Baked Hominy: Recipe Revamp with Bacon! Kraft #FreshTake

I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias®  and Kraft Foods #FreshTake #cbias #SocialFabric . All opinions and experiences are my own.

What recipe really speaks to your family?

Is it pizza? Macaroni and Cheese? Or how about a good 'ole hamburger?

One of my husband's all-time favorites is this Baked Hominy recipe that his Mom made. Yes, I have shared it here on the blog before, but this is really the first time I have completely tweaked the flavor and made it my own. Well, ... with a little help from Kraft, of course.

So, what is hominy? Well, the dish is our family's version of macaroni and cheese. A Winter comfort food that is thick, creamy and will stick to our ribs. It was a favorite at our ski club potluck after a long day out skiing. The hominy itself is made of dried maize kernels that are softened in a process called nixtamalization. Kernels are soaked, cooked and then hulled, leaving a corn that is soft and easier to digest. If you grind it up, you can make corn tortillas. In this case, it is softened, but chewy and makes a great substitute for pasta. You can find it in the Hispanic Food section.

The recipe is not difficult, but I usually spend a little extra time pulsing up my breadcrumbs in the food processor with a little butter and Parmesan cheese. I haven't found a pre-made breadcrumb that works perfectly for the top. With all the available flavors of the Kraft #FreshTake Meal Kits, I thought they might add a new fun spin on our family favorite and save me some time, too!

Despite my best planning, I am a strict shopping list kinda Mom, once in our Walmart I couldn't decide on which of the Kraft Fresh Take mixes to try. Luckily I married a smart guy who suggested we try both. Okay, this baked hominy dish would present it's own little show-down of flavors. We decided to try it both with the Southwest Three Cheese Recipe and the Cheddar Jack and Bacon Recipe. Both mixes sounded like they would go well with the other ingredients in the entree.

If you are looking for your own Fresh Take Meal Kits, head straight to the dairy section, and you will find it with the pre-shredded cheeses. Also keep your eye out in the meat department for coupons right on packages of chicken to redeem for $1.00 off the price of one (1) chicken item with the purchase of Fresh Take. The coupons will run 5/1-7/31.

Ready to make this simple and delicious meal idea?

Baked Hominy

You Will Need:

• 2 - 1lb, 13 oz cans of Hominy (white or yellow), rinsed and drained
• 2 pints sour cream
• 1/4 c. chicken stock
• 1/2 large onion. grated 
• 3 c. Monterey Jack Cheese, grated
• 2 - 4oz can diced green chiles
• salt and pepper to taste
• Kraft Fresh Take Meal Kit in either Southwestern Three Cheese or Cheddar Jack and Bacon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Start by draining and rinsing your hominy well in a colander. Let it dry while you prepare the rest of the dish. Then add all your wet ingredients together, the sour cream, stock, onion, and chiles. I use a whisk to get it as smooth as possible. Then add the hominy and cheese. Mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour into your casserole dish.

Add your selected flavor mix of Kraft Fresh Take to the top and then bake for 30 minutes, until it has warmed through the and top begins to brown. Serve warm.

As for the Fresh Take Meal Kit?

Once I opened up the package, the inner pouch held two clever sides. One for the shredded cheese and the other for the seasoned breadcrumbs. All I had to do was tear off the top, and pull open the center seal.

I mixed it right in the pouch and then could sprinkle it over my casserole. The bacon smelled so good!

In our little showdown of flavors, we put the Southwest Three Cheese head-to-head with the Cheddar Jack and Bacon. After trying both sides of the casserole dish, and they were both tasty, the bacon won out! The smokey flavor was a perfect paring with the creamy, rich flavors in the hominy. The Southwest Three Cheese came a close second because of the mild heat. My husband is not a fan of warm/spicy foods.

I loved them both because of how much they changed up my usual dinner recipe and saved me a few steps. This recipe revamp was a complete success.

Though a great addition to your favorite meat, think outside the box and see how Fresh Take Meal Kits can add a little zip to your usual recipe. So, how would you use Kraft Fresh Take?

Check out the Kraft Fresh Possibilities Tour. Their truck which will be making stops across the country from March through the end of July. To see if they are making a stop in your town check out the tour website for more information.