Corn casserole is a Thanksgiving tradition for many families. It’s usually very rich but it’s a cinch to slim it down a bit.

This corn casserole contains fewer calories and much less saturated fat than the typical recipe.  Your loved ones won’t have a clue.

Cut Saturated Fat

People who have high blood sugar are smart to watch saturated fat intake, because we are at higher risk for heart disease.  But trimming the sat fat is a good thing for everyone at Thanksgiving, especially when favorite dishes don’t taste “healthier.”

My public service announcement is over – let’s talk about the recipe!

Corn casserole contains lots of butter, cheese and sour cream – all ingredients that come in reduced fat versions. I’ve always found that reduced fat cheese and reduced fat sour cream work very well in cooking and baking. I do not use nonfat cheese or sour cream, so I can’t predict how those would affect the recipe.

Butter, But Better

In my Healthier Corn Casserole, I still use butter – because it’s a holiday meal and there’s nothing like the taste of real butter. However, Land O Lakes now makes a Butter with Canola Oil that contains almost half the saturated fat of regular butter. I think it’s a great product, and it works very well in the healthier corn casserole. (Note: the butter-canola oil spread is not reduced calorie.)

More recipe changes: I used Krusteaz cornbread mix instead of the traditional Jiffy mix because Jiffy contains heart-unhealthy lard. I also cut the amount of grated cheese by 1/2 cup. If you think more cheese is necessary, feel free to add it back, but we loved the casserole just as it is.

Travels Well, Make Ahead

This healthier corn casserole, which I adapted from a Krusteaz recipe, is sweet, dense, very moist and cuts easily. It will travel well if you need to bring a dish to someone’s  home. The casserole can be made a day ahead and refrigerated. Warmed up, it tastes like it came fresh from the oven.

More good news: Corn casserole freezes well. To serve, reheat in microwave. The edges may get a little tough – trim them off.

Although the serving size seems small, it is very satisfying.

Enjoy!

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