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This corn pasta recipe gets its creaminess from pureed corn and addition flavor from fresh herbs and a simple brown butter sauce.
I love light pasta dishes during the summer - from garlic butter pasta to lemon asparagus ravioli. But when I think of summer, corn is the first thing that pops in my head.
Did you know corn is the most grown crop in the United States? From just good old corn on the cob to cornmeal to corn flour, corn can be used in a variety of ways so I guess it isn't too surprising.
But have you ever used corn to make a creamy pasta sauce? Until today I hadn't either. But we had an abundance of fresh corn that needed to be used and I was feeling like some pasta.
Throw in some fresh herbs like thyme and basil and good white wine, this will creamy corn pasta will quickly become your go-to summer dish.
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Ingredient Notes
- Pasta - any pasta will work for this dish - from penne to fusilli. I personally like orecchiette and is what I used here.
- Leeks - while leeks are my go-to, green, sweet, white, yellow or red onions will work as well. They all high slightly different flavors.
- Corn - fresh corn is best here. You cook some to make a puree and then add more corn at the end. The corn puree creates a creaminess without cream.
Ingredient Swaps
Like any recipe you can replace some of the ingredients. Some swaps include:
- While any pasta will work, you can replace with gluten-free pasta no problem.
- Leeks really complement the corn well here, but the easiest substitute is green onions.
- If adding some protein, pancetta works great but bacon is a good substitute.
Step-by-Step Photos
Cook leeks with butter in large sauté pan over medium heat for 3 minutes before adding 2 ½ cups of corn and garlic. Cook for another 3 minutes before deglazing with wine.
Now transfer the corn to a blender, adding salt and pepper and blend until smooth. Set aside. in the same skillet, add remaining butter, 1 cup corn, thyme and red pepper flakes. Increase heat to medium-high and cook until butter is starting to brown, about 2 minutes.
Add in the corn puree, cooking for another 30 seconds. Now stir in the pasta and half of the Parmesan. Once it is combined add the remaining pasta, basil and ¾ cup reserved pasta water. Sprinkle with some fresh lemon juice and serve immediately.
FAQs
Any pasta really works here but my go-to is orecchiette. They look like "little ears", hence the name. However other pasta like penne, ziti or fusilli works too.
While leeks are tasty, they can be quite dirty so make sure you clean them before using, otherwise you'll have a mouthful of soil with every bite. Simply recipes has great instructions on how to clean leeks.
Wine is a key ingredient to giving this corn pasta recipe its bright flavor. And using a wine you’d be willing to drink is even more important so don’t go cheap on the wine.
Remember, once you open the wine to cook you have to drink it and that’s never a bad thing.
But if you don't have wine or drink it, just replace with some low-sodium chicken stock.
Add the butter to the skillet over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, it will foam up and then subside. This is when you watch carefully as lightly browned specks will start to form at the bottom of the pan.
You will know the butter is ready when there is a nutty aroma.
Pasta isn't always the best leftover as it soaks up the sauce and can clump together.
However if you want to make ahead, just make the sauce and chill in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat it and cook the pasta when ready to eat.
Corn pasta will last in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 days. To reheat, you need to do it low and slow over low heat, which helps prevent the sauce from separating. Add a little more corn and milk to freshen it up.
When freezing, you need to keep the sauce separate. I wouldn't recommend freezing pasta. Frozen corn sauce will last in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Benefits of Corn
Like most vegetables, corn has plenty of benefits including:
- High in nutrients
- Has protective antioxidants
- Helps with digestion
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- Use quality dry white wine that you'd be willing to drink. The flavor of the sauce comes from the wine. Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay are best.
- Cook the pasta until just al dente as the pasta will cook more when tossing in sauce.
- Use freshly grated Parmesan to finish the sauce. Never buy pre-shredded Parmesan cheese as it contains wood pulp. Blocks of Parmesan cheese are also cheaper.
Other Pasta Recipes
If you’ve tried this corn pasta recipe or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I'm up to.
Corn Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 lb orecchiette
- ½ cup unsalted butter, divided
- 2 leeks, cleaned and diced small (only use white and light green part)
- 4-5 large ears corn, shucked and kernels removed (3 ½ cups)
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ cup dry white wine
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- ⅓ cup fresh basil, chopped
- 1 lemon, juiced
- ¼ lb diced cooked pancetta (optional)
Instructions
- Bring large pot of salted water to boil and cook pasta 1 minute short of being al dente, according to package instructions. Drain and reserve 1 cup pasta water.
- While pasta is cooking, heat 4 tbsp butter in large sauté pan over medium heat. Add chopped leeks and cook for 3 minutes or until soft. Add 2 ½ cups of corn and garlic and cook for 3 minutes. Deglaze with wine and cook for an additional two minutes.
- Transfer cooked corn to blender. Add salt and black pepper and blend until smooth.
- In same skillet, increase heat to medium-high. Add 4 tbsp butter, 1 cup uncooked corn, chopped thyme and crushed red pepper flakes, cooking until butter is starting to brown and corn is cooked through, about 2 minutes. Stir in the corn puree and cook for 30 seconds to get the flavors to combine.
- Reduce heat and stir in the pasta and half the Parmesan cheese. Stir until everything is combined and then add remaining Parmesan cheese, basil and ¾ cup reserved pasta water. If still too thick, stir in rest of pasta water. Sprinkle with some fresh lemon juice. Serve immediately with some additional herbs and Parmesan cheese. Add some cooked pancetta if using
Notes
- You can replace the leeks with 4 chopped green onions.
- Use quality dry white wine that you'd be willing to drink. The flavor of the sauce comes from the wine. Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay are best.
- Cook the pasta until just al dente as the pasta will cook more when tossing in sauce.
- Use freshly grated Parmesan to finish the sauce. Never buy pre-shredded Parmesan cheese as it contains wood pulp. Blocks of Parmesan cheese are also cheaper.
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