Lighter Creamed Corn Spoon Bread

Bring the milk, water and salt to a boil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk in the cornmeal in a slow steady stream. Reduce the heat and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the mixture is thickened and smooth, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Stir in the creamed corn, cheese, bell pepper and scallions. Scrape the mixture into a large bowl and let cool 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 °F. Spray a shallow 2-quart casserole dish with cooking spray.

With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the egg whites in a medium bowl until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes. With a rubber spatula, stir the egg yolks into the cornmeal mixture. Spoon one-fourth of the beaten egg whites into the cornmeal mixture to lighten. With a rubber spatula, gently fold in the remaining whites just until the whites are no longer visible.

Scrape the cornmeal mixture into the prepared dish. Bake until the spoon bread is puffed and golden, 40 to 45 minutes.