While bringing a large pot of salted water to a boil, prepare your mise en place: halve the cherry tomatoes, thinly slice the basil into ribbons, crumble the goat cheese, grate the parmesan, and juice the lemon. Once the water is boiling, add the corn and cook for 5 minutes until tender. Remove the corn with tongs and set aside on a cutting board to cool slightly. This allows you to reuse the same pot of water for the pasta without starting fresh.

Add the penne to the same pot of boiling water and cook according to package directions until al dente. While the pasta cooks, cut the corn kernels off the cob using a sharp knife, running it downward along the cob to release the kernels cleanly. I find this easier to do once the corn has cooled slightly, as it's less likely to slip. Set the corn kernels aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the extra virgin olive oil, greek yogurt, lemon juice, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes until well combined. The yogurt acts as an emulsifier that creates a creamy dressing without being heavy, and I like to let this sit for a moment so the flavors can meld slightly.

Drain the cooked pasta thoroughly and rinse briefly under cool water to stop the cooking process and chill it slightly. In a large bowl, combine the cooled pasta from this step with the corn kernels from Step 2, halved cherry tomatoes, sliced basil ribbons, crumbled goat cheese, and grated parmesan. Pour the dressing from Step 3 over the pasta mixture and toss gently but thoroughly until everything is well coated. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed before serving.