Here's the next installment of our genealogy-adjacent series, Family Recipe Box. Today, we're featuring Shoepeg Corn Casserole.
This recipe comes to us from the collected recipes of LaVera “Gran'mommy” Mitchell, a member of the Thompson and Austin families + married into the Mitchell family.
Though Gran'mommy is no longer around to pester with questions about this recipe, her daughters-in-law Pam and Tamara were kind enough to help out. Thanks, Aunt Pam and Mom :)
Gran'mommy made this casserole as a side dish for nearly every holiday meal. One year when the entire family was gathered to feast at her home, she accidentally dropped the dish as she was removing it from the oven. The casserole splattered all over the floor, the wall, the inside of the oven, the outside of the oven, under the oven — everywhere! Kernels of shoepeg corn were still turning up in the kitchen until the family moved out of the home over a decade later.
Get the downloadable + printable version of this recipe (PDF)
About Corn Casserole
"Shoepeg" corn is called that because the kernels apparently reminded folks of the mini wood pegs that used to be used to construct shoes. It's apparently not very common outside of the American South, but no worries; the casserole will be just fine with regular ol' sweet corn. In any case, the specific variety of shoepeg corn you're likely to find at the market today is from a cultivar that was developed back in the late 1800's.
The more specific history of this particular casserole has been lost to time. A quick search through the digitized archives of local newspapers and my collection of community cookbooks turned up a handful of halfway-similar corn casserole recipes, but none close enough to call the definite genesis of this one.
Ingredients + Equipment
Small saucepan and 2 quart (8x8 inch or similar) casserole dish
Shoepeg corn, 2 cans (11 oz each), drained [see notes]
Cream cheese, 8 oz, room temp
Margarine or butter, 1 stick (4 oz) [see notes]
Milk, 1/4 cup
Chopped green chiles, 1–2 cans (4 oz each), drained [see notes]
Paprika, to taste
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350° F.
Combine the shoepeg corn and the cream cheese. I don’t recommend trying this with chilled, firm cream cheese; having the cream cheese at room temp makes this a bit easier than if it’s straight from the fridge. Don’t worry about getting it all perfectly mixed together, though; you’ll get chance to redistribute all the bits later on.
Combine the margarine or salted butter and the milk. In a small saucepan over low heat, stir these ingredients together until smooth, then add the chopped green chiles to the mix.
Build the casserole. Put the shoepeg corn + cream cheese mixture into a casserole dish; top with the sauce of chopped green chiles.
Bake for 30 minutes. After 15 minutes, stir; return to oven for the remainder of bake time.
Dust with paprika and serve.
Notes
Corn options:
Shoepeg corn is a variety of sweet corn that has small, white kernels. If shoepeg corn is not available, any variety of sweet corn is perfectly fine.
Margarine or butter options:
The original recipe calls for “oleo”, which is margarine. Margarine is made with some salt; if using butter instead, it can be salted. If salted butter is not available or if health concerns necessitate a low-salt diet, use unsalted butter and add salt to taste to the shoepeg corn + cream cheese mixture.
Method options:
The version of the recipe that I have calls for 1 ½ cans of chopped green chiles. Shared family versions of the recipe call for 1 or 2 whole cans. Spiciness level (like mild or hot) also varies based on specific type of chile chosen, so please feel free to modify to taste.
Shared family versions of the recipe call for draining only 1 can of corn. The additional liquid makes it easier to blend the corn with the cream cheese before baking. However, it also results in a looser texture in the final dish. Modify the amount of liquid per personal preference.
Also, some folks prefer to mix all ingredients before baking, omit the step of melting the margarine or butter with the milk, or omit the milk entirely. Again, it's totally fine to modify!
Get the downloadable + printable version of this recipe (PDF)
Call for Comments + Family Recipes
Do you make a version of this dish?
Visit this post on Substack to comment about variations or ask questions, or just send me a note via email!
Do you have an inherited recipe to share?
If there’s a dish that’s extra special because it always made an appearance at family events or because the recipe was taught to you by an older relative, I’d love to hear about it. If you’re comfortable with sharing, I’d be happy to make the dish in my own kitchen and write it up in a shareable format, like this one — just respond to this email to reach out!