Ree Drummond's 4-Ingredient Corn Casserole Is Simple To Make (As Long As You Avoid This Mistake)

Corn casserole should always be an easy, hearty side dish because it rarely uses more than few ingredients or requires any sort of special tools or knowledge. While Ree Drummond's recipe is no exception, she warns that the easiest way to mess up its texture is to overcook it.

What makes this dish so delightful is crunchy corn kernels suspended in a creamy, pudding-like matrix, similar to scalloped corn, another vintage side dish. Drummond suggests 45 minutes as the max cook time at 350 degrees Fahrenheit because any longer, and the kernels start to lose their texture. While absorbing some of the hot, seasoned cream gives corn good flavor, absorbing too much renders it into a soggy mush. Plus, Drummond also points out that too much heat exposure may cause the cream to evaporate, so you'll end up with less-than-ideal textures for both of your main ingredients.

When you get it just right, some of your corn's juices should leak into the cream and vice versa. This gives the whole dish a more melded flavor, with each ingredient having its own textures but similar tastes. You can expand on Drummond's recipe by roasting or grilling the corn beforehand — just keep in mind that you may need to reduce the cooking time. Regardless of what you choose, this recipe is all about little tips and tricks rather than cultivated skill, so it's easy to make yourself once you understand the principles behind it.

Since this dish doesn't use herbs or spices, there are two flavors you need to maximize for a sensational side: sweet corn and rich dairy. While you don't want to overcrowd the dish with corn and have undercooked kernels or pour in too much cream and be left with a weird, dairy soup, Ree Drummond manages to squeeze the most out of her ingredients with a couple of easy steps.

Don't throw away naked corn cobs, milk them instead! Once Drummond finishes stripping the cobs, she runs a dull butter knife down their surfaces to squeeze out all that remaining corn milk. This liquid is rich in sugar and starch, giving your cream more flavor and thickness without relying on additional ingredients like flour. The key here is to pick fresh corn, one with white silks and green husks, as they have the most milk. For the smoothest creamy base, try straining the corn milk through a fine mesh before throwing it in.

While cream already has plenty of fat for a hearty side dish, Drummond likes to add three tablespoons of butter to up the richness. The taste is great, but the same principles that make high-fat cream great for homemade whipped cream also make it great for this recipe. A bit of extra fat helps stabilize the cream as it thickens, preventing it from curdling in your oven's heat. Still, Drummond cautions you from adding too much, as this can leave a greasy film at the top of the casserole.