You can think of this corn casserole recipe as a cornbread lover’s hedonist fever dream. Variations on the popular savory side dish abound across Appalachia and the South, with names like Mississippi corn pudding, country pudding, hoppy glop, and more. Generally, they’re custardy, cornmeal-thickened dishes studded with sweet corn kernels and enriched with butter, eggs, and sour cream. This Mississippi-born version from chef Elle Simone Scott calls for adding cheddar cheese to the mixing bowl and topping the dish with crushed butter crackers before baking for a holiday-worthy recipe you won’t soon forget.

　　While many traditional recipes call for stirring Jiffy corn muffin mix into a few cans of whole kernel corn and creamed corn, Scott takes a more from-scratch approach. Seasoning the cornmeal with salt, pepper, and paprika adds just enough spice, while a cornucopia of dairy—melted butter, milk, heavy cream, sour cream, and cheddar—ensures the dish is appropriately rich and gooey. Along with fresh corn, you’ll fold in onion and celery for a well-rounded savory flavor and added textural interest. The finishing touch is a coating of crumbled Ritz crackers, which brown in the oven for a crunchy counterpart to the pudding-like casserole beneath.

　　

Ingredients

12 servings

　　5 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly, plus more for greasing

　　2 large eggs, beaten

　　⅓ cup sugar

　　½ cup whole milk

　　¼ cup heavy cream

　　¾ cup sour cream

　　½ cup all-purpose flour

　　½ cup coarse yellow cornmeal

　　1 tsp. kosher salt

　　⅛ tsp. white pepper

　　⅛ tsp. paprika

　　⅛ tsp. baking soda

　　¼ cup chopped yellow onion

　　½ cup chopped celery

　　1 lb. fresh corn kernels, cut from 4 cobs

　　1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

　　1 cup butter cracker crumbs, such as Ritz

　　

Step 1

Set a rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13" casserole dish with butter, making sure to get in all the corners and sides of the dish.

　　

Step 2

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until well combined. Add the melted butter, milk, heavy cream, and sour cream and whisk to incorporate.

　　

Step 3

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, salt, pepper, paprika, and baking soda.

　　

Step 4

Using a spatula, fold the wet ingredients, 1 cup at a time, into the dry ingredients until well combined.

　　

Step 5

Fold in the onion, celery, corn, and cheese.

　　

Step 6

Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle the cracker crumbs on top. Bake the pudding for 30 to 40 minutes, rotating halfway through, until lightly browned on top and the tip of a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

　　Make Ahead: Corn casserole can be baked up to three days ahead of time. Let cool and refrigerate. Reheat, covered, in a 350°F oven until warmed through, about 15 minutes, remove cover and bake another 5 minutes to re-crisp topping. 

　　Editor’s note: This recipe was originally published in ‘Tasty Pride’ and first appeared on Epicurious in June 2020. For more of our favorite Thanksgiving potluck recipes, head this way →

　　Reprinted with permission from Tasty Pride: 75 Recipes and Stories from the Queer Food Community by Jesse Szewczyk and BuzzFeed's Tasty, copyright © 2020. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Buy the full book from Amazon.