I recently posted a recipe for pulled pork that you make in a slow cooker and promised a recipe for a fantastic casserole to use up the leftover pork. Here it is: Pulled Pork Barbecue Casserole. The casserole is major comfort food! It has a sweet, creamy corn casserole base topped with shredded pork, your favorite barbecue sauce, and cheddar cheese. Depending on the type of barbecue sauce you prefer, you can go from a mild, sweet base to a spicy or savory-smokey topping. The cheese adds significantly to the comfort aspect of the casserole. After all, ooey-gooey cheesiness is required of almost all comfort food dishes. I like to top the casserole with chopped green onions, but they're definitely optional. The casserole is quick to mix up and bake and makes fantastic leftovers for lunches or dinner later in the week. Serve a salad alongside the casserole, and you've got a great, easy, and relatively inexpensive dinner.
Pork Barbecue Casserole -- Serves 4+
1/2 cup of milk
2 large eggs
1 14-16-ounce can of creamed corn
1 1/2 cups of cheddar or Colby-Jack cheese, divided
8.5-ounce box of corn muffin mix (like Jiffy)
3-4 cups of shredded/pulled pork
1/2 - 3/4 cup of barbecue sauce
Chopped green onions (optional)
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and coat a large casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine the milk, eggs, creamed corn, and 1/2 cup of the cheese and mix them well. Stir in the corn muffin mix. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish and bake the cornbread layer for about 25 minutes or until the top is barely firm to the touch. Remove the dish from the oven and spread the shredded pork over the cornbread layer. Pour the barbecue sauce evenly over the pork. Sprinkle on some chopped green onions if you like, then sprinkle the remaining one cup of cheese over the barbecue sauce and onions and return the casserole to the oven for 15-20 minutes or until the corn layer is cooked through and the casserole is bubbly and brown. Let the casserole sit at least five minutes before serving it, so that it cools and firms up a little.
