Cheesy Corn Casserole

This Cheesy Corn Casserole is simple to put together and guaranteed to be a crowd pleaser. You can’t beat creamy, cheesy corn topped with buttery breadcrumbs.

When you’ve run a recipe website for as long as I have, sometimes you feel as though you’ve published every possible type of recipe.

It’s also hard to remember what you’ve made and what you haven’t. So recently, I’ve been looking through my archives for those missing dishes.

I found that I didn’t have a recipe for homemade gravy, so I published my technique for gravy from scratch.

I discovered that I didn’t have nearly enough corn side dishes, and the ones I did have were all served cold, like my Mexican roasted corn and elote bar. 

And even though they’re absolutely a Midwest staple, I don’t have a ton of casseroles other than my leftover mashed potato casserole, cornbread breakfast casserole, and sweet potato breakfast casserole.

So, I got right to work developing a warm, bubbling, cheesy corn casserole that will be perfect for this holiday season! Or honestly, any time of year, since it’s made with frozen corn.

About this Cheesy Corn Casserole:

This casserole comes together using a few simple ingredients that are transformed into something so warm and comforting that it will be a star at your dinner table.

Don’t you just love when a side dish becomes that thing that everybody is still talking about the next day? That’s what my Thanksgiving rice is all about, and that’s what this is, too!

You can make this with fresh or frozen corn kernels. Then, add all the good stuff: sour cream (also the secret ingredient in my nutmeg sugar cookies), cornmeal, onions, thyme, cream and cheese! Add a pinch of my dry rib rub for an extra flavor boost.

The crunchy topping is made with panko breadcrumbs and melted butter, and it really adds an extra special bit of oomph to the dish. Any casserole is 100x better with a crunchy topping, and this one is no exception.

While you can certainly use traditional breadcrumbs, panko breadcrumbs are bigger and crunchier, and they’re the ones I always keep on hand (and I love them for meatballs, like my air fryer turkey meatballs).

Use a super creamy cheese for this corn and cheese casserole!

Because there are so few ingredients, cheese selection is of the utmost importance here.

And since I generally make this casserole for a holiday meal, I think it’s time to splurge on something a little fancier than your every day bar of cheese.

While this casserole is adaptable to just about any cheese that your family loves, Fontinella cheese is a really good place to start.

It’s my favorite melting cheese, so it’s one of my top choices for grilled cheese sandwiches (like my apple walnut grilled cheese) and panini. And it melts beautifully in sauces and casseroles like this one. 

The ingredients for this corn casserole with cheese are easy to find at your grocery store:

• corn
• egg
• fontinella cheese
• heavy cream
• sour cream
• cornmeal
• onion
• thyme (leftover thyme can be used to make an herby mayo for a prosciutto sandwich).
• salt
• red pepper flakes
• panko breadcrumbs
• butter

How to make this recipe without creamed corn or corn muffin mix:

One thing I discovered when researching corn casseroles on the internet is that almost all of them seem to use canned creamed corn and packaged corn muffin mix.

These aren’t ingredients I typically buy, and to be honest, canned creamed corn really grosses me out (sorry!).

Instead of those ingredients, I simply used plain cornmeal and real cream in this recipe. My family loved this casserole using real, fresh ingredients!

Can I make this Cheesy Corn Casserole recipe ahead of time?:

Yes! You can put this casserole together ahead of time and refrigerate it. Be sure to cover it tightly to keep it fresh.

This can keep in the fridge for 2 to 3 days before baking. Bring to room temperature for one hour, before baking according to the recipe instructions below.

Psst – If you’re prepping a big holiday meal, and want to do more of it in advance so that you can rest and relax with your family on the big day, you can also prep my Crockpot Green Bean Casserole, and many elements of my Thanksgiving salad and Christmas Fruit Salad ahead of time!