Caliente Corn Casserole

This fiesta corn casserole recipe with sweet corn kernels and golden brown corn muffin mix is one of the more delicious viral side dish recipes to come out of TikTok in the fall 2021 season.

The recipe rests not only on the traditional cornbread bake made in the seasonal holiday months but also gives it a perfect little kick with jalapenos and cayenne.

Why you should try Fiesta Corn Casserole

Something new: Chances are that you have eaten regular corn casserole repeatedly. And it IS delicious, so no complaints. But adding that bit of spice with garlic, cayenne, and jalapenos brings this boring traditional dish to new heights. One of the best viral side dish recipes ever!

Casseroles make great leftovers: It doesn’t matter if it’s a weeknight or a holiday; casseroles make a ton of food and allow you to take a few days off and eat leftovers! This corn casserole holiday side dish will continue to pair well with various other viral dinner recipes.

This recipe was originally shared by @kellycookstexas . We loved it so much that we wanted to add our twist and share it with you!

@kellycookstexas

Caliente Corn Casserole 🌽 ❤ #texaskelly #kellycookstexas #Thanksgiving

♬ original sound – morganwallen

 Ingredients

• Vegetable oil + chopped onion: sauteed onion makes a great addition to this fiesta-filled dish.
• Seasonings: minced garlic, salt, dry parsley, cayenne pepper
• Canned Corn: whole kernel canned corn, cream-style corn
• Jalapenos: Fresh Jalapeno peppers should be seeded and diced into bite-sized pieces.
• cornbread mix: Grab a cornbread mix, the most popular being Jiffy.
• Breadcrumb Topping: melted unsalted butter, Parmesan cheese, and panko bread crumbs

How to make TikTok Corn Casserole

1. Preheat the oven to 375 and grease a 2-1/2 quart casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Add oil, onion, garlic, salt, parsley, and cayenne to a large skillet or cast iron pan.
3. Heat over medium-high heat until the onions are tender.
4. Remove skillet from heat and stir in drained whole kernel corn, creamed corn, and freshly diced jalapenos. Set the cast iron pan aside. 

5. Add dried cornbread mix and eggs to the prepared baking dish to make a cornbread batter.
6. Stir in the skillet jalapeno corn mixture, sour cream, and melted butter into the casserole dish. Mix the ingredients well using a whisk or spatula. Sprinkle the top with grated Parmesan cheese.
7. Bake the Cornbread Casserole in the oven for 25 minutes.
8. Remove from oven and top with panko and butter mixture.
9. Bake this perfect side dish for an additional 20 minutes or until the top is browned (actual cooking times may vary depending on the oven).
10. Remove from the oven and serve hot.

 Expert Tips for Caliente Corn Casserole

With classic cornbread recipes, you can make it ahead of time so we see nothing wrong with prepping Caliente casserole the night before. As with all food, cover tightly overnight, bring to room temperature and then proceed with baking instructions.

This spicy take on corn casserole can be doubled pretty easily. Just make sure to use a larger baking dish and check the timing. Jalapeno corn casserole is done when the center is set.

Reheat TikTok casserole by simply placing it in the microwave until hot or warming the dish in a 350-degree oven for up to 15 minutes. Reheated food can dry out a little, so honey is a lifesaver when it comes to this recipe.

We like to keep the mess down (especially when making a holiday meal) so instead of using a mixing bowl, we carefully stirred all the wet and dry ingredients in the actual baking dish.

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