Ayyyeeee! This pasta was SO SO good.
I will admit that it’s a teeny bit indulgent but tastes delicious and it’s something that surprisingly doesn’t feel super heavy and I think that it having no meat helps a lot with that.
This week has been full of food shoots and getting everything done and ordered for our kitchen renovation, which I’m going to tell you about TOMORROW! WOOHOO.
Before I do that though, I wanted to give you this late-summer recipe because I feel like corn has been so delicious this year. If you’ve had Mexican street corn before (also known as elote) then you know that it is delicious. It’s super simple with ingredients that complement each other so very well.
This is similar to that except with…pasta, which makes it very different and not traditional at all but still so tasty.
I’ve been kinda sneaky about the kitchen renovation because I didn’t want to curse it. I’m super superstitious and didn’t want anything to go wrong. But Monday the general contractor and his workers are showing up so it’s happening.
I couldn’t be more excited about the outcome! More soon!
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 ears of corn husks and silk removed
- 1 shallot minced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne
- Salt
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 pound pasta I used spaghetti
- 3/4 cup reserved pasta water
- 4 tablespoons crumbled cotija cheese plus more as garnish
- Juice from 1 lime
- 1 bunch of cilantro stems removed, minced
Instructions
- To a medium to large skillet or Dutch oven, set over medium heat, add the butter. When melted, add the corn kernels, shallot and garlic. Cook until the shallot has softened, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the cayenne, salt and heavy cream; cover the pot to cook for about 5 to 6 minutes.
- Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente (mine took about 8 to 9 minutes). Scoop out about 1 cup of pasta water and set it aside. Drain the pasta and set aside.
- To the corn mixture, add 3/4 cup reserved pasta water, juice from 1 lime and mix. Cook until warmed, about 1 minute. Add the pasta, the crumbled cotija cheese and toss until combined. If you need to, add a bit more pasta water or cream. Give it a taste and adjust the salt to your liking (it should be ok!).
- Divide amongst bowls or plates and garnish with a bit more cotija cheese and some leaves of cilantro.
Nutrition
Hi Adrianna. I’m making this recipe right now and I’m a bit confused regarding the cilantro. The recipe calls for 1 bunch “minced” but the directions seem to only include a few “leaves” for garnish. Am I missing something or is it just leaves for garnish? Thank you!
ahh im sorry about that. the cilantro is just for garnish!
I made this tonite. It was delicious, great as a side or entree. However, I could’t find cotija anywhere and didn’t have time to go the spot I knew would have it. So I opted for feta instead. The cilantro makes ALL the difference. But so light, I could actually see adding some freshly grated lemon peel but love this.
oh that’s awesome! yeah feta is a great substitute in a pinch. in LA we have cotija at regular grocery stores but honestly, i hate going to multiple grocery stores! haha.
some fresh lemon peel would be delicious!
I love this recipe! I used all organic ingredients and it turned out great!
LOVE! YAY!
Mexican corn is my absolute favorite! This looks so incredibly amazing. I can’t wait to try it!
I love your site!!! <3 Everything looks yummy!
thank you!
Looks yummy! Just a question. Did you grill the corn first before you took the kernels off the cob and added them to the butter, shallots, and garlic? Thanks for sharing all your wonderful recipes!
Nope! You can if you want. Like, if you want more of a char flavor, definitely do that. But I added the raw corn to the pan with the butter and shallots and garlic. I cooked it for a bit but my corn kernels still had texture to them. I love it this way!
But if you’re in the mood to grill the corn, I bet that would be delicious, too!
Just made this for dinner and it was so good! I forgot to pick up limes so will ass that in next time but so yummy!
yayyy! this makes me so happy.
I made this tonight with some homemade fettuccine. It was freaking delicious! This recipe will definitely be on repeat!
yummmmm!!
What a great Migraine-friendly dish for a light summer, or anytime corn is in season as we get a peak in winter as well here in Australia, dish. Unfortunately I’ll be substituting in feta for the cotija chesse as you just can’t get it here. Bravo
Feta would definitely do the trick!
Wow that looks DELICIOUS! I just started a food blog where I go to restaurants and then blog about it after wards. It’s juariablog.wordpress.com. I only give completely true answers.
This looks delicious! Will definitely add this recipe to my list of ones to try. Love your site and the photos you capture of your dishes in progress are mouth-wateringly beautiful!
Jackie.
Thank you so much!
This looks delicious! Is this for one pound of pasta? The recipe doesn’t say. Thanks!
Looks so yummy!!!
Thanks, Frida! xo
Yum! That’s all’s I can say! I’m going to try this!
Please report back! 🙂
Wow, this looks wonderful. I’m growing some corn this year in my veg patch. It’s not quite ready yet, but when it is I’m going to give this a go as I LOVE Mexican food.
oh that sounds so exciting!! i feel like corn is kind of a late-summer thing. it doesn’t get good until August/September.