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Corn "Carbonara"


Corn "Carbonara"

Isn't this just the prettiest color dish?


Early fall corn is absolutely delicious and this idea of mine worked, which is always a happy moment. Next time I will use thinner noodles though I do think that no matter what fresh pasta is called for here, but, no matter what the pasta, this sauce is REALLY the star. And easy to make.


I used sage in the sauce as I find that the woodsy notes of sage tone down some of the sweetness of corn (which can be a bit overwhelming in a savory dish), and used dill oil to dress the pasta at the end to brighten the dish. I think that freshly chopped dill would be a good substitute, as would some crumbled bacon. Still, as is, this was a pretty fine dish and came together really quickly.


Fresh pasta of your choice, whatever amount you consider a portion size.

1 ear of corn

1/2 small yellow onion, chopped

1 Tbsp fresh sage leaves, chopped

1 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp freshly grated Parmesan

Salt to taste


Put a pot of salted water on to boil for the pasta. While it is heating up, prepare the sauce.


Melt the butter in a large skillet and add the chopped onion, the sage, and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is starting to brown and caramelize. While it is doing so, prepare the corn.


Shuck the corn and cut the kernels from the cob into a bowl. Add them to the pan containing the onions and stir to combine. Cook, stirring from time to time, for a couple of minutes.


Tip the mixture into a blender and blitz into a smooth sauce. I reserved about 1/4 cup of the mixture to add some texture to the finished dish so, whether you blend the whole thing or reserve some, is entirely up to you.


By now the pasta water should be boiling away so add the pasta to the pan and cook according to directions.


Pour the sauce back into the skillet and turn the heat to low. Heat the mixture through, adding 1/3 cup of the pasta water to the skillet when the pasta is nearly cooked through.


Drain the pasta.


Add the grated Parmesan to the sauce and stir to combine before adding the pasta to the skillet and stirring to combine the sauce with the pasta.


Serve as described above.

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