Name: Southwest Creamed Corn Casserole with Cornbread Topping
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Cuisine: Southwest
Ingredients: 2 slices bacon; 1 tbsp of the bacon grease from cooking; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 1/3 cup diced onion; 1/2 red bell pepper, diced; 2 tbsp jalapeño, diced (seeds removed); 1/4 tsp sea salt; 1/4 tsp black pepper; 3 oz cream cheese (I use reduced fat); 2 1/4 cups milk (I use 2%); 3 cups corn kernels (fresh, frozen or canned); 1/2 cup cornmeal; 1/4 cup white whole wheat flour (or all-purpose flour); 1 tbsp sugar; 2 tsp baking powder; 1/4 tsp salt; 1 large egg; 2/3 cup buttermilk; 2 tbsp butter, melted

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For a fun side dish with a southwestern kick, try this baked southwest creamed corn casserole with cornbread topping. A creamy, corn filling with bacon and peppers gets topped with a layer of easy homemade cornbread that will have everyone coming back for seconds!

Where are my creamed corn fans? Mr. Table loves all things corn, but especially creamed corn. So I made this creamed corn casserole with a few more of his favorites - bacon, jalapeños, and cornbread - for an irresistible side dish that might just become a new tradition at your holiday table.

Why You'll Love This Southwest Creamed Corn Casserole

Even if you're not a huge fan of creamed corn, you're sure to love this twist on a classic southern side dish. It's a creamy, dreamy, pepper and bacon-filled creamed corn casserole topped with golden cornbread, baked in the oven until nice and bubbly. It's simply delicious.

And unlike most creamed corn and creamed corn casserole, this one uses no heavy cream, no canned creamed corn, and no roux. It gets it's rich, creaminess from a simple mixture of a little cream cheese and plain milk. There's also relatively little butter for such a deceptively decadent dish.

How To Make Southwest Creamed Corn Casserole With Cornbread Topping

First, make the luscious creamed corn filling.

Start by cooking a couple strips of bacon. I prefer to cook bacon in the oven for less mess but cook it however you'd like. Reserve about 1 tablespoon of the grease and crumble or chop the bacon into small pieces.
Sauté the peppers, onions, and garlic in the reserved bacon grease until they're softened a little but not mush.
Lower the heat and stir in the cream cheese and milk. You will have to use a whisk to get the mixture nice and smooth. Let it cook until thickened, but don't boil.
Add the corn and bacon into the cream cheese mixture and mix it all up. Then pour it into a prepared baking dish.

Next, make the cornbread batter.

Whisk together the dry ingredients: cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
Add the wet ingredients: egg, buttermilk, and melted butter. Mix until just blended. The batter will be a little lumpy and that's fine.

Finally, spoon the cornbread batter evenly over the creamed corn filling. It doesn't have to be perfect since the batter will expand while baking. Bake at 400°F for 25-30 minutes until you have bubbly, creamy perfection.

Ingredient Substitutions

The world is full of picky eaters and special dietary needs, and I'm sure your table is, too. Try these substitutions to fit your needs and those of your family.

To make this dish vegetarian, simply leave out the bacon. Use the cooking oil of your choice to cook the peppers and onions instead of bacon grease.
For gluten-free, use your favorite gluten-free cup-for-cup blend in place of the whole wheat flour in the cornbread batter.
If you don't have buttermilk for the cornbread batter, you can make soured milk by adding ½ tablespoon fresh lemon juice or white vinegar to a measuring cup, then filling it to the ⅔ cup line with regular milk.
Fresh, canned and frozen corn all work in this recipe. If you're using canned corn, drain the juices. If you're using frozen corn, thaw and drain it before using.
I used 2% milk in this recipe, but any kind is fine (whole, skim, etc.). I also use Neufchatel cheese (sold next to the cream cheese as one-third-less-fat cream cheese), but regular cream cheese is fine, too.

If you made this recipe, please leave a star rating in the comments!

Southwest Creamed Corn Casserole with Cornbread Topping

Print Recipe

For a fun side dish with a southwestern kick, try this oven-baked southwest creamed corn casserole with cornbread topping. A creamy, corn filling with bacon and peppers gets topped with a layer of easy homemade cornbread that will have everyone coming back for seconds!

Author: Kaleigh
Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 60 min
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Yield: about 8 servings 1x
Category: side dish
Method: baked
Cuisine: Southwest

Ingredients

Scale

2 slices bacon
1 tbsp of the bacon grease from cooking
2 cloves garlic, minced
⅓ cup diced onion
½ red bell pepper, diced
2 tbsp jalapeño, diced (seeds removed)
¼ tsp sea salt
¼ tsp black pepper
3 oz cream cheese (I use reduced fat)
2 ¼ cups milk (I use 2%)
3 cups corn kernels (fresh, frozen or canned)

For the Cornbread Topping:

½ cup cornmeal
¼ cup white whole wheat flour (or all-purpose flour)
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1 large egg
⅔ cup buttermilk
2 tbsp butter, melted

Instructions

Heat oven to 400°F. Lightly grease an 8- or 9-inch baking dish.
Cook bacon using your preferred method (I like the oven) until crispy, reserving 1 tablespoon of the grease. Crumble bacon and set aside.
In a large skillet, heat reserved bacon grease over medium low heat. Add garlic, onion, bell pepper, jalapeño, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until vegetables are softened, about 5-10 minutes.
Reduce heat to low and add cream cheese and milk. Whisk until smooth. Continue cooking and stirring until sauce is slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.
Turn off heat and stir in corn kernels and crumbled bacon.
Pour mixture into prepared baking dish.
Make the cornbread batter. In a medium bowl, mix dry ingredients together. Stir in wet ingredients and mix until just blended.
Carefully spoon cornbread batter evenly over the top of the corn mixture in the baking dish. It's okay if it doesn’t go all the way to the edges. It will expand and spread in the oven.
Bake 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes before serving.

Notes

Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator.
This recipe can be doubled for a 9x13" dish.
To save yourself dishes, you can cook everything in a cast iron skillet, from cooking the bacon, to stirring the filling together, to baking.
To make this dish vegetarian, simply leave out the bacon. Use the cooking oil of your choice to cook the peppers and onions instead of bacon grease.
For gluten-free, use your favorite gluten-free cup-for-cup blend in place of the whole wheat flour in the cornbread batter.
If you don't have buttermilk for the cornbread batter, you can make soured milk by adding ½ tablespoon fresh lemon juice or white vinegar to a measuring cup, then filling it to the ⅔ cup line with regular milk.
Fresh, canned and frozen corn all work in this recipe. If you're using canned corn, drain the juices. If you're using frozen corn, thaw and drain it before using.
I used 2% milk in this recipe, but any kind is fine (whole, skim, etc.). I also use Neufchatel cheese (sold next to the cream cheese as one-third-less-fat cream cheese), but regular cream cheese is fine, too.