I must admit, it was the name of this casserole that got me at the start. It reminds me of nursery rhymes. As I glanced through the list of ingredients, trying to determine how the recipe got its moniker, I realized that the “little red” was in reference to the light tomato sauce that’s made in which to stew the hominy. Simple enough. Now I felt a little slighted by the name, but the recipe did look good.

I am not big on casseroles. It’s not that I don’t like a one pot meal, it’s just that I don’t think that everything has to go together, but this casserole was more of a side dish– a side dish I could do.

So I just popped out to the store to pick up a can of hominy. Who knew that would be the most difficult part of the assembly? Hominy was nowhere to be found at my regular grocery store. They had canned corn, they had grits, but I was out of luck for hominy. So I went to a Mexican grocery and found one, lone can. That was all I needed!

For those that have never tried hominy, or don’t know much about it, I always describe it as bloated corn. It’s popular in the Southwest, and in Mexico. Corn is soaked in a water bath of calcium carbonate, or lye, the kernels swell, fall from the husk, and they develop a smoky, intense flavor. I know that bloated anything may not sound so appetizing, but I assure you it’s delicious. If you like corn tortillas, made from masa harina, which is ground hominy, you will like whole hominy. While you can find hominy dried (requiring you to soak generously), it is usually found, ready-to-cook, in a can. This recipe called for the canned variety, so I was in luck.

The casserole, made with pickled jalapeno, tomatoes, and Monterey Jack cheese has a Mexican-American feel to it. It’s slightly spicy, a bit cheese-y, and totally satisfying. I really liked it, and I’m not even a casserole queen. If you are, go wild with it!

Little Red Hominy with Cheese
adapted from The Grains Cookbook by Bert Greene

2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 large pickled jalapeno, diced
1 large can (29 or 35 oz) hominy, drained and rinsed
salt and pepper
1 1/4 cup Monterey, Jack cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a Dutch oven, over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion, and saute until translucent, season with salt and pepper. Add the garlic, and cook until fragrant. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, and sugar. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the pepper, and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for an additional 5 minutes. Sauce should be chucky, and mostly cooked. Stir in the hominy, and season with more salt and pepper. Remove from heat.

Add about 3/4 cup of cheese to the hominy mixture, thoroughly mixing. Pour hominy mixture into buttered casserole, spread evenly, and top with remaining cheese.

Bake for 45 minutes, remove from oven, let stand for 5 minutes, then serve.