Vegetarian Carbonara with Charred Creamed Corn Sauce & Red Peppers with Basil

Charred sweet corn blended into a creamy sauce tossed with spaghetti, bell peppers, basil, and shaved Parmesan.

Difficulty: Medium

Time: 30-35 min

This dish is Vegetarian

Calories: 550 Fat: 16g Carbs: 83g Protein: 24g

We love carbonara. It’s creamy, quick and delicious. It’s also really versatile with most ingredients in every season. In our version we purée charred sweet corn and leeks to create a creamed corn sauce base. We then toss everything together with charred red peppers which provide a sweet, tangy flavor.

Ingredients

Corn on the cob

Garlic

Thyme

Basil

Leeks

Spaghetti

Egg

Parmesan

Half & Half

Red Bell Pepper

Al Dente Literally to the tooth. Describes the ideal texture of cooked pasta that leaves it with a slight bite, rather than becoming mushy.

Chiffonade To finely slice vegetables or herbs. Best done by stacking the leaves and rolling, then slicing.

Shuck To remove the outer covering of a vegetable (corn).

Medium pot

Medium sauté pan

Food processor or blender

Step 1: MISE EN PLACE

Read through entire recipe before getting started. Bring 6 cups salted water to a boil in a medium pot. Wash and dry all produce. Remove stem and seeds from bell pepper and julienne. Mince or grate garlic. Remove thyme leaves from stem and chop. Remove root from leek, slice in half lengthwise, thinly slice into half moons. Wash and dry leek again to remove excess sand and dirt. Chiffonade basil. Shuck corn, cut kernels off cob. Whisk egg in small bowl. Leave egg and half & half out, bringing up to room temperature.

Step 2: COOK THE PASTA

Add spaghetti to boiling water. Stir and cook for 8-10 min or until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta water then drain spaghetti and set aside. While the pasta is cooking start charring the peppers (step #3).

Step 3: CHAR PEPPERS

Heat a medium sauté pan over high heat. Once pan is very hot add bell peppers, tossing continually until lightly charred, 1-2 minutes. Turn heat to medium and remove peppers from pan; set aside.

Step 4: CHAR CORN

Add 1 Tbsp. oil to hot sauté pan. Add corn, sauté until lightly charred, 2-3 minutes. Remove 2 Tbsp. corn from the pan for garnish; set aside. Add leek, thyme and garlic to the remaining corn, sauté 1-2 minutes, remove from heat.

carbonara-sauce

Step 5: MAKE SAUCE

Add sautéed corn, leek, and garlic to food processor or blender. Add reserved pasta water, start blending. Slowly add the half & half followed by egg. Continue blending until sauce has thickened slightly. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Step 6: PLATE YOUR DISH

Toss spaghetti with creamed corn sauce, Parmesan and charred peppers. Divide between two bowls, garnish with basil and charred corn. Enjoy!