I was looking for a recipe that would pair well with chicken, or stand alone as a vegetarian option for a teacher friend that I'm hoping comes to visit this fall. I stumbled across this recipe. It looked so good, and I'm such a sucker for anything with fresh basil. It was a must try and did not disappoint.

Ingredients

6 oz. small pasta (I used ditalini)
2 Tablespoon butter
1 shallot finely chopped
1 can white whole kernel corn, drained
2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup salted pasta water
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes or more to taste
1/3 cup parmesan cheese freshly grated
salt & black pepper to taste
1/4 cup fresh basil chopped

Instructions

Cook pasta according to package instructions; reserve 1/4 cup pasta water, then drain the pasta.

Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the shallot and corn and sauté for 3-5 minutes.

Add the garlic, salt, and pepper. Sauté for 1-2 minutes until garlic becomes fragrant. Remove from heat.

Add 3/4 cup of the corn mixture to a small blender, along with the 1/4 cup pasta water. Blend until smooth. Pour back into the skillet with the remaining corn.

Turn heat back to low/medium. Whisk in the heavy cream, red pepper flakes, and parmesan. Whisk until you have a smooth, creamy texture.

Add the cooked pasta to the skillet, along with the basil and toss to combine. Season with extra salt and pepper to your taste.

Ideas

If you don't have ditalini, any small pasta will work.

You can substitute vegetable stock for the pasta water.

The original recipe called for fresh corn. I made this on a Monday, so I filed that under, "ain't nobody got time for that."😂 Maybe another day...

Recipe credit: https://thealmondeater.com/corn-pasta/