Fried Corn & Herbed Stuffing Casserole

As a kid, I hated most of the Thanksgiving dinner. Not sure exactly why, but maybe it was the gooey, wet stuffing, dried out turkey, the cottage cheese jello salad or that damn canned cranberries sauce. I stuck with the mashed potatoes and dinner rolls. Don’t get me wrong, I love the flavors of Thanksgiving, just differently.

In this recipe, I combine two of my favorites. Creamed Corn Casserole and Herbed Stuffing. My test kitchen peeps loved it! So let’s Get Cooking!

Ingredients:

20oz Frozen Corn
4 Cups Herbed Bread cubes. (You can use store bought Stuffing mix, but I make my own ahead of time.)
1 onion
5 stalks Celery
2 to 3 cloves garlic minced
3 Tbls oil divided

1 cup heavy cream or cashew cream
2 to 3 cups broth. Chicken or Veggie
4oz (1 stick) butter or vegan butter
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese or vegan alternative. Divided (I use Violife Plant Based Parmesan)
2 tsp Ground sage
1 tsp dried Thyme
1 tsp salt divided
pepper to taste

Prepping: If you are using store bought stuffing mix, skip this step. I like to make a loaf of Rosemary Garlic bread a few days before. The day I make the casserole, I cube 4 cups up into 1 1/2 inch cubes and toast. Defrost corn. Finley chop onions and clean and finely chop celery.

Directions: Preheat oven to °350. In a large skillet over med to med high heat and 2 tbls oil. Add corn and fry until parts are getting dark then set aside. In same skillet add additional tbls of oil and add the onion and celery. Sprinkle with half the salt. Saute until soft and translucent. about half way through, add the cube of butter and the garlic and continue to cook. About 5 minutes. Add the sage, thyme and pepper. Add corn and stir together.

In a large bowl combine toasted bread cubes, fried corn mixture stir to coat all bread. Taste, if more salt is needed, sprinkle a pinch on and stir. Add 2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese and mix. Add cream and stir. Dump all mixture into a greased or buttered 8.5″ x 8.5″ square baking dish. Pour broth over top to just cover. Sprinkle remainder of Parmesan cheese on top and bake uncover at °350 for 30 to 35 minutes or until top is toasty brown. Serve warm.