Cream Cheese Corn Casserole with Bacon is topped with crispy Fritos for a decadently delicious holiday side dish that’s also super easy to make, thanks to the help of a few convenience ingredients. You can even make it ahead or in the slow cooker!
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You’re going to love this
Creamy and cheesy. Corn casserole with cream cheese? Yes, please. This winning combination comes together with ease for the creamiest, cheesiest holiday side dish you won’t be able to get enough of.
Super easy. This easy cream cheese corn casserole doesn’t ask a lot of you. Once you fry the bacon, saute the peppers and onion, and stir everything together, you can get right back to your Hallmark movie while the casserole bubbles away in the oven.
Frozen corn. Frozen corn works really well in this cream cheese corn casserole. Just defrost it first and you’re all set! You can also use canned corn.
Make ahead. Corn casserole with cream cheese is the perfect holiday side dish because you can easily assemble it a few days ahead of time — just wait to add the Fritos day-of.
Crock pot corn casserole. You can even warm up your cream cheese corn casserole in your slow cooker to reserve precious oven space for other things.
Cooking for a crowd? They’ll love this cream cheese corn casserole! Just double or triple the recipe. This recipe fits perfectly into a 2-2.5 quart baking dish, so plan accordingly if you size up.
Make it your own. If you have leftover chicken or turkey, you could easily add it to this cream cheese corn casserole for a delicious and hearty main dish. Want to add a little Tex-Mex spin? Add some jalapenos, tomatoes, and black beans!
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
Bacon. This cream cheese corn casserole gets a ton of flavor from the bacon. On the inside, on the outside — and the crazy flavorful drippings for sauteing the peppers and onion. You can also use pancetta or ham — or even mushrooms if you’re vegetarian.
Onion. Any kind of onion will work — white onion, yellow onion, red onion, shallots. Even green onions— they just won’t take as long to cook.
Red pepper. Red peppers are more than just a pretty— and fresh— topping for your cream cheese corn casserole. Sauteed peppers and onion are a classic combo for a reason: they’re gosh darn delicious together. If you love green peppers or orange or yellow, you can certainly swap those out. And if you don’t/can’t/won’t do peppers— leave them out!
Flour. The little bit of flour in this recipe helps to thicken the cheese sauce and hold the creamy cheesy corn casserole together. You can use gluten-free flour or a cornstarch slurry to thicken your cheese sauce.
Cream cheese. Cream cheese adds an undeniable creaminess and tanginess to this corn casserole. But if you want to turn things up a notch for the holidays, mascarpone will add even richer flavor. You can also use Boursin — wouldn’t that be amazing in this dish? For a lower-fat substitute, neufchatel will cut down about ⅓ of the fat and provide similar creaminess.
Milk. I have made this recipe with everything from evaporated milk to run-of-the-mill 2%. And both worked just great.
Garlic powder. If you prefer fresh garlic, add it at the very end of sauteing the peppers and onions.
Thyme. Thyme and corn are classic BFFs that perfectly complement one another: Corn is bright and fresh, while thyme is earthy, but also a little lemony. You can use 1 teaspoon of dried thyme if you don’t have fresh.
Nutmeg. A pinch of nutmeg in cheese sauce adds warmth and complexity. But you shouldn’t necessarily taste the nutmeg. If you’re fresh out of nutmeg, but have mace, you can use that instead.
Corn. Frozen corn is the next best thing to fresh and you can definitely use that in this recipe. In fact, it’s the only way I’ve ever made it. I just defrost it in the refrigerator or put it in a colander and run some warm water over it until it’s completely thawed — which takes no time at all. You can also used canned corn.
Creamed corn. Just when you thought cream cheese corn casserole couldn’t get much creamier, along comes a can of creamed corn. Which doesn’t actually include cream, by the way. But this pantry staple adds even more velvety creaminess to the party.
Fritos. Any casserole — or hotdish— worth its salt has to have a crunchy topping. And I chose Fritos because — well, they made sense with corn. But really, fried onions, potato chips, buttery crackers — any of these will do the trick and taste absolutely delicious.
How to make Cream Cheese Corn Casserole with Bacon
Cut bacon into 1-inch pieces. Over medium heat, cook the bacon in a dutch oven or deep skillet or large saucepan until crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Pour out all but about one tablespoon of the bacon grease.
To the bacon grease, add one small diced onion and about ¾ of one diced red pepper (reserve the rest for the topping) and cook until softened, about 5 minutes, scraping up the baconey goodness from the bottom of the pan as you go.
Add the flour. Cook and stir for a few minutes.
Add the cream cheese, milk, garlic powder, thyme, nutmeg, and pepper. Stir and cook for 5-10 minutes or until the cheese sauce has thickened.
Add the corn, creamed corn, and about ¾ of the bacon (reserve the rest for the topping).
Pour the corn mixture into a greased casserole dish and top with cheese. An 8x8 or 9x9 pan — or 2-2.5 quart baking dish — works perfectly.
Bake at 425 for about 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and golden brown.
Add the crushed up Fritos and bake for about 5 more minutes and broil for 1-2 minutes or until the Fritos turn golden brown. Serve with reserved bacon, red pepper, and sliced green onions.
Cheesy Corn Casserole with Bacon
Ingredients
- 1 pound bacon (divided)
- 1 red pepper, diced (divided)
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 1 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- black pepper
- 6 cups corn
- 1 can creamed corn
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup crushed Fritos
- 2 green onions, sliced
Instructions
- Cut bacon into 1-inch pieces. Over medium heat, cook the bacon in a dutch oven or deep skillet or large saucepan until crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Pour out all but about one tablespoon of the bacon grease.
- To the bacon grease, add one small diced onion and ¾ of one diced red pepper (reserve the rest for the topping) and cook until softened, about 5 minutes, scraping up the baconey goodness from the bottom of the pan as you go.
- Add the flour. Cook and stir for a few minutes.
- Add the cream cheese, milk, garlic powder, thyme, nutmeg, and pepper. Stir and cook for 5-10 minutes or until the cheese sauce has thickened.
- Add the corn, creamed corn, and about ¾ of the bacon (reserve the rest for the topping).
- Pour the corn mixture into a greased casserole dish and top with cheese. An 8x8 or 9x9 pan — or 2-2.5 quart baking dish — works perfectly.
- Bake at 425 for about 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and golden brown.
- Add the crushed up Fritos and bake for about 5 more minutes and broil for 1-2 minutes or until the Fritos turn golden brown.
- Serve with reserved bacon and red pepper, and sliced green onions.
Make It Ahead
- You can easily make this cream cheese corn casserole a few days in advance. Just prepare it all the way through baking it and refrigerate it. Take it out and let it sit for about an hour before you bake it.
In the Slow Cooker
- Cream cheese corn casserole was practically made for the slow cooker. Instead of baking it in the oven, just heat it up in your slow cooker. Just save the Fritos until it comes time to serve it or they’ll get mushy.
Nutrition
Make It Ahead
You can easily make this cream cheese corn casserole a few days in advance. Just prepare it all the way through baking it and refrigerate it. Take it out and let it sit for about an hour before you bake it.
In the Slow Cooker
Cream cheese corn casserole was practically made for the slow cooker. Instead of baking it in the oven, just heat it up in your slow cooker. Just save the Fritos until it comes time to serve it or they’ll get mushy.
Recipe Essentials
Lodge Dutch Oven
A nice, heavy dutch oven is great for everything from frying bacon and sauteing onions without burning them, to making soups and stews, braising meats, even baking bread. They can be a bit pricey, but know you’ll have the thing forever. This Lodge one is on the more reasonable side. Plus, look at allll the colors! Evergreen… lilac… cranberry…
Wooden spatula
A flat wooden spatula is awesome for scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of your pan, so you can get all that compact flavor into your cream cheese corn casserole.
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