Take-out Tuesday, Creamy Corn Carbonara

the Painted Apron

10 years ago

This is a perfect summer dish

It’s light, it’s satisfying, it’s delicious and it’s creaminess comes from fresh summer corn 🌽

Get the pasta cooking* while you are making the sauce

*Add the pasta to a pot of boiling salted water, stir it down, cover it, and turn the burner OFF. Let it sit there while you make the sauce. It can sit there and be perfectly cooked without being over done, since the heat gradually diminshes

NOTE: Do not put oil in your pasta water even though that’s what your momma taught you! The oil prevents sauce from clinging to the pasta

Put a Tablespoon of oil or bacon grease into a skillet

Then scrape the corn cobs with the back of a knife or spoon to release their milk

The milk forms a base for the sauce with the addition of a dash of cream

Add cheese, stir to melt, and add corn kernels

I decided to add Brussels sprouts and bacon…

I’m always trying to sneak them into everything 🐷

This is totally optional, up to you!

If you do want to add them, just roast them together on a sheet pan at 400 degrees for 25 minutes or so

Now’s the time to add the Brussels sprouts, or any other cooked vegetable* you want to use, but save the bacon until the end so it stays crisp

*asparagus, green beans, zucchini, broccoli

Add a dash more cream to thin the mixture

Now add the drained pasta, season with salt and pepper to taste

Mix and top with bacon

By now you should be drooling 😋

Here’s the good news, you can eat it now OR put it in a casserole and heat it covered in the oven later~

Creamy Corn Carbonara with optional Bacon & Brussels Sprouts

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Italian

Keyword Baked Brussels Sprouts, Carbonara pasta, Corn Carbonara, pasta casserole, spaghetti with bacon

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 30

Servings 3

Ingredients

2-3 ears fresh corn cooked
1/4-1/2 cup half and half
2 oz fresh Parmesan shavings plus more for garnish if desired
salt and pepper
fresh basil
4-6 oz Angel hair pasta or thin spaghetti
1 T olive oil or bacon grease
Optional:
4 slices bacon
10-12 Brussels sprouts*

Instructions

Cook bacon on parchment lined baking sheet along with Brussels sprouts. Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes until done. Remove bacon to paper towels to drain.
Bring a large sauce pan of well salted water to a boil. Add pasta, stir until it softens. Turn burner off and cover. Pasta will continue to cook gently as you prepare the sauce.
Put 1 Tablespoon of olive oil or bacon grease into a skillet. Cut corn from cobs and scrape milk from bare cobs into the pan using the back of a spoon or knife. Add a 1/4 cup cream, season and add cheese. Add corn and any other vegetable at this time. Cook and stir until heated through and desired consistency, adding more cream or cheese if desired.
Drain pasta, but reserve 1/4 cup pasta water. Add pasta to skillet with cream sauce. Thin sauce with pasta water or cream if necessary.
Garnish with crumbled bacon, basil, and more Parmesan.
Serve immediately or place in a lightly greased baking dish. Cover and refrigerate. Reheat, covered, at 350 for 30 minutes, or until heated through.

Notes

*eliminate Brussels sprouts if desired, or substitute zucchini or asparagus

Roast vegetable of choice along with bacon as directed, adjusting cooking time. Remove vegetable or bacon from pan and set aside it one is done before the other, and return pan to oven to finish cooking.

This dish is almost sweet from the fresh summer corn, and it’s pretty guilt free, I only used 1/4 cup of half and half, which is only 1-2 Tablespoons per serving