Late summer sweet corn is sauteed with crunchy roasted sunflower kernels and tossed in a creamy basil goat cheese pasta sauce, then spread over al dente gluten-free pasta! The mellow spice of red pepper flakes adds to the nutty creamy flavor of this sweet and spicy mix. This dish tastes gourmet and can be made in just minutes!

I love the late summertime.  The mornings are a bit cooler, the sunflowers are blooming, and the sweet corn is in abundance.

To me, sweet corn is like candy when you know how to pick great corn on the cob.

I like adding sweet corn to a lot of different dishes adding some sweetness and some subtle crunch.

I added sweet corn to my pasta for the first time 3 years ago and have never looked back.  With a spicy goat cheese basil sauce, it was the perfect amount of sweet to combat the perfect amount of spice!

Goat Cheese Pasta Sauce over sweet corn and sunflower pasta:

This Spicy Sweet Corn and Sunflower Pasta with Basil Goat Cheese Pasta Sauce left my household speechless. I made the sweet and spicy pasta dish (along with some chicken breasts), plated  it, and let the aroma just hang out for a minute.  The crew took only seconds to smell the deliciousness an invite themselves over for a plateful. All of a sudden their plates were clean, every morsel was gone.  I guess they liked it.  A lot.

The goat cheese pasta sauce:

The creamy basil goat cheese pasta sauce helps to mellow the spice of the cooked pepper flakes and adds an nutty creamy flavor to the sweet and spicy mix.  The toasted sunflower seeds add a bit of crunch and texture as a perfect late summer garnish.

How to make Goat Cheese Pasta Sauce over Sweet Corn + Sunflower Pasta?

I like to take care of the sunflower seeds first.  Place the sunflower kernels in a large skillet with the olive oil and over medium heat, cook the seeds until they become fragrant and lightly browned. Then remove the browned seeds and set aside.

In a large pot, cook your noodles according to package instructions.  While you are cooking your noodles, in the large skillet you used to brown the sunflower seeds, add the onion, corn, and red pepper flakes and saute 5-20 minutes, or until everything is tender.  I will just keep the residual olive oil in the large skillet and use that to saute the onion and corn. This residual oil has a slightly nutty flavor that came off of the sunflower seeds while browning them!

While your onion and corn are sauteing, put the goat cheese, parmesan cheese, milk, salt, and pepper in a blender and blend until well blended.  Then comes the delicious part!

Combine the noodles and blended cheese sauce in the large skillet with the sauteed vegetables and stir to combine until the cheese has melted and coated the vegetables and noodles.  Then enjoy!

What noodles should I use?

I tend to like thick or wide type noodles for this recipe.  The thickness goes really well with the sweet crunch of the sauteed sweet corn kernels.  If you are gluten-free like me, I would recommend that you try out Jovials' Egg Tagliatelle pasta that you see in this recipe's photos.

Want more goat cheese pasta sauce?

I love a delicious goat cheese pasta sauce over al dente noodles, like in my one-pot rosemary goat cheese chicken pasta skillet and the amazing easy goat cheese spaghetti and meatballs and this goat cheese sauce with corn and sunflower kernels does not disappoint.

*You can also use a hand mixer or food processor for this part.

We like to add some protein to the dish, like grilled or baked chicken breasts.  It goes awesome with this sweet and spicy pasta!