Sweet and Buttery Basil Corn
This Basil Corn is my favorite way to turn a “nothing in the pantry” kind of night into a side you’ll wanna have with every meal. It’s a 15-minute wonder you can whip up right quick that takes a plain old bag of frozen corn and smothers it in a rich, herb-infused butter sauce that’s thickened just enough to stick to your ribs!
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- ✅ Recipe Name: Sweet and Buttery Basil Corn
- 🕐 Ready In: 15 minutes
- 👥 Serves: 6
- 🥣 Main Ingredients: Frozen corn, Butter or margarine, Dried basil, Corn starch, Salt, Sugar
- ⭐ Why You'll Love It: This Basil Corn is my favorite way to turn a "nothing in the pantry" kind of night into a side you’ll wanna have with every meal. It’s a 15-minute wonder!
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Garden-Fresh Flavor Without the Garden Work
I’ve spent plenty of summers shucking ears of corn until my thumbs were sore, and while nothing beats fresh sweet corn off the cob, life doesn’t always give us the time for that. This basil corn recipe is my little secret for getting that “farmer’s market” taste using a bag from the freezer!
Most folks think of Italian recipes or a complex pesto recipe when they hear basil, but when you add it to sweet corn with a pinch of sugar, it creates a savory-sweet profile fine as frog’s hair! It’s buttery, it’s aromatic, and it’s a great recipe when you need a side dish that’s more than veggies in a bowl.
I’m very much a corn gal, so it feels like my duty to let you know about my Easy Creamed Corn, Summer Corn Salad, and Baked Corn on the Cob With Herb Butter recipes!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Frozen corn
- Butter or margarine
- Dried basil
- Corn starch
- Salt
- Sugar
Tips for the Perfect Basil Corn
- Don’t Overcook: When you bring the corn to a boil, remove it from the heat immediately. You want the corn to be tender-crisp, not mushy!
- The Whisk is Your Friend: When you heat butter and cornstarch in your sauce pot, keep it moving. You’re essentially making a quick herb-filled roux, and you want it to be bubbly and smooth before it hits the corn.
- Fresh vs. Dried: This recipe calls for dried basil because it stands up well to the heat of the butter sauce. However, if you have fresh basil in your garden, you can stir in some thin strips (chiffonade) of basil leaves right before serving for a bright pop of green.
- Check the Grocery Stores: If you can’t find frozen corn, drained canned corn works too! Just skip the boiling step and go straight to the sauce!
How to Make Basil Corn
1. Prep the Corn
Pour your frozen corn into a large pot and cover it with water. Set it over medium-high heat. As soon as that water hits a rolling boil, take the pot off the stove. Drain the corn thoroughly in a colander.
2. Make the Basil Butter Sauce
In a separate small sauce pot over medium heat, add your stick of butter, cornstarch, salt, sugar, and dried basil.
3. Simmer and Blend
Stir the mixture constantly as the butter melts. You’re looking for it to become well-blended and just start to get “bubbly.” This ensures the cornstarch is activated so your sauce will be silky, not watery.
4. Toss and Coat
Pour that warm, fragrant basil mixture over your drained corn. Give it a good stir until every kernel is glistening.
5. Season and Serve
Taste a spoonful (carefully!). If it needs a little kick, a crack of black pepper or a tiny pinch of pepper adds a nice depth.
Serve it warm!
Storing and Reheating
This corn is easy as pie to store. Put any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat, I recommend putting it back in a small pan over medium heat with a tiny splash of water or milk to loosen the sauce back up. A quick zap in the microwave works too, but the stovetop keeps that “buttery-smooth” texture best.
Serving Ideas
Basil corn plays just as well with a fancy holiday spread as it does with a paper plate. I love serving it alongside Butter Roasted Chicken or Maple Glazed Pork Chops, but it’s also the perfect “something green” (well, herby green!) to tuck next to Southern Dressing With Cornbread and Homemade Mashed Potatoes With Evaporated Milk come Thanksgiving.
If you’re heading to a cookout, try it with a Smoked Burger Recipe or some Crock Pot Pulled Pork, and if you’re just looking for a well-rounded plate, you can’t go wrong pairing it with Easy Roasted Potatoes or Grilled Asparagus.
Ingredients
- 28 ounces frozen corn
- 1 stick 1/2 cup butter or margarine
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
Instructions
- Pour corn in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and remove from heat immediately, draining the corn well.
- In a sauce pot, place the stick of butter, corn starch, salt, sugar, and basil.
- Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the butter is completely melted and the mixture is well blended and bubbly.
- Pour the mixture over the corn and stir to coat well. Serve warm!
Christy, I just love when you pull out that “soap box”!! Thank you for the rainbow colored glasses..I am filled with thankfulness for all the “good-ness” around me today!
I look forward to trying the basil corn..looks so good!
Sending you love and Bountiful Blessings my friend!
Mmmm, this recipe gives me many ideas! It’s just me and the hubby so we were wasting a lot of veggies using canned. Now I use frozen and measure out what I know we’ll eat. That and I’ve finally learned not to cook enough for an army 🙂
I’m gonna pass my rainbow glasses on to someone else because I, just like you, already love my life! Hubby thinks I’m insane because every day I go on about how much I love this house. Even after living here for 5 years. He just rolls his eyes.
But I think he’s catching on. He was in the yard the other day and he came inside and beckoned me outside to show me our irises in bloom. My heart just sang! He just giggled.
I wished I could just make one side to go with my dinners. I was raised like you Christy, or like your grandmother used to.. my mother would put a spread out of food that you cant even imagine.. then after cooking all that, we had the cucumbers, cantelope, onion, hot peppers cole slaw and a southern staple with every meal… Corn Bread… I just cant get past this. My husband keeps telling me that all we need is a meat and one veggie, but alas, I still make 2 or 3 to go with it… and its only the 2 of us. Occasionally I will cook for my sis’s family but our schedules are different and its hard to get us all together. Needless to say, I waste alot of food when I cook like this, because I don’t eat left overs, or at least very rarely. So I guess the point i’m getting to is that this year, i’m canning and freezing portions just for 2. I’ll let you know how that works out for us!!!!!
Yum, thanks Christy. I love the story and need to remind myself of that also. I like the comment about “blooming where we’re planted”. I actually have some fresh basil; would it be okay to use that in a smaller amount?
I’d pick fresh over dried in a heartbeat! Cut you up about two tablespoons of it, then add more after you taste it.
I have a stupid question here Christy, but what does the corn starch do for the corn and does it need to be cooked a bit instead of brought to a boil? This looks delicious…
There are no stupid questions! that is a really good one, too! The corn starch thickens the butter sauce you make, helping it to kinda stick to the corn better. You know how you butter an ear of corn and your butter slides right off? This kinda fixes that problem because you have a thicker sauce 🙂
Now that makes total sense…. see your a smart lady!!!! Thanks hun!
Christy this article touched my heart so much,thank you 🙂 the basil corn look soo good,have a nice evening and always know i treasure your friendship .love Cilla
Beautifully said Christy 🙂
Thanks