Cornbread Pudding Casserole

I just love the holidays! It’s the time of year where it’s OK to overcook, overeat and overindulge on just about anything. I pull out all the family recipes and pour all the love I have into the dishes. Now that my kids are adults, they help cook their family favorites. My daughter, Terri, took on my cornbread pudding casserole. I must admit, she nailed it!

Cornbread pudding casserole is a creamy and rich addition to any family meal. No need to wait for the holidays for this one. This recipe has never failed me and can be tweaked to fit your family, as well.

I first had this at a holiday gathering in my step-son’s home. His wife makes amazing dishes and shared the recipe after I went nuts over it. That was back in 1996 and since then it has been a staple dish around here.

The cornbread mix choices are amazing these days. You can have honey cornbread, beer cornbread, white or yellow cornbread, and it all comes in handy mixes right there on your grocery shelf. Any of these are great in this recipe.

If any of you know me, you know instead of the package or box cornbread, I would choose to make it from scratch as long as I have the ingredients. The original recipe calls for a box of that wonderful Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix. My daughter says don’t mess with perfection and still does it that way. I can’t blame her there. It’s amazing. I make my own version of this blue box of perfection and you can find it here. It’s Oh My Gravy Good!

Just a Few Tips

You can experiment with special additions to the batter like pimentos, ground meats (sausage is great!), ham chunks, cubed cheese instead of shredded, seafood, bacon bits, or peppers (hot or sweet). Terri adds sweet bell peppers to hers while I love to add a can of green chilis.

Keep the toppings simple for this. Paprika is pretty and adds a smoky flavor. Sprinkling shredded cheese over the top before adding the paprika intensifies the flavors, as well. I recently tried a few bacon bits and it was a gamechanger. I must admit, though, leaving it plain is a winner, as well. Always creamy. Always savory. What ways can you come up with to make this recipe unique to your family?

I show this in a baking dish but it’s great as a muffin, too. Keep these in a baggie in the freezer for a quick side on any night. Bake in a muffin pan and allow to cool. Place the muffins in a zip-lock baggie and freeze. When the time comes for that quick side, simply pull out how many you need for the meal and allow to thaw. Heat through in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes and you will have a table of smiles!

Cornbread Pudding Casserole

4.88 from 8 votes

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Prep Time 5 mins

Cook Time 40 mins

Course Side Dish

Servings 12

Ingredients

  

• 1 15 ¼ oz can whole kernel corn
• 1 14 ¾ can cream style corn
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup unsalted butter melted
• ½ cup shredded cheese
• 1 8 ½ oz box cornbread muffin mix

Optional ingredients:

• ¼ tsp paprika for topping
• 1 4 oz jar pimentos drained, chopped
• ½ medium onion chopped
• ½ cup shredded cheese for topping

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9X13 baking dish.
• In a medium size bowl, mix together the eggs, corns, sour cream, butter, and cheese.
• Add any optional ingredients at this point.
• Add the dry cornbread mix to the corn batter until just blended.
• Pour batter into the greased baking dish and sprinkle with paprika if desired.
• Bake uncovered for 40-45 minutes. Enjoy!

Optional toppings:

• Paprika could be applied to the top at the beginning of the baking time for a dash of color.
• Sprinkle shredded cheese over the top approximately halfway through the baking process. It browns lightly and intensifies the flavors already there.

Notes

This dish can be made ahead of time and makes a great freezer meal/side. 

Prep for freezing: Bake as instructed and allow it to cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap and top that with foil. Write reheat instructions on the foil. You will thank yourself later.

Reheat: Allow to thaw completely before cooking. (If you bake it straight from the freezer, add an additional 15-20 minutes to cook.) Remove foil and plastic wrap and place in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes or until heated through.