30-Minute Zucchini Pasta with Corn and Bacon

This zucchini pasta with corn, fresh herbs, bacon, and parmesan is easy to prepare on a weeknight. It’s fresh and light, but also delicious comfort food!

30-Minute-Zucchini-Pasta-with-Corn-and-Bacon

Chris and I both agree on this: Zucchini Pasta with Corn and Bacon is our favorite pasta dish of the summer.

It’s fresh and light but, somehow at the same time, it’s also delicious comfort food.

And it’s one of those dishes that just calls you back for seconds … and then thirds …

We’ve had so many nice summer evenings, throwing this recipe together and then carrying it out to the backyard porch to enjoy…

There are elements of this zucchini pasta dish that taste really light and fresh and like all of the best of late summer.

This pasta has so much late summer fresh produce: zucchini, corn, basil, and chives.

On the other hand, though, this zucchini pasta is also addictive, delicious comfort food!

I love adding a hint of crispy bacon, plus some grated parmesan to add tons of rich flavor.

Oh and did I mentiond the freshly ground black pepper?

This particular zucchini pasta has a full teaspoon of black pepper!

That sounds strange, when you consider that I don’t like spicy foods at all.

But the black pepper in this pasta just adds the slightest kick of heat and another layer of yummy flavor.

For success with this recipe, I receommend that you get everything prepared and set up before you begin cooking.

There are a lot of elements involved with this recipe, so it really helps to start off prepared:

  • Get all of the ingredients out on the countertop
  • Preheat the oven and get the bacon on a baking sheet
  • Get out a sauté pan and a stock pot and fill the stock pot with water
  • Chop the zucchini and fresh herbs
  • Grate the parmesan

Then, after everything is organized and prepped, begin cooking.

This way, all of the elements of the recipe (the bacon, the veggies, and the pasta) will be piping hot and ready to come together at the end.

Enjoy!

Here’s the Recipe for 30-Minute Zucchini Corn Pasta with Bacon:

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30-Minute-Zucchini-Pasta-with-Corn-and-Bacon

30-Minute Zucchini Corn Pasta with Bacon

  • Author: Jen Elizabeth's Journals
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Category: Pasta
  • Cuisine: Italian Inspired

Description

This zucchini pasta with corn, fresh herbs, bacon, and parmesan is easy to prepare on a weeknight. It’s fresh and light, but also delicious comfort food!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 6 strips organic, humanely raised bacon
  • 8 ounces whole wheat linguine (or substitute spaghetti or fettucini)
  • 1/2 cup pasta water, reserved
  • 3 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 1/2 cups diced zucchini from 1 small zucchini
  • 1/3 cup frozen sweet corn kernels
  • 3 Tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
  • 3 Tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
  • 2/3 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • Sea salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Place a wire rack on a baking sheet and arrange bacon on wire rack so no two strips are overlapping. Cook the bacon about 8-10 minutes, or until small bubbles form and the bacon turns crisp and golden. Very carefully remove the baking sheet from the oven, taking care to not splatter bacon grease. The bacon will continue to crisp as it cools on the counter.
  3. Meanwhile, as bacon is cooking, bring a stock pot of water to a boil. Salt the water and add the pasta. Cook according to package instructions, until pasta is al dente.
  4. Use a ladle to scoop 1/2 cup of the pasta water from the pot. Set aside the pasta water to add to the dish later. Drain the pasta.
  5. Meanwhile, heat 2 Tablespoons olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the zucchini and garlic and cook until softened and lightly tender, about 4 minutes. Add the corn and cook until warmed through, about 2 minutes. Season with salt.
  6. Turn off the heat and add the pasta to the sauté pan, along with the pasta water, ground pepper, and 1 Tablespoon olive oil. Season thoroughly with salt, and stir until everything is well combined.
  7. Transfer pasta to serving dishes. Crumble bacon over each serving. Top with grated parmesan and chopped chives and basil. Serve.

Notes

1 teaspoon of ground black pepper will add a hint of spicy heat to the dish. It’s delicious! If you want less, start with 1/2 teaspoon and add more according to your tastes. Or, if you want a lot of heat, start with 1 teaspoon and add more according to taste.

Don’t forget to add the 1/2 cup of reserved pasta water to the dish! It’s the key to forming a nice sauce for the pasta!

For maximum parmesan flavor – and to keep the sauce from clumping or becoming lumpy – don’t stir the parmesan into the sauce. Just sprinkle the parmesan over the top of the pasta immediately before serving.

Keywords: summer, zucchini, corn, bacon, pasta, Italian, cacio e pepe

 

For More Recipes You Might Love, Check Out:

Grilled Zucchini and Corn Pasta with Parmesan

Grilled Vegetable Pasta with White Wine and Parmesan

Corn, Feta, and Chive Pasta Salad with Avocado Dressing

30-Minute Cacio e Pepe with Asparagus and Bacon

 

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2 Comments

  1. Janeen
    October 12, 2019 / 2:47 pm

    Looks delicious

    • Jen Elizabeth's Journals
      Author
      October 13, 2019 / 9:08 am

      This one is very tasty, I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for your note 😄

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