Corn, Bacon & Bean Summer Pasta
This comfort-food dish is still full of fresh summer goodness!
Ingredients
- 16 ounces bowtie / farfalle pasta sub whatever noodles you prefer
- 1 tablespoon avocado or olive oil
- 4 medium ears fresh corn or 3 large
- 12 ounces uncooked bacon approximately 9 slices
- 1/4 teaspoon salt plus more to taste and more for boiling water
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 12 ounces frozen edamame sub lima/butter/fava beans
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper plus more to taste
- 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese plus more to taste
- 0.5 ounces fresh basil
Instructions
- Cook pasta al dente according to package directions (approximately 1 ½ minutes less than lowest recommended time). I like to add 2 teaspoons salt to the pasta water. *Save 2 cups pasta water when you drain. Toss cooked pasta with avocado oil and set aside.
- Cook bacon: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and wrap a baking sheet with aluminum foil, pressing it tightly to the edges. (I like to do one piece lengthwise and two pieces crosswise). Place bacon slices on baking sheet. They might slightly overlap, but they will shrink as they cook. Bake for 20 minutes, then carefully drain excess grease into a heat-proof container to cool. Bake another 10-20 minutes, or until the bacon reaches your desired doneness. This will depend on the cut and brand. Allow to cool 10 minutes, or until you can handle with your fingers. I personally like to place the cooled slices between paper towels and press to remove excess grease. Crumble or use scissors to crumble/cut the bacon (I prefer the latter).
- While bacon is cooking, remove the husk and silks on your ears of corn. I like to wrap each ear in a dish towel and twist in opposite directions, over the sink, to get any excess silks off. Hold one ear upright in a medium-sized mixing bowl with your non-dominant hand. Using a sharp knife in your dominant hand and moving vertically, slice off kernels into the bowl. Repeat with remaining ears.
- Heat a large skillet to medium heat and add butter. When butter is melted and lightly bubbling, add garlic and stir constantly for 30 seconds, until softened and fragrant. Add edamame, corn kernels, pasta, ¼ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper and 1 cup saved pasta water. Gently stir to incorporate and cook, stirring every minute or two, until no water remains at the bottom of the pan. Or if it seems too dry, add a little more pasta water. Remove skillet from the heat and fold in three-quarters of your crumbled bacon and ¾ cup parmesan cheese. Taste and add salt / pepper accordingly (I add ¼ teaspoon each MORE salt and pepper).
- Roughly chop basil and fold it into the pasta. Serve with remaining crumbled bacon and remaining parmesan (plus more to taste).
- Leftovers will keep tightly sealed in the fridge up to 4 days. To reheat, add to a saucepan with a splash of water and heat on medium, stirring, until warmed through.
