Corn and Bacon Pasta
Every summer I reach the point where I want to put fresh corn into absolutely everything—and this easy Corn and Bacon Pasta is one of my favorite ways to do it!
Sweet corn, crispy bacon and tender spinach are tossed with pasta in a light buttery sauce, and a generous spoonful of creamy ricotta on top makes the whole thing downright irresistible. Best of all, it’s ready in just 30 minutes, leaving plenty of time for soaking up that summer sunshine!
Jump to:
- 🔎 A quick look at this recipe
- ⭐️ Why this recipe works
- 🌽 Ingredients you need
- 📝 Ingredient notes
- 💡 Ingredient substitution ideas
- 👩🏻🍳 How to make this recipe
- 🤔 Recipe FAQs
- 🍽️ What to serve with this recipe
- Corn and Bacon Pasta
- 👩🏻🍳 Variations on this recipe
- 😍 Other summer pasta recipes we love!
- ⭐️ We want to know what you think!
- 🥣 Come on into our kitchen!
🔎 A quick look at this recipe
- What It Is: A quick summer pasta with sweet corn, crispy bacon and tender spinach in a light buttery sauce, topped with creamy ricotta.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Servings: 4 servings
- Calories: 466
- Cooking Method: Stovetop
- Good For: Easy summer dinners, busy weeknights and fresh corn season
⭐️ Why this recipe works
- 🌽 Sweet corn and smoky bacon are the perfect salty-sweet combination.
- 🥬 Baby spinach adds freshness and color and cooks right in the same skillet.
- 🧈 Butter, bacon drippings and starchy pasta water create a light, silky sauce—no heavy cream needed!
- 🤍 A spoonful of creamy ricotta makes every serving feel extra special.
- ⏱️ It’s ready in just 30 minutes, making it perfect for an easy summer supper.
Does anyone else get a little emotional at their local farm market?
Because I do. I look at the piles of local tomatoes and blueberries and corn and have to hold myself back from piling unreasonable amounts of them into my shopping basket, because I just know that in a heartbeat it is going to be fall and we will be surrounded by pumpkins and all the corn will be GONE.
And so I am making very sure that I am cooking suppers full of tomatoes and corn as many times a week as I can fit them in.
This recipe also includes spinach and ricotta cheese, and my favorite always-in-season ingredient, bacon.
The other scrumptious thing about this recipe is that it takes almost no time in the kitchen—which means more time for lounging around in the summer sunshine!
🌽 Ingredients you need
📝 Ingredient notes
- Short pasta: Choose a shape with plenty of curves and crevices to catch the corn and bacon. Campanelle, bow-ties, penne, rotini or orecchiette are all great choices.
- Bacon: Thick-cut bacon gives you the best crispy, meaty pieces. Save those flavorful drippings in the skillet—they become part of the sauce!
- Corn: Fresh corn is especially delicious here during the summer. You can substitute about 1½ cups of thawed frozen corn when fresh corn isn’t available.
- Baby spinach: Baby spinach wilts quickly and doesn’t need any chopping. Regular spinach will also work; remove any tough stems and roughly chop the leaves first.
- Butter: Butter combines with the bacon drippings and starchy pasta water to make the light, silky sauce.
- Ricotta: This is optional, but highly recommended! A generous spoonful of creamy ricotta on top adds a cool, luxurious finish to the warm pasta.
- Salt and pepper: Taste before adding salt, since the bacon and pasta water are already salty. A generous grinding of fresh black pepper is perfect here.
💡 Ingredient substitution ideas
Missing something or want to swap in something different? Check out the links below to find more ingredient substitution ideas. 👇🏻
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities and nutritional information.
👩🏻🍳 How to make this recipe
STEP 1: Cook 8 ounces of your favorite short pasta according to package directions. Scoop out a cup of pasta water before you drain it.
STEP 2: While the pasta is cooking, sauté 6 slices of chopped bacon in a large deep skillet until crispy. Remove and set aside, leaving drippings in the skillet.
STEP 3: Add 4 cups of baby spinach to the skillet and cook over medium heat until wilted. Add the pasta and kernels from 2 ears of corn and sauté until warmed through.
STEP 4: Add a couple of tablespoons of butter and just enough pasta water to make a light sauce, then toss again. Stir in bacon, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Divide among plates and (if you want to go to pasta heaven) top with ricotta and more pepper if you like. Enjoy!
🤔 Recipe FAQs
Spread a clean kitchen towel on the counter to catch any runaway kernels, then place a shallow bowl on top. Hold one end of the corn upright in the bowl and use a sharp paring knife to slice the kernels from the cob. Turn the corn and continue until all the kernels are removed.
Pasta releases starch as it cooks, creating the perfect water for bringing a light sauce together. Here, a splash of that salty, starchy water combines with the butter and bacon drippings to coat the pasta without making it watery.
You can (sob!)…use a tablespoon or so of olive or canola oil to cook up the spinach since you won’t have the bacon drippings.
Yes! Substitute about 1½ cups of thawed frozen corn for the fresh corn kernels. Drain it well before adding it to the skillet.
This pasta is best served right away while the sauce is silky and the bacon is crisp. Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for up to three days; reheat them gently with a splash of water and add the ricotta just before serving.
Drop it in the comments section below and I will answer pronto!
🍽️ What to serve with this recipe
This corn pasta is a meal on its own with the veggies and pasta cooked all together, but we wouldn’t say no to a warm piece of focaccia bread or a cream cheese biscuit on the side.
Some strawberry lemonade to wash it all down, and maybe some blueberry boy bait for dessert and we have the perfect summery meal!
Let’s bring on the sweet corn, crispy bacon and creamy ricotta—and turn them into one delicious bowl of summer pasta! 🌽🥓🍝
Corn and Bacon Pasta
This easy recipe for corn and bacon pasta captures the fresh flavors of the season in one quick supper. With a little ricotta cheese on top!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 8 ounces short pasta (campanelle, penne, bow-tie, etc)
- 6 slices thick cut bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
- Kernels from 2 ears of corn
- 4 cups baby spinach
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup fresh ricotta (optional)
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to directions. Scoop out a cup of pasta water before you drain it.
- While the pasta is cooking, saute bacon in a large deep skillet until crispy. Remove and set aside, leaving drippings in the skillet.
- Add the spinach to the skillet and cook over medium heat until wilted. Add pasta and corn and saute until warmed through. Add butter and just enough pasta water to make a light sauce and toss again. Stir in bacon, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Divide among plates and top with ricotta and more pepper if you like. Enjoy!
Notes
- Short pasta: Choose a shape with plenty of curves and crevices to catch the corn and bacon. Campanelle, bow-ties, penne, rotini or orecchiette are all great choices.
- Bacon: Thick-cut bacon gives you the best crispy, meaty pieces. Save those flavorful drippings in the skillet—they become part of the sauce!
- Corn: Fresh corn is especially delicious here during the summer. You can substitute about 1½ cups of thawed frozen corn when fresh corn isn’t available.
- Baby spinach: Baby spinach wilts quickly and doesn’t need any chopping. Regular spinach will also work; remove any tough stems and roughly chop the leaves first.
- Butter: Butter combines with the bacon drippings and starchy pasta water to make the light, silky sauce.
- Ricotta: This is optional, but highly recommended! A generous spoonful of creamy ricotta on top adds a cool, luxurious finish to the warm pasta.
- Salt and pepper: Taste before adding salt, since the bacon and pasta water are already salty. A generous grinding of fresh black pepper is perfect here.
👩🏻🍳 Variations on this recipe
- 🌶️ Add a little heat: Sprinkle in some red pepper flakes when you add the corn.
- 🍅 Bring on the tomatoes: Add halved cherry tomatoes for another burst of summery flavor.
- 🧀 Change the cheese: Swap the ricotta for goat cheese, burrata or grated Parmesan.
- 🌿 Add fresh herbs: Finish the pasta with chopped basil, chives or parsley.
- 🍗 Make it extra hearty: Add shredded cooked chicken along with the pasta and corn.
- 🥬 Swap the greens: Use chopped kale or arugula instead of baby spinach.
- 🌱 Make it vegetarian: Leave out the bacon, cook the vegetables in olive oil and add a pinch of smoked paprika for savory, smoky flavor.
😍 Other summer pasta recipes we love!
⭐️ We want to know what you think!
If you try this recipe, we would love to hear how it came out for you! I’d be super grateful if you could leave a star rating (you pick how many stars! 🌟 ) and your thoughts in the Comments section below.