onion and serve.
Cook’s note: One, 16-ounce package of frozen corn yields 3 1/3 cups of corn.
Nutrition Information per Serving
185 Calories, 8 g Total fat, 3.5 g Saturated fat, 0 g Trans fat, 18 mg Cholesterol, 284 mg Sodium, 22 g Total carbohydrate, 2 g Dietary fiber, 8 g Total sugars, 1 g Added sugars, 7 g Protein, 0 mcg (0%) Vitamin D, 156 mg (10%) Calcium, 0 mg (0%) Iron, 273 mg (6%) Potassium
© 2024 RECIPES MADE HEALTHY BY DARLENE ZIMMERMAN, MS, RD LLC
