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This fresh summer meal is loaded with the season’s best produce! A simple combination of pasta with corn, bacon, tomatoes and zucchini in a creamy Parmesan herb sauce makes a delicious 30-minute meal. Serve it alongside a loaf of crusty bread or a light green salad for a satisfying, easy dinner!
Creamy Sweet Corn Pasta with Basil
This meal is basically summer in a skillet! Sweet corn, tomatoes and basil are truly a match made in heaven. Amp up the flavor with some smoky bacon and salty Parmesan cheese, toss everything together with pasta and cream, and you’ve got a decadent, restaurant-quality dinner that’s ready in minutes. The creamy pasta with corn and tomatoes is fancy enough for entertaining guests, or quick enough for busy weeknights. Even your pickiest little eaters will enjoy their vegetables!
Ingredients
This is just a quick overview of the simple ingredients that you’ll need for the creamy pasta with corn. As always, specific measurements and complete step-by-step instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Corn: freshly cut off the cob is best. The corn milk that you scrape off also adds flavor to the dish and helps thicken the sauce.
- Pasta: I like “mezzi rigatoni,” which has great ridges and holes for the sauce and corn to cling to. You can substitute with just about any pasta shape that you prefer.
- Kosher salt: to enhance the other flavors in the dish.
- Bacon: a rich, smoky element that pairs nicely with the fresh vegetables.
- Butter: to sauté the vegetables and add flavor to the sauce.
- Onion and garlic: for savory flavor.
- Zucchini: a touch of color and extra nutrition to bulk up the dish.
- Tomatoes: we prefer halved cherry or grape tomatoes, but you can also chop and seed larger tomatoes to use here.
- Heavy cream: adds richness to the sauce.
- Parmesan: freshly-grated to a very fine consistency melts smoothest into the sauce.
- Basil: the perfect herb to highlight the natural flavors in the fresh summer vegetables.
How to Make Pasta with Corn and Tomatoes
Prep all of your ingredients in advance, because this meal comes together quickly on the stovetop!
- Cut the kernels off of the corn cobs and scrape the corn milk into the bowl.
- Boil the pasta until al dente, reserving ½ cup of the pasta cooking water. Drain.
- Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large skillet until crisp. Remove to a plate.
- Cook the onion, corn, zucchini and garlic.
- Add the tomatoes, cooked pasta, heavy cream and Parmesan.
- Cook for a few more minutes, thinning the sauce with the reserved pasta water if necessary.
- Taste and season with salt and pepper.
- Garnish with the crispy bacon, fresh basil, and additional Parmesan cheese.
What to Serve with Creamy Corn Pasta with Basil
If you’d like to complete the meal with a couple of easy sides, here are some good options that go nicely alongside pasta with corn:
- Green Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette
- Classic Caesar Salad
- House Salad with Candied Pecans
- Crusty Baguette or a loaf of No-Knead Bread
- Homemade Focaccia
- Garlic Bread or Breadsticks
- Sauteed Spinach with Garlic
- Roasted Asparagus or Sauteed Asparagus
- Roasted Broccoli
- Southern-Style Green Beans or Roasted Green Beans
- Cucumber Dill Salad
Storage
This dish is best served immediately while the sauce is warm and the vegetables are fresh. Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat the pasta and sauce gently over low heat on the stovetop just until warmed through, or put individual portions in a microwave-safe bowl, cover, and warm for about 1-2 minutes. Be careful not to boil the sauce. Overcooked pasta will also become gummy and mushy, while the veggies can get mushy.
I do not recommend freezing the pasta with corn, as the cream sauce may “break” when thawed and the pasta and vegetables will have a gummy, mushy texture.
Recipe Variations
- While it’s not quite the same, you can substitute about 2 cups of frozen corn kernels for the fresh corn off the cob. Frozen corn tends to be softer than fresh, so you probably will not need to cook it as long.
- If you’re using regular bacon instead of thick-cut, increase the amount of bacon to 6 slices.
- You have a lot of options when it comes to the pasta. You might prefer a long pasta like spaghetti or linguine, while we like shorter shapes with plenty of curves, ridges or grooves for the sauce to cling to. I used mezzi rigatoni here, but other good options include penne, regular rigatoni, bowtie, fusilli, rotini, shells, orecchiette or radiatore.
- For more protein, add about 2 cups of cooked, chopped or shredded chicken. The meat from a store-bought rotisserie chicken is a great shortcut!
- Swap out the vegetables and use your favorites. For instance, instead of zucchini, use bite-size broccoli florets or frozen peas. Pasta with sweet corn and peppers is also a tasty combination!
- Garnish with toasted almonds, pecans or walnuts for a rich, flavorful crunch.
Tips for the Best Pasta with Corn and Bacon
- Use the freshest ingredients available for the best flavor. I like to make this pasta during the summer months when I have easy access to sweet corn, tomatoes, zucchini and fresh herbs.
- The corn milk that you scrape off of the cobs is starchy and sweet, adding more flavor to the pasta and acting as a thickening agent for the sauce. Don’t skip this step!
- Use freshly-grated Parmesan (not the canned pre-grated stuff), and make sure that it’s shredded to a very fine consistency on a microplane or on the smallest side of a box grater. This will ensure that the Parmesan melts smoothly into the cream sauce.
- Do not substitute with half-and-half or whole milk in this sauce. The heavy cream provides the best texture and flavor, and is the least likely to separate when simmered in the skillet.
- Make sure that the cream is at room temperature when you add it to the skillet. This will help to prevent it from curdling or separating in the pan.
More Recipes with Fresh Summer Corn
- Summer Corn Salad
- Zucchini Gratin with Corn and Bacon
- Amish Chicken and Corn Casserole
- Fried Corn
- Corn Chowder
- Rice Salad with Corn, Bacon and Pimentos
Pasta with Corn, Bacon, Tomatoes and Zucchini
Ingredients
- 3 ears of corn (about 2 cups kernels)
- 1 lb. mezzi rigatoni pasta (or other pasta of choice)
- 4 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 1 cup diced zucchini
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for the pasta water
- 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
- ½ cup heavy cream, at room temperature
- ¾ cup grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving
- ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
Instructions
- Cut the kernels from the corn cobs and place the kernels in a large bowl. Run the back of your knife down the corn cobs to scrape off any corn milk; add the corn milk to the bowl with the kernels. Set aside.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, according to package instructions. Reserve ½ cup of the cooking water, then drain.
- Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp, about 5-7 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate, reserving the drippings in the skillet.
- Add the butter to the pan and melt over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the corn kernels with the corn milk, zucchini, garlic and salt. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently, until the corn and zucchini are crisp-tender, about 7-10 minutes. Add tomatoes, cooked pasta, heavy cream, and Parmesan. Cook for another few minutes, until completely warmed through and combined. Add reserved pasta cooking water, as necessary, to thin until the sauce reaches the desired consistency.
- Taste and season with additional kosher salt and pepper, if desired. Sprinkle cooked bacon and fresh basil on top. Serve with additional grated Parmesan.
Notes
- Use the freshest ingredients available for the best flavor. I like to make this pasta during the summer months when I have easy access to sweet corn, tomatoes, zucchini and fresh herbs.
- The corn milk that you scrape off of the cobs is starchy and sweet, adding more flavor to the pasta and acting as a thickening agent for the sauce. Don’t skip this step!
- Use freshly-grated Parmesan (not the canned pre-grated stuff), and make sure that it’s shredded to a very fine consistency on a microplane or on the smallest side of a box grater. This will ensure that the Parmesan melts smoothly into the cream sauce.
- Do not substitute with half-and-half or whole milk in this sauce. The heavy cream provides the best texture and flavor, and is the least likely to separate when simmered in the skillet.
- Make sure that the cream is at room temperature when you add it to the skillet. This will help to prevent it from curdling or separating in the pan.
Wonderful Sumer Recipe and it doesn’t have to go in the (hot) oven. Bring on more of these kind of recipes.
Thank you, Mary! It was on our dinner menu tonight, too. Great minds think alike! 🙂
This sounds amazing having so many of my favorite summer veggies in it, plus bacon! Going to make it this week. Thanks for sharing!
Hope you love it, Karen!