Mexican Street Corn Casserole (Elote Casserole) is the perfect side dish for your next Mexican night! Loaded with onion, cilantro, queso fresco, and chili powder, it has a bright flavor and spicy heat.
Say hello to the perfect Mexican night side dish! Since Cinco de Mayo is coming up, I thought it would be a good time to revamp my Mexican Street Corn Casserole recipe.
You might hear this referred to as Elote Casserole - same thing. Elote means corn in Spanish.
This casserole is loaded with ingredients you would find on Mexican Street Corn (or Elote). Cilantro, cheese, chili powder, and cumin are the main flavors that make this dish both bright and spicy.
💛 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- This casserole combines the freshness of summer corn and the richness of a casserole into one satisfying dish
- It's super easy to make! This would be perfect for a potluck or even a summer side dish.
- This is a great way to change up that side dish for Taco Tuesday. Instead of the same old rice or beans, try this dish!
🌽 Ingredients for Mexican Street Corn Casserole
- canned corn - This should be drained really well
- sour cream - Use light varieties of sour cream, mayo, and Greek yogurt to trim the fat. You'll barely notice a difference!
- mayonnaise - I actually prefer light mayo to lighten the dish up a little bit.
- plain Greek yogurt
- fresh cilantro - Don't use dried cilantro for this...it doesn't add the same flavor punch.
- diced red onion - Make sure your red onion is really finely chopped for this casserole. Nobody wants a big bite of onion!
- seasonings - You'll use chili powder, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, salt, paprika, and pepper in this dish.
- lime juice - Go with fresh limes vs. bottled lime juice. The freshness makes a difference.
- parmesan cheese - I know it sounds strange, but trust me, use the canned kind!
- pepper jack cheese - If you want to cut the spice down a little bit, you could also use queso cheese or colby jack cheese
- queso fresco - You can also use cotija cheese or feta cheese.
Ingredient Variations & Additions
This is one of those "use what you have" recipes. By no means do you have to go by my ingredients!
- Use frozen corn instead of canned corn. You could also use an equal amount of corn kernels cut off the cob - it's just a little bit more work! I prefer the canned corn because it still has a little bit of texture without being too harsh for the casserole. If you choose to use another variety, you'll need about 6 cups of kernels.
- If you prefer a bolder, sharper flavor, use cotija cheese instead of queso fresco (just know it's harder to find at supermarkets). Feta would also be a good substitute for queso fresco.
- Make this side dish a main course by adding proteins like chicken or steak. Both would need to be cooked prior to adding to the dish. A rotisserie chicken would be perfect for this!
Fan of a good corn dish? 🌽 You'll also want to try my Crock Pot Corn Dip and Crockpot Corn Chowder recipes!
💃 How to Make Mexican Street Corn Casserole
- In a large bowl, mix together corn, sour cream, mayo, Greek yogurt, half the chopped cilantro, chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, salt and pepper, half the lime juice, shredded pepper jack cheese, and Parmesan cheese.
- Pour mixture into a greased 9x13" glass dish.
- Bake (covering the baking dish with aluminum foil) in a 400-degree oven for 30 minutes. Uncover, top with queso fresco, and bake for another 15 minutes, until cheese is melted and sides are bubbling.
- Sprinkle top with paprika, chopped cilantro, and remaining lime juice.
🍽️ What to Serve with Elote Casserole
Incorporate this into any Mexican dinner! You can pair it with...
- Tacos
- Fajitas
- Burritos
- Enchiladas
- Quesadillas
- Do a dip dinner! Pair with guacamole, Velveeta Rotel sausage dip, and blender salsa.
📝 Expert Recipe Tips & Tricks
- If you want a little bit more crunch on top of the casserole, bake it uncovered the whole time.
- You can make this casserole into a dip! Use tortilla chips to scoop...it's delicious.
- You can give the casserole even more flavor depth by grilling the corn before mixing into the casserole. Drain the canned corn well and grill on a griddle or in a skillet for just a few minutes, until corn starts to brown and pop.
- Leftovers can be stored (covered) in the fridge for 3-4 days. Simply microwave the casserole when you're ready to enjoy leftovers.
❓FAQs
I'd love to hear what you think of this recipe! You can ⭐️ rate and review the recipe in the comments below. And, if you love my recipes, make sure to follow along to get the latest ideas right in your inbox!
Mexican Street Corn Casserole
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Ingredients
- 45 oz canned corn drained very well
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro finely chopped
- ¼ cup diced red onion
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 2 limes juiced
- ½ cup parmesan cheese the canned kind
- 1 cup pepper jack cheese shredded
- 5 oz queso fresco crumbled
- paprika
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- In a large bowl, mix together 3 cans corn, ½ cup sour cream, ½ cup mayo, ½ cup Greek yogurt, ½ cup chopped cilantro, 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper, juice of 1 lime, 1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese, and ½ cup Parmesan cheese.
- Pour mixture into a greased 9x13" glass dish.
- Bake (covered with aluminum foil) in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes. Uncover, top with queso fresco, and bake for another 15 minutes, until cheese is melted and sides are bubbling.
- Sprinkle top with paprika, ½ cup chopped cilantro, and remaining lime juice.
Notes
- If you want a little bit more crunch on top of the casserole, bake uncovered the whole time.
- You can make this casserole into a dip! Use tortilla chips to scoop...it's delicious.
- You can give the casserole even more flavor depth by grilling the corn before mixing it into the casserole. Drain the canned corn well and grill on a griddle or in a skillet for just a few minutes, until corn starts to brown and pop.
- Leftovers can be stored (covered) in the fridge for 3-4 days. Simply microwave the casserole when you're ready to enjoy leftovers.
- If you prefer a bolder, sharper flavor, use cotija cheese instead of queso fresco (just know it's harder to find at bigger supermarkets). Feta would also be a good substitute for queso fresco.
- Use frozen corn instead of canned corn. You could also use an equal amount of corn kernels cut off the cob - it's just a little bit more work! I prefer the canned corn because it still has a little bit of texture without being too harsh for the casserole.
- Make this side dish a main course by adding proteins like chicken or steak. Both would need to be cooked prior to adding to the dish. A rotisserie chicken would be perfect for this!
How haven't I thought of this before? I'm making Mexican Corn Salad this week with our burritos... maybe this will sub in... I'll use cotija cheese, though, instead of parm.
Hope you love it! 🙂