Some time ago, Cooking Light published a lightened version of the classic "Jiffy Mix" corn casserole. If you're not familiar with this side dish it is really tasty. But the original version - which contains Jiffy Mix corn muffin mix, sour cream, eggs, canned corn and a stick of butter - packs on the calories. Fine if you're Paul Deen (her version, BTW, adds cheddar cheese), but not-so-fine for the weight-watching head chef here at the Bistro. (That would be me.)
So, I gave the Cooking Light version a go and Drake loved it. I, however, was a bit bothered about the Jiffy Mix. The mix is is loaded with hydrogenated fats and it uses de-germinated corn meal, which has less flavor (and less fiber) than whole grain. To top it off, Jiffy Mix is quite sweet, which made the casserole very sweet - tasty - but a bit too sweet to my taste.
So, I re-worked the recipe into a healthier, "from scratch" version that's less sweet than the original and with richer corn flavor. I'm quite happy with my variation, and it passed the hubby test with flying colors. Served along side some BBQ it's a hard-to-beat summer side dish.
You can go directly to the printable recipe or I'll show you how to make it, step-by-step...
The ingredients are what you would typically use for cornbread with some additions: low-fat cream cheese, onion, red pepper and two types of corn (creamed and fresh or frozen).
Start by putting 8 oz. of Neufchatel 1/3 Less Fat Cream Cheese into a large mixing bowl to soften at room temperature.
Generously butter a 9" oven-proof skillet.
Preheat the oven to 375° F.
In a medium mixing bowl, add 1 cup of stone-ground cornmeal...
...1 cup all-purpose flour...
...2 tablespoons of sugar (if you want a sweeter version similar to the original recipe, I'd double the amount of sugar to a total of 4 tablespoons)...
...2 teaspoons baking powder...
...1/2 teaspoon baking soda...
...1/2 teaspoon salt.
Whisk the dry ingredients until combined.
To the softened cream cheese, add 2 eggs...
...and 1/2 cup buttermilk.
Whisk the wet ingredients together until combined.
Finely chop 1/2 medium onion...
...and transfer to the large mixing bowl.
Finely chop 1 medium red pepper...
...and transfer to the mixing bowl.
Add 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn...
...and 1 (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn.
Stir to combine.
Melt 4 tablespoons unsalted butter...
...and add to the mixture.
Add the dry ingredients and stir just until combined.
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake at 375° F. for 45 to 50 minutes, until the top is lightly browned.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
Corn Fritter Casserole
Serves 8 to 10.
1 cup stone-ground yellow cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 - 4 tablespoons sugar, depending on sweetness preference
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (8-ounce) block Neufchatel 1/3 Less Fat Cream Cheese, softened
2 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn
1 (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn
4 tablespoons butter, melted
- Preheat oven to 375° F. Generously butter a 9" oven-proof skillet.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the first 6 ingredients.
- In another (large) mixing bowl, combine the next 8 ingredients.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients; stir just until combined.
- Transfered to the prepared pan.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, until top is lightly golden brown.
I hope you enjoyed this recipe! To view more step-by-step recipes, see the complete recipe index.
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