Mushroom Corn Pasta

Why You Need This Recipe

Corn and mushrooms pair so well together. I love the earthy mellow flavor of mushrooms with corn. By adding pasta, you turn what could be a vegetable side dish into a full-fledged main course.

It’s quick and easy. Pasta, mushrooms and corn all cook fast on the stove. This recipe involves very simple prep and limited cook time.

This is healthier compared to other corn pasta recipes. Often times you will see creamy sauce with corn, but you can stick with olive oil, skip butter, and add some of the pasta cooking water in the skillet towards the end of cooking to lightly coat everything. Also, mushrooms are way more interesting than any cream sauce.

The Ingredients

This is what you need:

• Pasta: Penne is my go-to shape for this recipe. In general, I recommend other short pastas such as orecchiette and fusilli. You can use gluten free varieties.
• Mushrooms: Sometimes called baby bellas, cremini mushrooms are slightly more mature white mushrooms and have a nice earthy taste. You can buy them whole or sliced.
• Corn: I use a sharp chef’s knife to slice the corn kernels off 2 cobs This ends up being about 2 cups of corn.
• Scallions are green onions that act like light onions and fresh herbs at the same time.
• Garlic is very important to give a base flavor to this dish. And mushrooms and garlic just belong together!
• Parmesan is lovely stirred into this pasta dish once it’s ready. You can also use grated pecorino or a combination of both. To make this recipe vegan, use nutritional yeast.
• Parsley: With any pasta, it’s always a good to add chopped herbs to layer in more different but subtle flavors. If you have fresh basil or chives, they would be great in this pasta too.
• Olive oil: Since this recipe is simple with so few ingredients, use high quality extra virgin olive oil for the best taste.
• Salt & pepper season the pasta, but make sure to taste it and add more seasoning as needed to suit your taste.

Optional Additions

• Red pepper flakes: If you want some heat, sprinkle on red pepper flakes for spicy heat.
• Fresh lemon juice: Serve the pasta with a lemon wedge on the side or squeeze lemon juice in when you add the cheese and herbs for a smidge of citrus.

How To Make Mushroom Corn Pasta

1. Cook the pasta in a large pot until al dente according to package directions in boiling salted water. Save a half cup of the cooking water. Drain the pasta in a colander.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.

3. Sauté the mushrooms and corn until the mushrooms are browned and caramelized, and the corn is bright yellow, about 5 minutes.

4. Stir in the white scallions, garlic, salt and pepper. Give them about 30 seconds to turn fragrant.

5. Fold in the pasta and pour in the reserved pasta water. Let it bubble and evaporate and coat the penne.

6. Stir in the scallion greens, Parmesan cheese and parsley. Season with more salt and pepper as desired.