Creamed Corn Linguine
This one genuinely surprised us the first time we made it. We weren't sure blended sweetcorn was going to hold its own as a pasta sauce, but honestly, it's one of the creamiest, most satisfying bowls we've put together. The corn brings this natural sweetness that plays beautifully against the chilli flakes and lemon, and the nutritional yeast gives it that rich, savoury depth you'd never guess was totally plant-based. It comes together in 25 minutes, which means it's absolutely on the table for a weeknight dinner when you want something that feels a bit special without any of the faff. Make this tonight, we promise you'll be going back for seconds.
Before You Start
- Powerful blender
- Large pan
Ingredients
- 5 tbsp Nooch
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Pinch of chilli flakes
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1 vegetable stock cube - mixed with 200ml boiling water
- 1 x 400g can of sweetcorn drained
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 220g dried linguine
- 2 onions - finely sliced
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 red bell peppers
- tbsp olive oil
- Pinch of chilli flakes
- 1 handful of basil leaves
Method
Make the sauce
- Drain the sweetcorn and place into a powerful blender, along with the nutritional yeast, lemon juice, veggie stock, chilli flakes, olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper
- Blend until smooth, adding a dash more water if needed to make the sauce smooth and creamy
Cook the base
- Peel and dice the onion, garlic
- Deseed and dice the red peppers
- Place a large pan over a medium heat and add a drizzle of olive oil
- Once warm, add the diced onions, garlic and a pinch of salt
- Mix well and cook for 5-10 minutes until the onions turn soft
While the onions and peppers are cooking, cook the pasta
- Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet
- Once cooked, drain - saving the reserved pasta water
Pour in the sauce
- Once the onions are cooked, pour in the corn sauce
- Add the drained pasta to the pan and toss everything together, adding some of the reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce if necessary, until everything is coated in the creamy sauce
Serve
- Spoon out your pasta into serving bowls, and garnish with a handful of basil leaves
Tips & Variations
- Blend it properly: We cannot stress this enough. The smoother the sauce, the better the result. If your blender isn't the most powerful, just give it a bit longer and add water a splash at a time until it's totally silky.
- Turn up the heat: If you like things spicy, Ian always doubles the chilli flakes. It adds a proper kick that works really well against the sweetness of the corn. Henry usually sticks to the recipe. Ian does not.
- Save your pasta water: When you drain the linguine, keep a mugful of the starchy cooking water. Stir a splash into the pan when you combine everything and it helps the sauce cling to every strand of pasta beautifully.
Why This Works
The trick is blending the sweetcorn until it's properly smooth and creamy. Don't rush it. A powerful blender and a tiny splash of extra water if needed makes the sauce silky rather than grainy, and that texture is what makes the whole dish. The lemon juice is doing more work than you'd think too, it cuts through the richness and keeps everything feeling fresh and bright rather than heavy.