16 Corn Recipes For Delicious Summer Meals

Frozen corn can be used in a wide variety of dishes, so if you find a bag in your freezer, get ready for a delicious meal. From soups to salads, and even muffins corn is very versatile. Not only is frozen corn delicious, it’s also colorful and can add a pop of color to your dishes. Here are sixteen different recipes to show you all of the amazing ways you can use your frozen corn. 

1. Elote in a Cup

An overhead view of a cup filled with Elota.
Photo Credit: My Everyday Table.

Elote or Mexican street corn in a cup is a delicious way to use frozen corn. The corn is roasted in the oven and then topped with a delicious homemade dressing and Cotija cheese. It’s a fun and delicious side dish that everyone will love. 

2. Cajun Corn Salad

A bowl of corn salad.
Photo Credit: DronG/Shutterstock.

This Cajun corn salad is the perfect side dish for a Southern comfort meal. Its ingredients offer a freshness that perfectly complements any dish, such as meat or fish, especially off the grill. You can serve this with chips or use it as a garnish for your main course. It can also be mixed with rice for a rice salad or pasta for a pasta salad. A tasty vinaigrette would be a good addition if you turn this into a sala.d

3. Cowboy Caviar

And overhead shot looking down into a wooden bowl filled with this Cowboy Caviar Recipe.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

Don’t be deceived by this cowboy caviar recipe‘s simplicity. At first glance, it looks like a simple bean salad, but once you dip a chip into it, you’ll realize there is more to this recipe than meets the eye. As with most recipes like this, it can be served with chips for dipping, used as a garnish for meats such as chicken, steak, or white fish, or you can turn it into a grain or pasta salad. The possibilities are as endless as the delicious flavor this recipe offers.

4. Black Bean Corn Salad

A white bowl filled with black bean corn salad.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

This black bean corn salad is perfect for any potluck or get-together. It’s a versatile side dish with a hint of Mexican flavor or works as a plant-based main course if you are plant-based. But meat eaters will love this too. It’s great as a garnish or serve this with your favorite chips. Corn chips will work best, but you can use any chips you like most.

5. Corn Salsa

An overhead view of a white bowl filled with corn salsa. It sits on a white cloth with a sprig of fresh cilantro to the left side.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

Corn salsa is an excellent dish to share as a snack or appetizer. This corn salsa recipe is perfect for a snack or a party. It works as a wonderful side dish for grilled meats or served by itself with corn chips. As with other salsas like this, it can also be mixed with rice or pasta. A particular favorite for this salsa is wild rice.

6. Healthy Creamed Corn

A closeup of a crock filled with creamed corn.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

This healthy creamed corn is so much better than the canned stuff. Serve it as a side dish or a dairy-free base for your favorite corn casserole dish. Either way, this made-from-scratch recipe is packed with delicious flavor that highlights the corn.

7. Southwest Chicken Crockpot

A white crock filled with Slow Cooker Southwestern Chicken, sits on a wood surface next to a white towel.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

Southwest chicken is a mouthwatering, wholesome meal of seasoned shredded chicken, black beans, corn, and tomatoes, and it cooks to perfection in your slow cooker. This dish can be enjoyed on its own, just like a bowl of chili, or it can be used in wraps, tacos, and burritos for a delicious twist on Taco Tuesdays.

8. Slow Cooker Tortilla Chicken Stew

A closeup of a black crock filled with chicken tortilla stew.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

Pull out your slow cooker because you’re in for a delicious meal. If you want something comforting and oh-so-good on a cooler evening, make this slow cooker tortilla chicken stew recipe.

9. Potato Corn Chowder

A white bowl filled with Potato Corn Chowder garnished with sliced green onions.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

This potato corn chowder recipe is creamy, tummy-warming, and totally comforting. Make it if you want to get cozy on a cooler evening or if you’re simply craving some hearty comfort food to fill your belly. It goes really well with a side of garlic bread, and you can serve a side salad if you want more veggies.

10. Corn Salad

A closeup of corn salad.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

This corn salad makes a beautiful side dish or even a fabulous main meal for lunch. It’s fresh, and it’s so easy to make at home. You can eat it as is, or you can mix it with salad greens for a more robust salad. You can also use this as a garnish for chicken or white fish.

11. Mexican Pumpkin Rotini

A white bowl full of Mexican pumpkin rotini. Close up view.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

This Mexican pumpkin rotini is packed with good-for-you nutrition and even more amazing flavors. Make this pasta recipe if you’re craving Mexican flavors or want to use up that extra bag of corn. Now, you can spice up pasta night with a crave-worth meal the whole family will enjoy, and any leftovers will make a fantastic lunch the next day.

12. Southwest Turkey Chili

A closeup of a white bowl filled with southwestern turkey chili.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

Southwestern flavors are a whole experience unto themselves. This Southwest turkey chili is a prime example. It’s a hearty meal with plenty of meat, beans, and corn. The spice blend is classic for this region, and this is great served with garlic bread or a side of soup.

13. Sheet Pan Mexican Chicken Dinner

An overhead view looking down onto a sheet pan filled with a Sheet Pan Mexican Chicken Dinner.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

If something simple and easy is on the menu for dinner tonight, try this sheet pan Mexican chicken dinner. It’s made with all frozen ingredients that can even be assembled ahead of time and kept in the freezer for busy evenings. Either way, this is a “dump and bake” type of meal, so dirty dishes are kept to a minimum. It’s great to enjoy as a main meal, or it can be used to stuff tacos and burritos.

14. Instant Pot Mexican Chicken

An overhead view of a white bowl filled with instant pot Mexican chicken topped with fresh tomatoes, avocado and cilantro.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

Instant Pots make the world a better place when it comes to preparing a meal. They cook in half the time of an oven and produce tasty, amazing food every time you use it. This Instant Pot Mexican chicken recipe is fresh, delicious, and a great way to end a long day. Serve it over a bed of rice or use it in tacos and burritos.

15. Slow Cooker Meatball Chili

A closeup of a white bowl filled with meatball chili.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

For meatball lovers, this slow cooker meatball chili is a dream come true. It’s hearty with tender meatballs, oodles of corn, black beans, and tomatoes. Top it with your favorite chili toppings and serve it with a side of cornbread or garlic bread for a delicious meal that will make everyone want a second helping.

16. Mexican Stuffed Peppers

A single, Mexican Stuffed Pepper in a small, white bowl.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

This dish takes a bit of prep work, but once that’s done, they cook themselves in the oven. Mexican stuffed peppers are an incredibly delicious and filling meal that can be eaten as is or served with rice. Once these are cooked, they can be cut up, one bite at a time, or they can be chopped and tossed with some cooked rice. These make great leftovers for lunch the next day as well.

More From The Gracious Pantry

A dutch oven with a cooked whole chicken topped with rosemary twigs.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

Need more dinner ideas? These can help. Chicken and turkey are very versatile foods that can be used to create an unlimited number of dinners. Here are 118 ideas to get you started.

Author: Tiffany McCauley

Title: Food and Travel Journalist

Expertise: Food, cooking, travel

Bio:

Tiffany McCauley is a nationally syndicated journalist and an award-winning cookbook author and food blogger. She has been featured on MSN, Huffington Post, Country Living Magazine, HealthLine, Redbook, and many more. Her food specialty is healthy comfort food recipes.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.