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Sage Brown Butter Corn Pasta Alfredo is a scrumptious late summer pasta that transitions wonderfully into fall. I took a classic pasta recipe and updated it with a rich and creamy sauce, golden brown butter, corn, and fried sage leaves. The result is delicious late summer and early fall flavors that melt in your mouth. It’s the coziest, creamiest Alfredo pasta and great for busy nights.
It’s crazy that this is the last week of August. Sunday marks the 1st of September! I’m so excited and looking forward to a busy fall ahead!
Between fall game nights with friends, busy work/school schedules, back-to-school activities, and holiday planning, it’s that crazy time of year when we’re transitioning from laid-back summer days to active fall schedules.
I love it. Though it can sometimes be overwhelming, I mostly thrive on having too many things to do! This is the time of year when my recipes really start to get cozier. They also get simpler with one-pan dishes and slow cooker recipes. And I think they become even more delish!
September is a great month to start making my dad’s creamy alfredo pasta. His alfredo is luscious, and he makes it perfectly every time with little effort.
His secret? A block of Philadelphia cream and more parmesan than you might usually use. It’s creamy and truly delicious. My addition to his recipe today is brown butter, end-of-summer corn, and fresh sage. It’s the perfect Alfredo for this time of year!
These are the details
Step 1: brown the butter with the corn and sage
For this pasta alfredo, I start with the butter sauce. Melt a stick of butter in a skillet with fresh sage, then add the corn and garlic. Next, season the corn to taste with salt, black pepper, and chili flakes.
Allow the butter to brown around the corn. This takes around 10 minutes. The butter will smell nutty, the corn will be golden, and the sage should get crispy.
Pull the skillet off the heat and set aside.
Step 2: cook the pasta
Boil your favorite pasta cut. For this Alfredo sauce, I switched it up from the usual fettuccine and used a short-cut pasta. Either long or short is great, but I do love the short-cut with the corn!
I used organic taccole pasta, which is always fun!
Step 3: make the sauce
Once you drain the pasta, let it hang in the colander while you make the sauce. Add the cream cheese to the same hot pot and let it melt. Whisk in the milk, then add the Parmesan cheese. And if you enjoy blue cheese like we do, add some blue cheese, too! YUM!
Finish the sauce with salt and black pepper, then mix in the pasta, the corn, brown butter, and sage. It’s going to smell so delicious and look even yummier!
Step 4: finish
I like to top this dish with freshly grated parmesan and a few of those flavorful, crispy sage leaves.
The sauce is creamy with warming notes of sage, sweetness from the corn, and nuttiness from the golden brown butter. It’s my favorite combo.
Perfect for chillier nights or when you need to throw together a quick dinner.
Looking for other quick pasta recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Lemon Pepper Cajun Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo
4 Cheese Roasted Garlic Alfredo Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
Brown Butter Pumpkin Tortellini Alla Vodka
Butternut Squash Pasta Carbonara with Rosemary Bacon
Browned Sage Butter Chicken Piccata with Mushroom Pasta
Slow Cooker Saucy Sunday Bolognese Pasta
Sage Brown Butter Pumpkin Pasta Alfredo
Lastly, if you make this Sage Brown Butter Corn Pasta Alfredo be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Brown Butter Corn Pasta Alfredo
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 726 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons salted butter
- 1/4 cup fresh sage leaves
- 6 cloves garlic, chopped
- chili flakes
- 2 cups corn
- 1 pound short or long cut pasta
- 2 cups whole milk
- 6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups grated parmesan
- 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese (optional)
- salt and black pepper
Instructions
- 1. Melt the butter with the sage leaves in a large skillet set over medium heat. Cook for 2 minutes, then add the corn, garlic, salt, pepper, and chili flakes. Cook for 5 minutes, until the butter is browned. Remove from the heat. 2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain.3. To the hot pot, add the cream cheese, stirring until melted. Slowly whisk in the milk until smooth. Set over medium heat and bring the sauce to a simmer. Cook 5 minutes, until thickened slightly. Stir in the parmesan and blue cheese (if using) and season with salt and lots of pepper.4. Toss in the pasta, stir in the corn and brown butter, then remove from the heat. Divide the pasta between plates. Serve with extra parmesan. Eat and enjoy immediately.
This post was originally published on August 26, 2024
Amazing!!! Loved the blue cheese and sage pairing. My picky 3 year old ate it all and said “my heart is full!” Cant ask for a better compliment.
Hey Lauren,
Yay!! So glad to hear this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for making it! Have a great day! xT
I typically love your recipes but this one really fell short for me. Looks nothing like the photos and the sauce did not thicken so it was like a runny Mac & cheese. Then add in the corn and butter mixture and its turns into a greasy, runny, corn Mac & cheese.
Left me feeling kind of sick to my stomach. Less butter and more pasta water would make it a much improved Alfredo
Hi Daedra,
So very sorry to hear this dish did not turn out for you! Thanks for trying it and sharing your feedback! x
Delicious! Threw in some shredded smoked chicken, chopped bacon, and added pepper jack cheese to the cheese mix.
Hey Tiara,
Happy Wednesday! I appreciate you trying this recipe and your comment:) Love to hear that it turned out well for you! Xx
I’m not sure why everyone and their mother is complaining about this recipe because clearly they haven’t made it. I didn’t have corn so I omitted it however it was still delicious and I’m sure frozen corn could be used for everyone losing their mind… Definitely one of the best Alfredo recipes of yours that I have made! Thank you!
Thanks so much, Erin! So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe, thank you for giving it a try! Enjoy the short week:) x
I used angel hair pasta and almond milk and I thought this was delicious! I also used an ear of corn (well 2) and just cut the kernels off. It’s a heavier dish because of the milk and Parmesan but I enjoyed it a lot and brought it to a party where it got more good reviews!
Hey Jess,
So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for making it! Happy Labor Day! xT
I think the issue we all seem to be having is that you clearly used corn ribs for the photos because you liked the looks, but a lot of people rely on visual cues for cooking. Even on your story today where you made them, you doubled down and used corn ribs. You cannot eat pasta like that. I personally love corn ribs, there’s a restaurant near me that does a great job. However, they’re not to be eaten that way in a pasta or taco like you’ve been showing, it makes zero sense. You’re using them for the photos, not for actual eating. When people ask you a question about it, you almost are gaslighting them telling them to just cut the corn off the cob like what would be expected in a normal recipe. Instead of photographing what you think looks best, I think you need to realize people are at various levels of experience and use the photos heavily. Maybe have a couple ribs on top as garnish and say “I just like the way the corn ribs look” instead of of acting like everyone else is wrong.
Delicious! Loved the sweet corn mixed with the creaminess of the sauce. I didn’t have quite enough parmesan and didn’t get the butter browned as much as I wanted but it was still a solid dinner. Thanks!
Thanks so much for your comment, Rachel! So glad to hear this recipe was enjoyed, I appreciate you giving it a try! Xx
The “corn ribs” in the photo are obviously just used as a GARNISH. No where in the recipe does she say anything about cutting the corn. You simply use 2 cups of corn kernels. That seems pretty obvious to me.
What do you mean? Those are the only pieces of corn in the photo, there are no other loose kernels. Even the recipe itself just vaguely says “corn” so I understand the confusion.
Oh wow, I stand corrected! You are right. I guess I just assumed 2 cups of corn could only be measured in kernels and since she didn’t mention anything about cutting corn into ribs. Yikes!
What are you talking about? They’re whole corn ribs, cob included, in the finishing photo.
It’s really an abomination for this dish to be called “alfredo”. There is NOTHING about this that indicates “alfredo” except the pasta. Corn? Bleu Cheese? Browned Butter? Cream Cheese? Give me a break. This is NOT alfredo.
oh, lighten up!
Cream cheese and milk do not make an alfredo (it should be just butter and parmesan, though you can add cream if you’re doing an Americanized version). Adding bleu cheese? Even less so. It IS incorrect to call this dish an alfredo. Abomination might be a strong word, but to some people, semantics regarding food is important.
How do you eat this if you make “corn ribs” like in the photos? You can’t eat them whole.
Hi Christie,
You do not need to cut the corn any special way to make this recipe:) You can simply just use 2 cups of corn kernels. Please let me know if you have any other questions! x
Thanks! How do you eat this dish when making corn ribs like in your photos?
Sorry, maybe I am not understanding your question, but just with a fork and knife if needed:)
So you eat the pasta with a fork and knife and the corn ribs with your hands? Is that how you and your family usually do it? Thanks!
You eat corn ribs with your hands, it’s still corn on the cob, and the cob is not edible. I guess you haven’t eaten this dish! lol. No one wants to fish out corn ribs from cheesy pasta with their hands. Make it make sense.
Any recommendations to sub the parm? I’m on a migraine diet currently and can only eat mozzarella, American and other super mild cheeses. Was thinking nutmeg and salt but not sure.
Hi Lauren,
I would do mozzarella:) Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
Easy and so flavorful. I used two ears of corn that I microwaved and then cut the kernels off. I made a small error; I added the cream cheese and milk to the skillet after I took the corn out instead of to the empty pasta pot. 😊 But it didn’t hurt the dish at all. Thank you for providing such good flavor profiles.
Hi Peggy! Thank you so much for trying out this alfredo, I’m sooo glad you loved it! Have a great weekend! xT
Cream cheese, parmasean cheese and BLUE CHEESE?!?! My colon could never.
Wouldn’t the sauce consistency change significantly if you omitted the 12 ounces of blue cheese completely? Shouldn’t there be a replacement offered in the recipe? I imagine the sauce wouldn’t be nearly as creamy (also 12 ounces of blue cheese seems like A LOT and might be overpowering). Just curious on your thought process before I make this, especially with how expensive cheese is!
Hi Amma,
So sorry about that! It’s 1/2 cup of blue cheese, not 12 ounces. The sauce will be totally fine without it if you choose to go that route:) I hope you love this dish! xT
Which pot do I make the cheese sauce in? Do I add it to the corn or is it the pasta pot?
Hi Elle,
The cheese sauce will be made in the hot pot from the pasta in step 3. I hope this helps, please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
I’m pretty new to cooking and want to get this right. I do not turn on the heat when melting the cream cheese and whisking the milk?
Hi Elle,
Correct, once it is melted you can turn the heat to medium-high. I hope this helps! Enjoy! x
Let us know how it turned out!
How is the corn prepped in the recipe/photos? How are you supposed to eat it? Thanks!
Hi Patty,
You are going to brown the corn in the skillet in step 1:) I hope you love this dish, please let me know if you give it a try! xT
Sorry, that part I can read. I obviously meant how is it prepared before cooking, as in, how is it cut? It looks like it’s in huge chunks? Thanks!
So sorry about that! I just sliced it off the cob, if the chunks stick together that is totally fine:)
She lays the corn on its side, and slices down the entire length of the corn at once, rolling it over 4 times to do each side. Makes a world of difference, versus cutting it off of a standing cob. I was raised cutting corn from standing cob. I’ve switched over to laying method.
Hi, Patty. It looks to me like she’s made corn “ribs”. I suggest googling this to see if you want to try it, but it’s definitely NOT a super easy process.
Thanks Amanda! Are “corn ribs” usually eaten in pasta like that?