Creamy Corn Pasta with Bacon, Basil, and Butter Beans

Celebrate the taste of summer with this creamy corn pasta recipe featuring salty bacon, creamy butter beans, and fresh basil. It's full of fresh flavor thanks to a special technique to "milk" the corn cobs, removing the entire kernel for the best corn flavor. Serve it up before the season ends!

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine American, Southern

Keyword Creamed Corn, Creamed Corn Pasta, Creamy Corn Pasta

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 25

Total Time 40

Servings servings

Calories 474kcal

Author Cara Harbstreet

Ingredients

4 ears fresh corn, shucked and milked about 3 cups
1 cup heavy cream
6 slices thick cut bacon
1 medium sweet or yellow onion diced, about 1 1/2 cups
3 cloves garlic minced (or about 1 tbsp + 1 tsp)
1 cup mozarella cheese plus 1/4 cup for serving
1 can butterbeans (lima beans) about 1 1/2 cups drained
1 lb medium cut pasta
1 cup reserved pasta water
1/4 cup fresh basil chopped, plus more for garnish
Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Use a sharp knife to carefully carve the kernels from the cob. Then take a spoon or the back of the knife to scrape the cob, "milking" the remaining pieces of the kernels. Yield should be approximately 2 1/2 cups kernels and 1/2 cup milk for 4 average ears of sweet corn.
Place the kernels and corn milk in a mixing bowl and stir in the heavy cream. Mix lightly to combine then set aside to complete the rest of the prep steps.
Cook the bacon to a crispy texture in a large skillet. Once fully cooked, remove the bacon from the skillet and pat with a paper towel to remove excess grease.
Reserve some of the drippings and rendered fat from the bacon in the skillet. Bring back to medium heat and add the onions. Stir often and cook about 5-6 minutes, or until the onions are softened and fragrant. Add the garlic and cook 1-2 more minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions for al dente pasta (8 to 10 minutes). Reserve about 1 cup pasta water then drain the pasta.
Stir in the corn and heavy cream mixture into the skillet with the onions and reduce the heat to medium-low. Over the course of 3-5 minutes, add in small amounts of the mozzarella cheese, allowing it to fully melt and incorporate into the creamed mixture before adding more.
Roughly crumble the cooked bacon into small pieces. Stir in half of the bacon and use the rest for garnish when serving. Add the drained beans to the skillet with the creamed corn mixture as well.
Add the drained pasta. While stirring, add in small amounts of the reserved pasta water. Once the sauce is clinging to the pasta, remove from heat and stir in the fresh basil.
Season with salt and pepper to taste, then garnish with remaining cheese and crumbled bacon, plus extra basil. Serve warm and enjoy!

Notes

Note that as written, this recipe yields 8 servings for a side dish. If using as a main entree, adjust portions accordingly with additional pairings.

You may not use all of the reserved pasta water to achieve a creamy, smooth texture for the sauce. Adjust accordingly to fit your preferences for a thicker or thinner sauce.

Nutrition