Let me be honest about this. This cheesy ham and corn casserole recipe was made out of necessity. It’s a basic pantry meal using leftover ham, and you’re going to love it.
While this is the perfect recipe to make with Easter leftovers and even Christmas ham leftovers. it’s a great one when you need a cheap weeknight meal for hungry family members.
I created this on a whim when I realized I still had sliced ham in the freezer from Easter. There was a can of corn in the pantry with cornbread mix, and I had some yogurt in the fridge.
Add in cheddar cheese, canned beans, an egg, and a tomato past its prime, and you have an easy cheese and ham corn casserole.
Casseroles Are Timesavers All Year Round
There was almost a moment of embarrassment when I made this casserole mid-May. Aren’t we supposed to be grilling by now? The truth is, casseroles are a great dinner option any time of the year.
Casseroles can be truly seasonal; I could have added in grilled chicken to this one, and still used up everything I needed to use before it expired.
Cast Iron Skillet For The Win
If you’re a frequent visitor of this here blog, I’m sure you’re tired of me singing the praises of cast iron. It’s just so, so good. Even if you have a glass stove top, you need a cast iron skillet for baking and easy oven dishes like this one.
I used my big cast iron skillet for this corn casserole combination. If you want to throw caution to the wind, and have it on hand, warming up some bacon grease in the skillet before you add the casserole mixture might be a great idea. Ahem.
Let’s Build A Casserole
This recipe is super simple. Almost everything gets mixed in a bowl, then put on top of the beans in the skillet (or casserole dish), and baked until delicious.
Place the beans on the bottom of the skillet. Like I said, you can warm up some bacon grease to make this extra delicious, or just use vegetable oil or butter. Any of those options work.
Mix together the cornbread mix, can of corn, yogurt, chopped tomato and ham in a medium bowl. We used about a cup of chopped ham for this recipe. Also, don’t drain the beans or corn! That liquid goodness will keep the casserole moist.
Add the corn casserole mix to the top of the beans. If you require more seasoning or spice, this is the time to add it. Add ground black pepper, crushed red pepper, cayenne pepper, etc.
Since the ham is salty on it’s own, I didn’t add salt to the mix. For the addition of salt, I suggest adding seasoned salt so it has an extra layer of flavor to it.
Let the casserole bake for about 20 minutes. Remove from oven, then add shredded cheese to the top. Place back into the oven until the cheese is melted, usually around 10 minutes.
Here’s the best part. You can serve it right away, or you can let it sit for a bit while you get the kids to wash hands/set table/grab drinks/etc. We let it sit, and it was so magnificent.
Want the ham and corn casserole recipe all written out and pretty? Check it out below.
Cheesy Ham and Corn Casserole
Cheesy Ham and Corn Casserole

This cheese ham and corn casserole is sure to become one of your favorite way to use up leftover ham.
Ingredients
- 1 15oz can pinto or black beans
- 1 box cornbread mix
- 1 large egg
- 1 15oz can whole kernel corn
- 8 ounces plain yogurt
- 1 cup chopped ham
- 1 roma tomato, chopped (optional)
- 8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
- Place beans on the bottom of lightly greased cast iron skillet or 9x13 casserole dish.
- In a medium bowl, mix together cornbread mix, egg, corn with the canned liquid, yogurt, chopped ham and tomato, until fully incorporated.
- Optional: for more flavor, add 2 teaspoons seasoned salt and 1 teaspoon ground black pepper or cayenne pepper to the mixture in the bowl.
- Add corn casserole mixture on top of beans.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove casserole from oven, then top with shredded cheese.
- Place casserole back in the oven, and bake until cheese is melted, about 7 to 10 minutes.
- Serve immediately or let it slightly cool. Enjoy!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 454Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 84mgSodium: 581mgCarbohydrates: 49gFiber: 11gSugar: 8gProtein: 27g
What a great, simple and delicious recipe! Pinned. Thank you!
Thank you for pinning, Mary!
What size box of cornbread mix did you use? Thanks.
I used the 8.5 ounce box.
I don’t have yogurt. Have your used sour cream? Man that looks good!
Absolutely! I actually use sour cream for my regular corn casserole recipe, but I just happened to have yogurt on hand. Use whatever you have! You can even thin out the sour cream with a little water. Enjoy!
I might try making these into muffins and using them for a grab and go breakfast. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Karen! Since this is a cassorole, these may not translate in the best muffins. The bottom is pretty loose, since the beans are placed there. They may be difficult to scoop out of the bottom. One idea would be to buy those small but sturdy paper baking cups, and make individual casseroles for grab and go.
This was SO GOOD! I’m a vegetarian so I used a ((small) chopped onion and about 1 cup chopped bell pepper. Definitely a winner. Will be a regular for sure
Oh my goodness! I’m so glad you loved it. My girl has actually really enjoyed the vegetarian version of this. We can’t wait to make it again!
Made this tonight and subbed green onions for the tomatoes. I used the cubed ham that comes in a bag, but pre-browned it in bacon grease before mixing into the cornbread mix. My husband and I loved it! We have already added it to our “make it again” list!
I love the green onion substitute. So smart!
Hey!
Just wanted to drop a note saying i made this for New Years! I sauteed collards and added them with black eyed peas (instead of pintos) underneath. It was a hit!
Whoa! I love that idea! I need to try that after New Year’s Day next year. Thank you for trying the recipe!
In my oven right now…I actually doubled it because my skillet is huge! Cannot wait to try! Thanks for sharing!