This combination of sweet corn, pasta, and salty, melty cheese is simply YUM!

A few weeks back I was talking to my friend Jane, who lives in Northern California. I've always been jealous of her big backyard garden and long growing season. That day, she was canning tomatoes and peaches. The previous week, she had roasted peppers of all sorts. The next week, she was planning to make a variety of pickles. This process of preserving her garden's bounty stretches over six weeks each year.

"Have you ever grown corn?" I asked Jane. It was something I had wanted to try, but never had enough space. "I have," she said, and told me about how wonderfully sweet it was - she would pick it as soon as it was ready and immediately throw the ears on a hot grill. "But I see no reason to can it myself. Canned and frozen corn from the store is just so reliably good."

There's nothing like summer corn, cooked and eaten off the cob. But I agree with Jane, frozen and canned corn is pretty darn good - much better than mass market canned tomatoes and frozen berries.

I love using canned and frozen corn in soup and chowder, corn cakes and cornbread, salsa and casseroles - like this one, a pasta casserole with two types of canned corn and a cheesy finish.

It's inspired in part by corn cheese, which is sometimes served at Korean restaurants as a side dish. If you've never had it, trust me when I say that the combination of sweet corn and salty, melty cheese is an ideal accompaniment to spicier, more pungent banchan and rich, grilled meats. I turned that combo into a cheesy corn baked pasta to make it a meal all on its own. I added a little jalapeƱo (or green bell pepper), scallion and a can of creamed corn for more flavor. If you're looking for a more filling meal, feel free to toss in more vegetables --- chopped tomatoes would be nice .

CHEESY CORN CASSEROLE

4 servings

Active time: 20 mins; Total time: 40 mins

This recipe is inspired in part by corn cheese, which is sometimes served at Korean restaurants as a side dish. Sweet corn and salty, melty cheese are a nice accompaniment to spicier banchan and grilled meats. It's easy to turn that combination into a cheesy corn baked pasta by adding a little jalapeƱo (or green bell pepper), scallion and a can of creamed corn for some dimension. For a more filling meal, feel free to toss in more vegetables

Ingredients

• Fine salt
• 8 ounces rotini or other small pasta
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for the pan
• 1 jalapeƱo or 1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced, divided
• 1 (14.75-ounce) can creamed corn
• 1 (15.25-ounce) can corn, drained
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese or other melting cheese
• hot sauce, for serving (optional)

STEPS

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees.

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until halfway done, about 5 minutes. Drain and toss with the olive oil.

Grease a 9-inch-square baking dish, preferably glass or ceramic, with oil and add the pasta. Stir in the jalapeƱo or bell pepper, and all but a small handful of the scallions. Pour the creamed corn over the pasta, add the drained corn and sprinkle with the cheese.

Bake, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbling and browned. Serve hot, family-style, with more scallions sprinkled on top and hot sauce on the side, if desired.

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