Fresh Corn Carbonara

This post contains links that, if you click on them and make a purchase, will earn me money. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. . Regardless, I only recommend products or services that I believe will be good for my readers. Thanks for helping me continue to produce great content!

This recipe for Fresh Corn Carbonara is both easy and delicious! It’s a great weeknight meal. 

Long about now, I feel the need to break into a chorus of Stevie Wonder’s , “Isn’t She Lovely?”

Fresh Corn Carbonara is Technically Not a Carbonara

The purists among you are going to take note immediately that there are no eggs in this dish, so technically, it’s NOT a pasta carbonara. Well, technically, you’re right. Hope that makes you feel better! Now that we’ve gotten *that* out of the way… 😀

I titled it a “corn carbonara” because it really, really reminds me of a true pasta carbonara. No tomatoes in sight, and there’s bacon, garlic, and Parmesan, (all elements of a pasta carbonara). Half and half, puréed corn, and the milk from the corn cob take the place of the eggs, to make a lovely sauce.

Fresh Corn Carbonara Requires Fresh Corn, Because You Use the Cobs 

Then I also incorporate some fresh corn kernels, to give a little burst of sweetness and some crunch to add to the creamy texture. Bacon adds a crunchy salty element, basil adds an herbal brightness, and a sprinkling of hot red pepper flakes adds a slight note of heat. Salty, sweet, savory, creamy, with a hint of crunch: this is a really nicely balanced dish! My family loved it, and I think yours will, too! Perfect for summertime, with all the lovely fresh corn and basil we have available.

You start by frying up some bacon. If you do that on your stove top, you know there’ll be some clean up involved, for sure. I prefer frying my bacon in the oven, in my cast iron skillet. 

Remove the corn kernels from the fresh corn. Half of them will go in the sauce. Set aside the other half to sprinkle in the dish at the end.

Assembling the dish: the corn and cream sauce, the fresh corn, the Parmesan, and the basil. Stir together thoroughly, till pasta is coated with sauce. I added the bacon at the end of the dish, to finish it, plus a little more fresh basil and Parmesan.

And, we’re ready for our close-up, Mr. DeMille.

Continue to Content

Yield: 4 servings

Fresh Corn Carbonara

Print

Similar to a true pasta carbonara, fresh corn carbonara uses fresh corn, the milk from the cob, and some half and half to make a creamy sauce for pasta. I added minced garlic and hot pepper flakes, and substituted half and half for the cream in the original recipe, to adapt it.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. spaghetti
• sea salt
• 5 slices of thick cut bacon (about 5 oz. of bacon)
• 4 minced cloves of garlic
• 1/4 t. red pepper flakes
• 4 ears of corn, kernels cut off (about 3 c.) and divided in half; cobs reserved
• 1/2 c. half and half
• 1/2 t. sea salt
• 1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 c. grated Parmesan
• 1/2 c. coarsely chopped basil leaves, divided

Instructions

1. Cook spaghetti in well-salted water, about 1 minute shy of package directions. (The water should be salty like the sea.) You want it al dente: to absorb the corn and cream sauce when you pour that over it. When the pasta is al dente, drain it, and pour it back into the pot you used to cook it in. Cover it with a lid to keep it hot until you pour the sauce over it.
2. Meanwhile, fry the bacon in a large skillet over medium high heat until crisp. Drain bacon on paper towels.   Crumble or chop the bacon into bite sized pieces. Pour all but about 2 T. of the bacon grease off of the skillet, and return skillet to the  heat. Sauté the minced garlic and red pepper flakes for about 1 minute. You don't want the garlic to burn. Set aside.
3. Scrape the excess corn cob milk/remnants of corn kernels off the cobs, using the back of a chef's knife.  Scrape that, half of the corn kernels, sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, the bacon fat with the sautéed garlic and red pepper flakes, and the half and half into a blender. Purée until a smooth sauce forms.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4 servings

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 411Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 35mgSodium: 922mgCarbohydrates: 56gFiber: 4gSugar: 6gProtein: 18g

Fresh Corn Carbonara. Please pin this on Pinterest!

If you’re looking for more easy weeknight recipes, I have a ton. Check out Chicken Dukkah, for example.