This content has been sponsored by Inmar Intelligence and Midwest Dairy. All opinions are mine alone. #UndeniablyDairy #gotmilkrecipe
The holidays are getting closer! It’s finally starting to cool down here in the Midwest, and all I can think about is comfort food, decorating my house for the holidays, and cooking way more than I probably need to. 🙂
I’ve been working on a ton of side dishes for the holidays, and couldn’t wait to share this one with you! As a HUGE fan of milk, I’ve been incorporating it into a lot of starchy, cheesy, incredibly comfort foods this year. But THIS cheesy corn recipe is based off of a super popular side dish at a famous BBQ restaurant in Kansas City, and it’s so insanely good.
This cheesy corn is super easy to make, too! The restaurant’s recipe only uses cheese sauce and ham, but we tossed in some bacon, green onions, and french fried onions to amp up the flavor level. And our creamy cheese sauce is 100% from scratch, so you know it’s the best.
The quality of the cheese sauce really is the anchor of this entire recipe. Milk is the perfect ingredient to make our silky cheese sauce, and the rest is just flavor bonus! Seriously, you may want to make this cheesy corn as a test run just so you don’t have to share it with anyone else.
To make it so easy for you, just click the image below to add all of the ingredients directly to your cart!
Seriously, you need to make this one ASAP.
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Ingredients for this Cheesy Corn Recipe:
- Crispy Chopped Bacon
- All-purpose Flour
- Unsalted Butter
- Whole Milk
- Garlic Powder, Cayenne, Salt & Pepper
- Smoked Gouda (or Smoked Cheddar) Cheese
- Sharp Cheddar Cheese
- Frozen Corn
- Diced Smoked Ham
- French Fried Onions
- Chopped Green Onions
Tips for Making the Best Cheesy Corn:
- Use thick cut bacon. Thick, crispy pieces of bacon add a crunchy texture to this cheesy corn, and makes it that much better. Don’t use the basic thin strips of bacon, use the thick-cut bacon to make sure the crunchiness spreads throughout the entire dish.
- Use a smoky cheese. The restaurant version of this cheesy corn uses a house-smoked ham, and we want to bring that smoky flavor into our homemade version. Buying a slice of smoked ham from the store (or a BBQ restaurant!) is great, but using a smoky cheese takes this dish to a whole new level.
- Use real milk. Non-dairy substitutes won’t work for this cheesy corn, so be sure to get the real stuff. I recommend whole milk, but 2% milk can also work!
- Use more salt and pepper than you think you need. Corn benefits so much from salt and pepper, so don’t be shy. Taste the cheesy corn before you bake it, and do NOT be afraid to add more of each. It makes a huge difference!
I definitely want to thank midwest milk for making this cheesy corn recipe possible. Milk has always been a huge part of my life, and will always have a big part in my cooking. Actually, dairy foods provide a powerful nutrient package! Three of the nutrients found in dairy (Vitamin A, Vitamin D and protein) are essential for a healthy immune function. We all need some immunity boost right now anyway, right?
Dairy foods are also linked to health benefits like reduced inflammation, and improved digestive health. I notice that the more dairy I consume, the happier my stomach is. This could also be due to the fact that I was literally raised on milk. Growing up, I’m pretty sure my mom had to buy at least three gallons a week to keep up with me and my brothers. We poured it over cereal in the morning, chugged a huge glass of milk with sandwiches for lunch everyday, and even craved it with dinner, too.
Today, I keep at least a half gallon of milk in my refrigerator at all times. There is a Super Target right down the street from our new house, so I currently have this Good & Gather half gallon of whole milk on hand.
Not only is it nostalgic to have a glass with a sandwich at lunch, but I use it in SO many of my recipes. Here’s a few of my favorites for inspiration!
- Easy Date Night Bolognese
- Loaded Potato Soup for Two
- Creamy Roasted Tomato Soup for Two
- Small Batch Everything Seasoning Rolls
- Small Batch Garlic + Herb Rolls
- Small Batch Milk + Yeast Rolls
Comfort foods are what A Flavor Journal is all about, and milk is an ultimate source of comfort in my book. When I tested this cheesy corn, I invited my parents over to our new house and this was the FIRST recipe that was made in my brand new kitchen. I couldn’t think of a better recipe to share with my family, honestly. A Kansas City-based recipe, full of cheesy milk-based sauce, and so perfect to share with the two people I love the most.
After dinner, we even had lattes that I made with whole milk. It’s amazing how much money you can save on making your own espresso drinks at home. Every coffee shop I go to uses whole milk, so having it on hand at home is a game changer and huge money saver!
Be sure to pick up some milk on your next grocery trip, and make this cheesy corn side dish as soon as you can. I would love to see your creations on Instagram, and as always, feel free to reach out to me directly with any questions you may have!
xx Sara
Creamy, Cheesy Corn
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp. Unsalted Butter
- 2 tbsp. All-Purpose Flour
- 1 cup Whole Milk
- 1/4 tsp. Garlic Powder
- 1/8 tsp. Cayenne
- 1/2 tsp. Salt plus more to taste
- 1/2 tsp. Black Pepper plus more to taste
- 1/2 cup Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
- 1/2 cup Shredded Smoked Gouda Cheese or any smoked cheese
- 20 ounces Frozen Corn
- 4 ounces Smoked Ham cut into small cubes
- 1/3 cup Chopped Crispy Bacon*
- 1/4 cup French Fried Onions finely chopped
- 1/2 cup Green Onions chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour, and cook for two minutes.
- Slowly whisk in milk, then garlic powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Simmer until thickened, stirring occasionally for about five minutes.
- Stir in cheese, one handful at a time, until completely mixed in.
- Stir in the frozen corn, ham, and half of the crispy chopped bacon. Taste, and season with more salt and pepper if desired.
- Transfer the cheesy corn to a small casserole dish (about 3 quarts). Sprinkle the chopped french fried onions across the top, and cover the dish with foil. Bake for 25 minutes at 350 F.
- Carefully remove the foil from the dish, and bake for an additional 15 minutes at 350 F.
- Garnish with chopped green onion and the remaining chopped bacon. Serve hot!
Notes
I have never had a dish with corn like this, but I like the step by step process. what would you recommend to substitute for if you were to make it vegan, please?
Unfortunately ,I’m not well-versed on vegan recipes, so I would hate to steer you wrong with a definite opinion on what to change! My initial thought is subbing the dairy products for vegan versions, then omitting the ham and bacon – which I hope is all doable! I hope you love it!
This Creamy , Cheesy and delightful combination of ingredients is definitely a festive treat. Would love it for a Happy Meal.
Wow, this dish looks really delicious and seeing this makes my mouthwatering! YUM!
This corn dish is so creamy and delicious. I love that it can be a whole meal or a delicious side dish for the holidays.
Thank you, Sharon!! It’s definitely a new favorite for us, especially because it’s so versatile!
Wow, I absolutely love this dish and the recipe! It’s not something I’ve tried before, but just looking at your photos makes me hungry for it! Not only it would make a great side dish, I think I will be more than happy to eat it as my main course!
Thank you, Anna! And seriously, it could totally work as a main course!!
Oh, wow! I’ve never had any kind of cheesy corn and I’m wondering WHY?! Because it sounds magical. I can’t wait to try this!
Haha! I hope you love it, Erin! It’s a game changer for side dishes!
Oh, my, I’m so in love with this dish! I couldn’t wait until the holidays and had to make it this weekend because it’s comfort food weather here too. So glad I did! The cream sauce is so decadent. This will definitely make an appearance again!
Yay! I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Amanda! I’m looking forward to making it again this week, too!
Ummm… how is everybody not enjoying corn this way?! Bacon and ham added? Yes please! The cheese really takes it up a notch too… Thank you!
My pleasure, Chandice! I’m so glad you love it!
How creamy and rich does this corn dish look! This would make for such a comfy cozy meal. So need to try this out!
I hope you do soon, Neha! It’s delicious!
For any cheese lover, this recipe is just perfect! I would make this again for moreso for game night – so fun to dip in bread or chips.
I LOVE that idea, Connie! I’ll totally have to try that, too!
We made this for a late thanksgiving with everyone and it was a huge hit. The ham and bacon are so good in it. And smoked cheese isn’t something I usually have but it’s worth getting for this recipe. Thank you
Would you think that it would be posssible to do steps 1-5 the day before you want to eat it and store in the refrigerator until the next day when you want to bake it?
Absolutely! You can store it in the casserole dish you want to bake it in, just add the French fried onions (and other toppings) before baking. So yes – you’re totally fine to do that! I hope you love it!
So this may be a stupid question, but it says to add the frozen corn (I didn’t notice anywhere that it said to thaw the frozen corn first. So I add the frozen corn to the cheese sauce?
Definitely not a stupid question! You are right – just stir in the frozen corn!
Great! Thank you!!
This looks so good! Can you use sweet corn instead of regular?
You can definitely use sweet corn!