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Overhead view of a pot of creamy corn pasta
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Creamy Corn Pasta

This Creamy Corn Pasta is surprisingly creamy without any heavy cream or milk in the recipe! It's such a simple, but incredibly tasty dish with sweet corn, Parmesan cheese, brightness of lemon, and subtle heat from red pepper flakes.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: creamy corn pasta
Servings: 4 people

Ingredients

  • 12 ounces dry rotini pasta
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 3 cups corn kernels (5 ears of corn)
  • 1 small sweet onion diced
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 teaspoon coarse salt
  • A few turns of fresh cracked black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • 5 large fresh basil leaves cut chiffonade style

Instructions

  • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta al dente according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water before draining.
    Rotini in a colander
  • In the meantime, in a large deep nonstick pan, warm olive oil and butter over medium heat. Once bubbly, add corn kernels, diced onion, minced garlic, coarse salt, black pepper to taste, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes; sauté for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the onion has softened and the corn is tender. Turn off the heat.
    Corn cooking in butter with onions
  • Transfer half the corn mixture to a blender with the lemon juice and 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water. Puree until smooth.
    Corn puree in a blender
  • Add the cooked pasta to the corn mixture still in the pan and turn the heat back on over low.
    Corn and pasta in a pan
  • Stir in the corn puree to coat the pasta.
    Pouring corn puree over pasta
  • Add Parmesan and another 1/4 cup pasta water and stir until the cheese melts. Add more pasta water, only if necessary, to create a creamy sauce.
    Corn pasta in a pan
  • Season to taste and fold in half the basil.
    Basil added to corn pasta in a pan
  • Divide pasta among bowls. Garnish with chopped basil and sprinkle with more Parmesan and red pepper flakes, if desired.
    A plate of creamy corn pasta

Video

Notes

Add in some protein. If you don't need this dish to be vegetarian, you can add in some cooked bacon, pancetta, or chopped rotisserie chicken.

Nutrition

Calories: 480kcal | Carbohydrates: 72g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 859mg | Potassium: 328mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 350IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 153mg | Iron: 2mg