The BEST quick and easy weeknight dinner! Cook your favorite pasta noodles and toss them with this creamy sauce made with cream cheese, smoked paprika, and Parmesan.
Prep Time5 minutesmins
Cook Time20 minutesmins
Total Time25 minutesmins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: bacon, corn, cream cheese, gluten free, paprika, parmesan, pasta
Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat. Generously salt the pasta water and cook the pasta according to package instructions until al dente (*reserve 1 1/2 cups pasta water). Strain in a colander set in the sink.
Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crispy on both sides, about 3 minutes. Use tongs to pluck the bacon out of the grease and set aside. Reserve the bacon grease and add the smoked paprika and cream cheese. Immediately add the reserved pasta water and simmer until the cream cheese is very soft; lumps are ok at this stage.
Chop the bacon and add to the cream cheese sauce along with the corn and pasta. Fold to distribute the sauce, then add the Parmesan and fold again. Taste and add more salt or paprika if it needs it. Serve right away with chives for garnish, if desired. If the pasta gets too sticky, you can add more boiling water to reconstitute the sauce.
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Notes
Pasta: This recipe can accommodate between 15 ounces to 1 pound dry pasta. You can use gluten free or wheat noodles. Any type of noodles works in this recipe. If you don't have pasta, you could substitute steamed rice.Paprika: I highly recommend the "smoked paprika" for this dish because it has a smokier, more savory flavor than regular paprika that really compliments the sweetness of the corn.Corn: I used 2 ears for this recipe, but you could easily add more or less. If you want to substitute canned or frozen corn, you'll need about 1 cup.Bacon: Since I used a wide bacon, I only needed 3 slices. If you want to increase to 4 or 5 slices, that's totally fine.Chives: Personally, I think the chives take this dish to a whole new level, but if you can't use them, I would try green onions instead, which have a similar flavor profile.