Having lunch with my parents last weekend, my Dad mentioned that he hadn’t had a corn pudding in a long time. My grandmother, Myne, used to make them regularly — it’s a Southern thing. Scott, however, had never had corn pudding before — he’s from Minnesota — and apparently, it’s not a Midwest thing. He was dubious to say the least. A pudding with corn in it? He thought it sounded gross. Um, no. It’s fabulous!
This isn’t my grandmother’s recipe, but it’s based on the same principles — removing the corn kernels from the cob and then scraping the cob with the back of a knife to get all the corn-milk out of them.
Then adding a simple custard of eggs and milk . From there you can dress it up however you like… This corn pudding has chopped roasted hatch chiles, shredded Monterey Jack cheese and crispy bacon to add more flavor and depth. YUM!!!
This recipe works as either one big casserole to serve family-style or in individual ramekins. I’m always a sucker for “individual” dishes, so I went that route. I sprinkled them with a bit of reserved bacon and cheese before baking them in a hot water bath. The individual ramekins take about 30-40 minutes, a casserole will take a little longer — just until the center doesn’t jiggle too much and the top is puffed and light.
I took a few photos of the finished product and then brought two ramekins to my next door neighbor for her opinion. She gushed! “Sweet, but not too… delicious flavors, loved the bacon, cheese and chiles. A winner!” So far, so good.
Still – it was Scott I was worried about. He rolled his eyes and sighed when he saw them – he knew he wasn’t getting out of this. So, with a spoon in hand, he dug in, tasted and said, “Wow! It’s not what I was expecting!” Another bite, “It’s really good.” He finished the dish, “You need to make this for Thanksgiving!” V-I-C-T-O-R-Y!!!
To my Dad: Corn pudding is coming…
Bacon Green Chile Corn Pudding
A lush, slightly sweet corn custard with bits of roasted hatch chile, crispy bacon and melty Monterey Jack! A deliciously different side dish and my Dad's favorite!
Ingredients
- 3 corn on the cob
- 1/2 cup green chiles preferably fire roasted, peeled, seeded and chopped
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 bacon thick cut, cooked & diced
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup monterey jack cheese shredded
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Spray a baking dish or individual ramekins with vegetable spray and set inside a larger baking pan with at least 2" sides.
- Shuck the corn cobs, removing the silk and using a sharp knife, cut the kernels off the cobs and transfer to a large bowl. Hold a corn cob over the bowl and run the back of the knife along the corn cobs to scrape out extra milk and flesh. Add the chiles, sugar and salt and mix to combine.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk and transfer to the corn mixture. Add 3/4 of the bacon and cheese and stir to combine. Pour the corn mixture into the baking dish or ramekins and top with remaining cheese and bacon.
- Add hot water to the larger baking pan so that it reaches about halfway up the outside of the corn pudding dish.
- Bake for 40-50 minutes for a single large casserole and 30-40 minutes for individual ramekins.
More Thanksgiving Sides:
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- Southwestern Cornbread Stuffing
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- Luscious Blue and Gold Souffle
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- Roasted Spiced Carrots with Pistachios
Lisa, I don’t think you understand how much I love your recipes. Every single one of them has me practically licking the computer screen with anticipation! I really wish we lived closer so we could be real life friends and I could be the neighbor you try recipes out on. Hatch chiles + bacon + cheese…you certainly know the way to this girl’s heart!
LOL! Thank you! I wish we lived closer too — I’m always looking for taste testers!
I’m really not sure how corn pudding has escaped me all these years, but this sounds fantastic! It looks like it has such a beautiful texture and I love the addition of bacon, fire roasted chiles, and Monterey jack cheese. Absolutely need this in my life!
I brought it to Thanksgiving (for my Dad) and couldn’t believe how quickly it went — everyone was commenting how delicious it was!
My hubby’s family had never had corn pudding either and they are all Minnesotans, born and raised. It’s so good and so many are missing out on it’s brilliance! I love your beautiful version. Looks delish!
These poor people who have never experienced corn pudding bliss… I feel so bad for them!
Look so yummy. We can do many things with corn. I know a drink you can make only with corn and milk, so delicious. Thanks for sharing this!!!
You’re intriguing me with the corn-milk drink… Is it a dessert?
Love the kicked up flavors of this recipe {because bacon just makes life better}!! Definitely need to try it soon!
That is very true!
Lisa, this is an amazingly delectable looking dish. It’s ringing my bell- lol!
Ding – Ding – Ding!!!! Winner!
Corn pudding doesn’t usually excite me too much but the addition of bacon and green chiles makes this AMAZING! Pinning to try!
I have to be honest- regular corn pudding can be a yawn, but this is silky smooth because of the water bath — like a custard and it’s a great balance of smoky and sweet.
I’ve never had corn pudding but this sounds really good 🙂
I know it sounds unusual, but trust me — it’s really wonderful!
You know if it has green chiles & pig it’s gonna be delicious!!! Can’t wait to taste this!!!
That is too true, my friend!
I’ve never even heard of corn pudding, but wow! It looks like the corn chowder version of creme brûlée (and I love both), so this recipe definitely looks like a winner!! Saving this for later 🙂
That is an awesome description — I may steal it!
yum! this looks divine! Pinning this one.
I’m glad you like it Kristina!
You had me at bacon. This looks delicious, and a great way to use up corn too.
Yeah – the bacon adds that je ne sais quoit!
Do you use sweet corn or regular corn in your pudding recipe? Your recipe looks simple enough to recreate at home. I hadn’t hear of something like this before. Your corn pudding would make a great sunday night dinner. 🙂
Sweet corn on the cob makes it really good. Where I’m from, we would serve this as a side dish to a roast chicken.
Midwest girl chiming in here –definitely not a thing I have ever had. I love all the ingredients though -especially hatch chile. It sounds delicious!
Jamie – Keep an open mind and an open mouth — my husband loved it!