Ina Garten’s “Confetti Corn” Is the Best Way To Enjoy Corn All Summer Long

I’ve been an Ina Garten follower for over 20 years now. Most of her cookbooks that I own were published before 2010. I love flipping through them when the seasons change to check in on old favorites or new things that didn’t catch my eye 15 years ago. 

Ina’s Confetti Corn jumped out at me immediately when looking through her 2008 book Back to Basics. It’s barely more than a skillet full of sautéed sweet corn kernels, but what more do you really need for a summer side dish? 

How To Make Ina’s Confetti Corn

Chop 1/2 cup red onion and a small orange bell pepper. Cut four cups of corn off of the cob. The recipe suggests this will take five ears. But I got exactly four cups from four ears, so I stopped there. 

Sauté the onion and bell pepper in olive oil. Getting a head start cooking the onion and bell pepper means they’ll soften without overcooking the corn.

Sauté the corn in butter. The recipe suggests cooking the corn for five to seven minutes. I cooked mine for about five minutes. You’ll see the corn change from pale and starchy to a richer color, both for white and yellow corn.

Season to taste and add herbs. Corn varies in sweetness. Taste it first before deciding on the final seasoning—sweeter corn can take a little extra salt.

My Thoughts on Ina’s Confetti Corn

I know why this recipe didn’t speak to me when I first purchased this book—it’s too simple. Back in my early 20s, I was cooking to impress. At the time, that meant everything had to be elaborate and a little over the top. But as they say, with age comes wisdom.

Now I know that a simple side dish is a weeknight hero. It’s also the perfect addition to a larger summer party spread. It’s absolutely delicious but not the star of the show. It’s not meant to be—leave that to whatever you’re pulling off the grill. When you have a lot going on with a meal, not every component needs to be several complicated steps. Simplicity shines here. 

The red onion, orange bell pepper, and green herbs really bring enough visual interest to the sweet corn. It definitely catches the attention of a crowded buffet. And the additions aren’t just for aesthetics, they all compliment the flavors of the corn beautifully.

Ina’s suggested fresh herb is basil, which wouldn’t have been my first pick for corn. I love it here. It really drives home the summery aspect of this dish. The sharp freshness of it is also a great foil to the sweet vegetables. 

My Tips for Ina’s Confetti Corn

I served this with fried chicken and a green salad for an easy Memorial Day spread. It was the perfect way to kick off the summer season. The next time I make it, I will cut back on the olive oil used to sauté the onion and pepper in the beginning. Two full tablespoons is a lot, especially as two more tablespoons of butter are added to cook the corn. I adore buttery corn, but four tablespoons total of oil and butter for the dish felt a little too heavy. Reducing the oil at the top of the recipe feels like an appropriate tweak.

Be smart about seasoning as well. The ingredients list 1 1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper, but the instructions say to season to taste. I would go by the latter. For my corn, less than a teaspoon of kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper felt appropriately seasoned to me. 

Get the Recipe: Ina Garten’s Confetti Corn