This corn sauté with pancetta, potatoes, and peppers is a hearty side dish that goes perfectly with fried chicken, fish, or a juicy steak.
This sautéed corn is so savory and buttery. You can serve it either hot or at room temperature, making it great for potlucks, picnics, or barbecues. You will definitely not regret making extra.
In fact, if you have leftovers, you can also serve this as a breakfast hash. Just add some chopped bacon or ham, or more pancetta.
I'm a big fan of corn recipes such as Mexican street corn, corn salsa, corn and cantaloupe salad, and corn maque choux. (I also have lots of corn soup recipes.) So good.
Ingredients in this Corn Sauté:
Corn: Preferably, fresh corn if it is available. If you can't find it, frozen corn is a good substitute. You will need about four ears of corn, or about two heaping cups.
Pancetta: About a 3/8 inch dice. You can also substitute diced Canadian bacon.
Fresh Chives: Chopped into 1/2 inch pieces.
Red Onions: Small dice. The equivalent of one small onion.
Green Bell Pepper: About 1/2 cup small dice.
Butter: I used unsalted butter, but salted butter would be fine too. Just adjust the amount of salt in the final dish.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Combine it with the butter for sautéing the vegetables and pancetta.
Flat Leaf Parsley: You will need two tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley leaves.
Red-Skinned Potatoes: You can use either baby potatoes or one regular-sized potato. You will need about a cup of small dice potatoes. There is no need to peel the potatoes. In fact, the red color enhances the "look" of this side dish.
Minced Garlic, Kosher Salt, and Black Pepper.
For Finishing: Green Tabasco sauce and fresh lemon juice.
To Make This Corn Sauté with Pancetta, Potatoes, and Peppers:
First, cook the pancetta in olive oil and butter in a sauté pan for about four minutes. Tranfer the pancetta to a paper towel-lined plate.
Next, add more butter and olive oil to the pan and then sauté the onions, potatoes, and peppers plus a small amount of salt and pepper and cook until softened and the potatoes begin to brown. Then, add the corn, garlic, and a bit more salt and cook, stirring often, for about five minutes.
After than, remove the pan from the heat and add the parsley, chives, Tabasco, and salt and pepper.
Finally, add a squeeze of lemon juice and then fold in the pancetta. Adjust the salt and pepper to taste.
Equipment You May Need:
To prepare this dish, you will need a large sauté pan or, if you don't have one, a wide Dutch oven.
A corn stripper is super handy for removing the kernels from fresh corn cobs. After trying various brands, I bought the OXO corn stripper about five years ago and love it.
Recipe Variations:
I'm super happy with the flavor combination of this side dish and probably wouldn't change any of the ingredients with a couple of possible exceptions for a change of pace: First, you could substitute Canadian bacon or thick cut bacon for the pancetta. Second, you could also substitute chopped red bell pepper for the green pepper for a sweeter result. There are some folks who are not fans of green peppers but like red bell peppers.
If you don't have and don't want to buy green Tabasco sauce, which is mild and made from jalapeños, you can substitute your favorite hot sauce, or even add some diced jalapeño along with the rest of the ingredients.
"C" is for Chai, Chicken, Chocolate, Chora, Corn, Cranberry, Cream Cheese, and Chili, and More!
As part of the 2026 Alphabet Challenge, we are sharing recipes that begin with "C" or include ingredients or methods that that begin with "C."
- Blogghetti: Chai Spice Mix
- Culinary Cam: Chicken Thigh Schnitzel + Chenin Blanc
- Jolene’s Recipe Journal: Chocolate Chip Crescent Roll Cookies
- Mayuri’s Jikoni : Chora Nu Shaak,Gujarati Style
- Magical Ingredients: Coconut Rolls
- Sneha’s Recipe: Colorful Peppers Pulao
- Karen’s Kitchen Stories: Corn Saute with Pancetta, Potatoes, and Peppers
- A Messy Kitchen: Cranberry Pistachio Pull-apart Rolls
- Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice: Dill Pickle & Mustard Seed Cream Cheese Spread
- Food Lust People Love: Traditional Cullen Skink
- A Day in the Life on the Farm: White Chicken Chili
Last year (2025) for the letter "C," I made Hot Chocolate Cookies, and for 2024, I made Cheesy Burger Buns. Both recipes are keepers!
Corn Sauté with Pancetta, Potatoes, and Peppers
This corn sauté with pancetta, potatoes, and peppers is a hearty side dish that goes perfectly with fried chicken, fish, or a juicy steak.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 ounced diced pancetta (1/2 cup)
- 1 cup small dice red onion, about 6 ounces
- 1 cup small dice red potatoes, about 5 ounces
- 1/2 cup small dice green bell pepper, about 3/4 of pepper
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 2 heaping cups fresh corn kernels, from about 4 ears of corn
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
- 1 teaspoon green Tabasco sauce
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 half of a fresh lemon
Instructions
- Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter and the olive oil over medium heat in a sauté pan. Add the pancetta and cook, stirring, for about four minutes. Transfer the pancetta to a paper towel lined plate.
- Add the rest of the butter and olive oil to the pan and add the onion, potatoes, bell pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Reduce the heat to medium low, cover, and cook, stirring regularly, until the the onions and peppers have softened and the potatoes begin to very lightly brown, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Uncover the pan and increase the heat to medium. Add the corn, garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and sauté, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the parsley, chives, Tabasco, black pepper to taste, and a squeeze of lemon juice. Add the cooked pancetta and adjust the salt and pepper.
Adapted from Fine Cooking Magazine, 2007, no longer available. Author: Susie Middleton.
What a beautiful bowl of color, Karen! I know you are calling it a side dish but I could eat just this for lunch!
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