Corn with Pancetta

The best skillet corn

Corn with Pancetta is my favorite kind of recipe - one with simple ingredients that yield maximum flavor with minimal effort. This skillet corn has just three ingredients that bring an incredible trifecta of flavor.

This recipe is delicious with freshly picked sweet corn in the summer or frozen corn in the winter.

I love serving this with everything from burgers and chicken to Thanksgiving turkey and Easter ham.

This side dish is prepared on the stove-top and comes together in just minutes... perfect as the last-minute addition to any meal.

Ingredient notes

• Sweet corn - Both fresh and frozen sweet corn work great in this recipe. Stop at the farm stand, use up leftover corn-on-the-cob, or turn to your freezer. Use what you have readily available depending on the time of year.
• Pancetta is pork belly that is salt-cured, not smoked. It has a similar flavor to bacon but without the smokiness. It's typically sold diced or in thin slices. For this recipe, you want to use diced pancetta, such as Boar's Head diced pancetta.
• Heavy cream - Just ½ cup is all you need to create a creamy sauce. I don't recommend substituting milk. The cream thickens slightly as it cooks adding a wonderful richness to this dish.

Step-by-step instructions

See the recipe card for complete instructions and ingredient amounts.

1. In a heavy skillet, cook the pancetta over medium heat until crisp, approx. 8-10 minutes. Transfer it to a paper towel-lined plate, leaving about 2 teaspoons of rendered fat in the pan.

2. Add the corn to the skillet and cook it in the pancetta drippings for 3-5 minutes. Stir in the cream and simmer for 3-4 minutes until the cream thickens slightly.
3. Add the crispy pancetta back to the pan. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add salt sparingly since the pancetta is pretty salty already.

Serving ideas

• This recipe serves a family of four and can easily be doubled or tripled for larger groups.  
• Serve as a side dish with turkey meatloaf, sloppy joes, or barbecue beef stew.
• Add this to your Thanksgiving table with other favorite sides like loaded green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, and cornbread sausage dressing.

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