These delicious little bites are spicy, crunchy, and cheesy! You won’t be able to control yourself!
It’s that time of year again! Time to stuff our faces with ALLLLL the amazing Thanksgiving food and it’s the one time of year we can all indulge, guilt free because everyone else is doing it! It’s a holiday literally meant for eating and I am so here for it! Although me and my family are non-vegetarian, since I started dating my husband, I’ve been going to his house for Thanksgiving. The second year of this new tradition is when I took over cooking the entire Thanksgiving meal for his family. Pressure much??? I THINK SO! But I’ve always loved cooking and I was up for the challenge! I had never cooked for 20+ people before so this was definitely going to be a task! My in-laws are completely vegetarian and mainly used to eat Indian food on Thanksgiving, so of course, the entire meal had to be vegetarian! I grew up having a traditional Thanksgiving meal and I wasn’t sure how I was going to be able to make a full vegetarian meal that wasn’t traditional Indian food. That’s when these Masala Corn Cups were born! They’re spicy, crispy, and cheesy and you can just pop them in your mouth! They were such a hit and I’ve been making them for the last 7 years! This and my pinwheels are pretty much a staple dish for our Thanksgiving dinners!
I love these Athens Phyllo Shells because they are so versatile and you can pretty much fill them with anything! I stock up on these every Thanksgiving, like I mean I buy 6-8 boxes because whatever I fill these cups with at our family dinner goes within seconds so I’ve learned over the years to always have backup! Year after year, my meals have definitely gotten more creative and more versatile. I’ve learned how to blend a mix of Indian, Italian, and traditional Thanksgiving dishes into a meal that satisfies everyone, including my parents who tend to join as well! I’ve definitely come a long way over the years but the pressure has increased since the expectations have risen! But this recipe is super quick and easy, and when I’m prepping so much food, I’m all for quick and easy appetizers! Unfortunately, this year definitely won’t be the same as the others, but this is still going to be a staple dish at my intimate Thanksgiving dinner with my parents and in-laws!
A few tips to help you along with this recipe:
- Feel free to use any type of frozen corn. I used Trader Joe’s roasted corn, but sweet corn works well too!
- I’ve made this recipe with Amul cheese, cheddar cheese, and this time I used shredded Pepper jack cheese; they all taste great!
- These do have a kick to them so please adjust spice levels according to your preferences
- You can easily double this recipe if needed!
- If you have leftover corn and cheese mixture, throw it on a piece of bread and you have a masala corn toast!
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?
Don’t forget to take a picture and tag me if you make this recipe! I love seeing all of your creations and twists! I hope you guys will give this a try and enjoy it as much as me and my family do! Happy eating, friends!
Masala Corn Cups
Ingredients
- 1 box Athens Phyllo cups (15 shells)
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 cup frozen corn sweet or roasted
- 1/2 jalapeno diced finely
- 1 clove garlic minced (optional)
- 1/2 tsp cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp coriander powder
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1/2 tsp red chili powder (adjust based on spice preference)
- salt to taste
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- handful of chopped cilantro
- 1/3 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. In a pan on medium heat, heat oil and then add cumin seeds and cook until they begin to splutter
- Add in the garlic (optional) and the jalapenos and cook until the raw smell of garlic is gone
- Next, add in the frozen corn and mix well. Then add in all the spices and mix until combined. If the mixture starts to get too dry and stick to the pot, add a tbsp of water to help combine all the ingredients
- Once the corn mixture has cooked down for a few minutes, turn the heat off and add in the lime juice and sprinkle in the cilantro and mix until combined
- Let the corn mixture cool for about 10 minutes before adding the cheese in and mixing well
- Spoon the mixture into the phyllo cups and bake for about 12 minutes or until cheese is melted and cups are crisp
- Garnish with some more cilantro and serve hot!
Notes
- I used Athens brand Phyllo shells for this recipe
- I also used Trader Joe’s frozen roasted corn, but feel free to use frozen sweet corn
- You can use any type of cheese you have, I’ve made these with cheddar and Amul cheese as well
