SPICY SOUTHERN HOT CORN
This sassy Southern-style recipe has been part of our holiday meal tradition for years and doubles as a side dish AND a dip.
Ingredients
- 3.5 cups corn (fresh, canned, or frozen)
- 1/2 large red bell pepper diced
- 2 fresh jalapeno peppers diced (seeds/veins removed)
- 3-4 TBSP diced pickled jalapeno peppers plus extra to taste
- 2.5 TBSP butter
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 1/4 tsp paprika (regular, not smoked)
- 1 cup freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
EXTRAS:
- hot sauce
- extra cheese for topping
- extra jalapeños for a fiery kick!
- spicy green salsa see note below
- cilantro or parsley for topping
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Thaw corn if using frozen.
- Chop all your veggies and set aside.
- For tender peppers, feel free to sauté your bell peppers and fresh jalapeño to soften.
- In a medium saucepan, combine butter and cream cheese.
- Stir often until smooth and creamy.
- Add your corn, bell pepper, jalapeño pepper, and pickled jalapeños.
- Season with paprika, salt, and pepper to taste.
- Stir in 1/2-3/4 cup of cheddar cheese and stir until fully melted.
- Pour into a casserole dish and top with remaining cheddar.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until hot and bubbly!
Recipe Notes
- As written above this dish is quite mild in spice/heat. We like it spicy, so each time I taste before baking, then add 2-3 TBSP of HOT green salsa ( this brand is everything!) and some extra jalapeño. If you can handle the heat, totally follow suit! We love this dish as spicy as we can get it!
- No bell peppers handy? Feel free to use canned Mexi-corn, which has diced bell peppers mixed in with the corn.
- This makes a fabulous make-ahead dish for any occasion so feel free to prep it all the night before and bake when you're ready the next day! Simply cover with foil (to prevent over-browning) and bake away. Enjoy!
- Recipe yields approx. 4 cups and 8 (1/2 cup) servings. Nutrition facts below are estimated with an online nutrition calculator. Simply adjust as needed based on toppings/extras! xo