Mexican Street Corn Casserole – Review

I keep on linking to this recipe, so, SPOILER ALERT I obviously really, really like it. Chances are good it’s going to get a rave review. I’m just saying.

This recipe is a big hit with ALL the boysies. It’s not only on the “keeper” list, it gets into dinner rotation a time or two a month.

There are a bunch of recipes out there for this side dish, but my go to is the: 

Mexican Street Corn Casserole recipe from Easy Family Recipes.

A couple things of note:

I try, really hard, to actually make the recipe as outlined by the author. It’s one of my pet peeves when someone leaves a review of a recipe they made for the first time telling about all the changes they made to it. It really frosts my cake when they leave a bad review after changing the recipe fundamentally.

What you should do when trying a new recipe –

• Read through the entire recipe from beginning to end. Twice.
• Note ingredients that you don’t/won’t eat, and think if omitting them materially changes the recipe
• Look to see if the ingredients are overwhelming – either because they aren’t in the house or if there are just so many of them
• Based on the first three items, decide if the recipe is worth a shot, or if it looks sketchy
• Note any changes you make or WANT to make the next time

Obviously you can change a recipe – that’s the gig, really, but getting a good idea of what a recipe is supposed to look and taste like in the end is always a good thing. That way you know if your changes are good or if they take the recipe to the dark side.

I make this in our trusty 2 quart casserole (affiliate links follow) but there are some really fun Mexican inspired casseroles on Amazon.

To get started, you need to thaw the corn. Naturally, I do this in the microwave, since I rarely remember to take it out of the freezer early.

Then you just glop on all the ingredients.

Don’t forget the queso fresco!

Queso Fresco has the consistency of feta cheese but it is much milder and fresher tasting.

Then you mix ‘er up.

I wipe the sides of the casserole with a wet paper towel to prevent it from burning onto the casserole dish.

One note: This recipe makes a ton. I usually cut the recipe in half if there are only a few of us eating dinner. The five of us all in can eat it no problem though. 

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until heated through and the sides begin to bubble. it makes a great presentation on a buffet.

Review

My rating scale is pretty simple – we use a best out of 5 for three different criteria:

Tastiness: this scored a 5 from me; the creaminess of the corn and the slight bite from the chili powder and queso fresco is a winning combo.

Ease: this scored a 5 for me; there isn’t much easier than tossing a bag of frozen corn into a casserole dish and mixing it up with the other ingredients. You don’t even need a separate bowl.

Cost: this scored a 5 for me; Frozen corn is running about 99 cents a bag at our grocery store. The queso fresco is pretty resonable too, especially if you can find it in the dairy section instead of the specialty cheese section.

Overall score is a 15 out of 15 – no wonder it made it to the “Keeper” list! Definitely give this one a try – it’s a great side dish to Mexican food, and you can make a little batch or a big one in about the same amount of time.

Ole!