Mexican Corn Casserole with Bacon – How to make the most delicious Mexican corn casserole recipe with Jiffy cornbread, green chiles, cream cheese, and bacon. The best holiday comfort food!
My boys are serious about their sides. When it comes to Thanksgiving sides, they have their absolute favorites, one of which is now this Mexican corn casserole with a Tex-Mex twist.
I mean, I do have to admit, corn casserole is the perfect side to go with turkey, ham, stuffing, the works. Of course, on any ordinary day, I love to pair this creamy casserole with a good burger.
The fact this Mexican street corn casserole has bacon? Well, bacon just makes everything better, right?
I'm going to out on a limb here and tell you that while I thought it would be impossible to beat our favorite Jiffy corn casserole recipe… I actually love this Mexican cornbread casserole even more. Like Mexican Corn, it's full of Tex-Mex flavor, and I am a sucker for Tex-Mex.
Wanna make corn casserole in your slow cooker? This slow cooker corn casserole is ah-mazing!
If you love a good Tex-Mex comfort food recipe, you may enjoy Mexicali meat pie too.
I JUST WANT THE RECIPE! TAKE ME TO THE RECIPE FOR MEXICAN CORN CASSEROLE WITH BACON!
If you’d rather skip all of my cooking tips, important cooking info for this recipe, and similar recipe ideas – and get straight to the delicious Mexican corn casserole recipe – just scroll down to the bottom, where you’ll find a printable recipe card.
WHY SHOULD I USE JIFFY CORNBREAD MIX IN CORN CASSEROLE?
We use just half of a JIFFY Corn Muffin Mix in our casserole. Just mix it in with the rest of the ingredients.
Using just half the mix gives stability but not so much that the casserole is more like a cornbread than an actual casserole.
Instead the cornmeal gives the casserole a little bit of breading, just enough to keep it very moist and creamy but also have enough substance to bake well.
It also adds just a hint of sweetness, bringing out the flavor of all the ingredients.
IS CORN CASSEROLE THE SAME AS CORN PUDDING?
I guess this could be considered to be the same as corn pudding. You're basically mixing a bunch of ingredients together to create a creamy side dish.
And the casserole isn't fully stable, like a slice of cornbread would be. It requires you to spoon it onto your plate, no eating with your hands here!
DO I HAVE TO USE CILANTRO IN THIS BAKED CORN CASSEROLE?
No, you do not. Cilantro is totally optional.
In fact, I leave cilantro out, mainly because Dan doesn't care for the taste. While it's grown on me, I'm not a HUGE fan of cilantro either.
WHAT IS COTIJA CHEESE AND WHERE CAN I FIND IT?
Did you know there is a website completely dedicated to cheese, all kinds of cheese?
According to Cheese.com, Cotija cheese “is a Hispanic-style cheese named after the town of Cotija in the Mexican state of Michoacán. It's also made mostly from cow's milk.
It does crumble, so it kind of resembles feta cheese in that way; but in taste, it's got a LOT more flavor, in my opinion. Since it has zero carbs, Dan likes to eat it on a lot of foods, including salads.
This cheese also doesn't melt, so it'll make your casserole look as though you've sprinkled parmesan on top.
And I'll warn you… While cooking and after you remove your casserole, the cheese can smell a bit like vomit; there, I said it. Do me a solid, though, and just take one bite of this delicious casserole. I promise, you won't be disappointed.
You can usually find Cotija cheese in the cheese or deli section of your store; our Walmart had it with all of the Hispanic cheeses, next to the Queso Fresco cheese. It's a small, round, white block of cheese.
CAN I FREEZE MEXICAN STREET CORN CASSEROLE?
While I haven't had the need to freeze it, I don't see why you couldn't freeze it, and I wouldn't hesitate to do so.
The ingredients used in this casserole are all conducive to freezing. Just cover it well, so it doesn't get freezer burnt.
TIPS FOR HOW TO MAKE MEXICAN CORN CASSEROLE WITH BACON
Looking ahead, you'll want to cook the bacon. You'll also need to chop up the green onions and shred the cheddar cheese.
The steps to this recipe are really simple and easy…
- Mix together the cream cheese, mayo, heavy whipping cream, butter, sugar, and sour cream in a medium saucepan, and allow to cook on low heat until the cream cheese has melted. Stir constantly so the mixture doesn't scorch.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together the creamy mixture, crumbled bacon, green onions, green chilies, frozen corn, half the JIFFY Corn Muffin mix, chili powder, salt, pepper, and shredded cheddar.
- Pour the entire corn casserole mixture into a greased 9″x13″ baking pan.
- Then let the oven work its magic for about an hour.
- When it's all baked and ready to go, you can crumble Cotija cheese on top and let it bake an additional 10 minutes or so.
And that's it! Easy peasy, so simple, yet so delicious!
WHAT CAN I PAIR WITH MEXICAN CORN CASSEROLE?
While it makes a delicious holiday side with both turkey and ham at Thanksgiving and Christmas, it also pairs really well with a good burger and the following main dishes:
Sweet Chili Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs
Maple Pork Chops with Apples and Onions
IF YOU LOVE THIS MEXICAN CORN CASSEROLE RECIPE, TRY SOME OF OUR OTHER CORN FAVORITES:
Mexican Corn on the Cob with Bacon
Grilled Corn in the Husk with Honey Butter
KITCHEN TOOLS YOU’LL NEED TO MAKE MEXICAN CORN CASSEROLE:
Cutting Board and Knife – for mincing the green onions and crumbling the bacon.
Cheese Grater – Use to grate cheddar cheese for your casserole.
Saucepan – You’ll need a medium-sized saucepan to cook up the cream cheese mixture.
Heat Resistant Spatula – Works well for stirring and scraping the sides of the pan.
Large Mixing Bowl – Use to mix all of the ingredients together.
Casserole Dish – Use to bake the Mexican corn casserole.
MEXICAN CORN CASSEROLE RECIPE
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Mexican Corn Casserole with Bacon
Ingredients
- 6 slices bacon
- 3 whole green onions minced
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 teaspoon pure cane sugar
- 1 tablespoon sour cream
- 4 ounces green chiles chopped
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 32 ounces frozen corn
- 1/2 box JIFFY Corn Muffin Mix
- 1/2 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 ounces Cotija cheese
- 3 tablespoons cilantro optional
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 325°.
- Cook the bacon and set it aside.
- Mince the green onions, shred the cheddar cheese, and set both aside.
- In a medium saucepan, add the cream cheese, mayo, heavy whipping cream, salted butter, sugar, and sour cream.
- Cook the mixture on low heat until the cream cheese is fully melted. Constantly stir to keep the mixture from scorching.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together the cream cheese mixture, crumbled bacon, green onions, green chiles, chili powder, frozen corn, 1/2 the box of JIFFY Corn Muffin Mix, shredded cheddar, salt, and pepper.
- Spray a 9"x13" baking dish with cooking spray.
- Pour the casserole mixture into the baking dish, making sure it's evenly spread throughout the pan.
- Bake at 325° for about 55 minutes or until the mixture is set.
- Add crumbled Cotija cheese* to the top of the casserole, and bake an additional 10 minutes.
- Sprinkle with cilantro, if desired.**
- Serve while warm and enjoy!
YUM – will have to try this with our HCG group get togethers. Thanks for sharing at last week’s Reader Tip Tuesday. We hope to see you at this week’s party. xo
http://www.jodiefitz.com/2018/09/18/reader-tip-tuesday-weeks-craft-recipe-party-14-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2/
Thank you, Jodie!