- HubPages»
- Food and Cooking»
- Main Dish & Side Dish Recipes»
- Vegetable Main & Side Dish Recipes
My Mom's Thanksgiving Corn Casserole
An easy recipe for a delicious low-carb Thanksgiving side dish
This hearty, cheesy, and absolutely delicious corn casserole recipe was developed extemporaneously by my mother and has become a Thanksgiving favorite. Mom had never written down the recipe before, but at my request she estimated the proportions of the ingredients she uses (the full set of ingredients is pictured here). I typed up the recipe and my boys and I made it for the first time on November 6, 2009. It was fantastic!
(all cooking photos on this page were taken by myself and my son, who was 10 years old at the time.)
The history of Mom's corn casserole
The search for a low-carb dish for Thanksgiving
My mother used to be on the Atkins diet. During that time, she was pondering what kind of dish she could make for Thanksgiving to take the place of the traditional and beloved macaroni & cheese. She got an inspiration to make something with corn taking the place of the macaroni. She wondered next what she could use to add texture. Hey, how about cutting up some corn tortillas? She put it together with a few other ingredients and served it at the family Thanksgiving dinner, and it was an instant hit!
Mom doesn't do Atkins anymore, but the corn casserole is here to stay. She makes it every year now.
POLL!
Is my mom beautiful or what?
This recipe is VERY flexible. Adjust the ingredients or add new ones as you desire.
Optional ingredients include:
1/2 can cheddar cheese soup
1/2 can diced tomatoes
Pinch or two of chili powder
Cook Time
Corn Casserole Ingredients
- 2 cans whole kernel corn
- 1/4 (or more) of an onion
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup evaporated milk
- 6 corn tortillas
- 1/3 stick margarine
- 1/2 tsp salt or salt substitute
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 12 oz. (or more) cheese, (Mom uses pepper jack, cheddar, or cheddarella)
Illustrated Instructions
Click thumbnail to view full-size
Instructions
- Drain the corn. JG opened the cans and did the draining.
- Slightly beat the eggs. BT did this part.
- Chop the onions. Anything that involved the kitchen knife, I did myself.
- Finely dice the tortillas.
- Cut up the margarine.
- Shred the cheese. I used sharp cheddar.
- Put all ingredients in a baking dish and stir. I used an 8" x 8" x 4" dish.
- Cover the pan with foil.
- Put it in the oven at 350 degrees.
- Wait 45-60 minutes while it bakes.
- It's done when the cheese melts and the tortillas blend into the casserole.
How it turned out
Well, Mom did a great job at sharing her recipe. The casserole is fantastic! We baked it for 45 minutes.
A delicious dish, savory and rich-tasting with a bit of crunch from the corn. (Don't tell Mom, but I left out the pepper. I'm not really into pepper.)
The onions had a quite a bite to them, probably because I didn't chop them as finely as Mom does. I liked them that way, but not everyone would, so make sure you chop the onions small.
When it first came out of the oven, we started eating it immediately (we have no patience or dignity). Those first servings seemed rather moist and tended to fall apart, but once it cooled a bit (like it was supposed to), it held together beautifully.
I ate three helpings right away. It's really, really good. You've got to try it.
