Bacon Corn Casserole – Corn casserole is like corn bread but with a fluffy, moist texture unlike any cornbread you’ve had before. I’ve added bacon to this version to take it to a whole other level.
It’s November. The month of Thanksgiving. The month where food begins to take over my life. The month when the word “diet” begins to lose it’s meaning until the New Year arrives.
This month, get ready for recipes to serve during this food holiday, as well as recipes to use up leftovers for the days after. The first recipe of the month is one that I’ve made for years, but now, with a little twist. It’s my Bacon Corn Casserole. Every time I make it, I get asked for the recipe. It’s the one side dish (well, except mac & cheese) that pleases all the members of my family. Get ready for a dish that has the best flavor, texture, and balance of anything you’ve had.
What is corn casserole?
So what exactly is corn casserole?? My husband calls it corn souffle and I’ve also seen it called corn pudding so you may know it by one of these names. In my experience, they are all basically the same thing – corn meal mixed with corn, flour, sour cream, and butter and baked into a yummy, moist casserole. For my version, I use creamed corn, as well as whole corn kernels, to add extra moisture to the batter.
Corn Casserole vs Cornbread
Corn casserole uses many of the same ingredients as cornbread – corn meal, butter, and corn kernels. But there are two ingredients that transform cornbread into corn casserole – cream-style corn and sour cream. The addition of these two ingredients make the texture so moist and creamy and also enhances the corn flavor. Sometimes I feel that cornbread doesn’t taste enough like corn. But not this corn casserole! You get corn flavor from three of the ingredients so there’s no mistaking who is the star of this recipe.
Bacon – the game changer
To take this corn casserole to the next level, I added bacon to the batter. But not just crispy bacon pieces – I also added in a couple tablespoons of bacon grease to make sure you could taste bacon in every bite. I simply left out a couple tablespoons of butter to make sure the casserole wasn’t too rich. The resulting casserole is slightly smoky but still perfectly sweet, thanks to the corn muffin mix.
Tips & Tricks
- I used a 9×13 casserole dish to bake this corn casserole. But I’ve also used small casserole dishes, which makes the casserole much thicker. This means that it will take longer to bake. Keep this in mind if you end up using a smaller dish.
- You can easily make this batter ahead of time, prep it in the casserole dish, and cover until it’s time to bake it. For this reason, it’s one of my favorite dishes to make for Thanksgiving. I usually prep it the day before and then just remove the cover and bake right before serving time.
- I cut the bacon into pieces before cooking it because it makes it easier to cook 8 strips of bacon all at once. If you leave the bacon in strips, you’ll have to cook it in two batches.
Bacon Corn Casserole
Ingredients
- 8 strips bacon
- 1 can corn kernels drained
- 1 can cream-style corn
- 1 8-ounce box Jiffy corn muffin mix
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut bacon into small pieces. Heat skillet to medium heat and add bacon. Stir to scatter bacon all over the pan. Cook until crispy, about 8 minutes. Drain bacon on paper towels. Save two tablespoons of bacon grease.
- In a large bowl, add half of cooked bacon, corn kernels, cream-style corn, corn muffin mix, sour cream, butter, and saved bacon grease. Stir together until smooth. Spread into a large 9x13 casserole dish, ensuring the top is smooth. Sprinkle remaining bacon crumbles evenly over the top.
- Bake casserole in preheated oven for 45 minutes or until edges of the casserole have browned and the top is no longer wet. Remove from oven. Let it cool for 5 minutes and then serve.
Notes
Pin for later:
More recipes you’ll love:
Goat Cheese and Sweet Corn Grits
Sweet Corn Risotto with Crispy Shrimp
Creamy Skillet Corn Dip
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Bacon and corn are like peanut butter and jelly.
Yum! Looking for some amazing dishes to try while I’m stuck at home today!
I love corn. I can imagine the deliciousness of this casserole recipe. Can’t wait to try it.
Yum — I love that creamy texture. It does seem more like a rich pudding than merely a casserole. Casserole seems too ordinary a title for this dish. Also the salty touch of bacon certainly gives it that additional special touch. This will go perfectly with our Thanksgiving turkey.
Bacon + Corn?! Take my monies!!! This looks so good and something I know I could easily make a meal…just for me! It’s so simple yet so delicious sounding!
Such a quick and easy side for the holidays. I love corn casserole and this one looks delish!
Corn casserole is always delicious! and when you add some bacon to it, it make it taste the best! Love the recipe, will save it for later!)
Me and corn casseroles, we have an ongoing love affair. The fact that you added bacon to it just makes it impossible not to try it! This recipe is going straight to my make now! list. Thanks for this recipe.
This must be so filling! Just the casserole you need for when there is a small gathering in your house! It must be full of flavor and remind you that the fall is here! 🙂
This Bacon Corn Casserole looks great! This would be a great substitute as a side dish during the Holidays instead of Stuffing!
This corn casserole looks so good!!! It reminds me of Thanksgiving with my southern family!!
Can’t go wrong with bacon and corn! The perfect combination for sure!
I love this stuff, my mom used to make it all the time when we were children. So nice to see it being made and with a nice little addition added.
Oh sweet goodness! Corn casserole is a family tradition but I am definitely going to up the anti this year with this recipe!
I think I get really hungry reading through this post – the casserole looks too good 🙂 This would be the perfect way to upgrade my favorite cornbread recipe and I LOVE that you’ve added bacon – that must have given it a whole lot of new flavor!
I have been craving some good comfort food lately. I think this is exactly what I’ve been looking for! Thanks for sharing.
This would be a great savory side dish for so many occasions. I love the addition of smoky bacon. A great dish to try for Thanksgiving.
It doesn’t get any better than this. I’m from the south originally, and this brings back all the home cooking feels.
You had me at bacon! Also loving all the simple ingredients like a box of corn muffin mix 🙂
This bacon corn casserole sounds so delicious! I’m going to have to make this for my family soon.