Mississippi Corn Pudding

You can think of this corn casserole recipe as a cornbread lover’s hedonist fever dream. Variations on the popular savory side dish abound across Appalachia and the South, with names like Mississippi corn pudding, country pudding, hoppy glop, and more. Generally, they’re custardy, cornmeal-thickened dishes studded with sweet corn kernels and enriched with butter, eggs, and sour cream. This Mississippi-born version from chef Elle Simone Scott calls for adding cheddar cheese to the mixing bowl and topping the dish with crushed butter crackers before baking for a holiday-worthy recipe you won’t soon forget.

While many traditional recipes call for stirring Jiffy corn muffin mix into a few cans of whole kernel corn and creamed corn, Scott takes a more from-scratch approach. Seasoning the cornmeal with salt, pepper, and paprika adds just enough spice, while a cornucopia of dairy—melted butter, milk, heavy cream, sour cream, and cheddar—ensures the dish is appropriately rich and gooey. Along with fresh corn, you’ll fold in onion and celery for a well-rounded savory flavor and added textural interest. The finishing touch is a coating of crumbled Ritz crackers, which brown in the oven for a crunchy counterpart to the pudding-like casserole beneath.