Description
This late summer quick and easy skillet-burst tomato & corn pasta dish needs no introduction. Corn? Tomatoes? Summer squash? Why, hello friends! Welcome!! This dish highlights the bounty of late summer produce. Tumble onto a bed of pasta, shred some fresh mozzarella, garnish with basil, and you have yourself a feast.
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed
- 4 cups heirloom cherry tomatoes, about 1 1/2 pounds
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- Pinch of salt and pepper
- 1 1/2 pounds summer squash, about 8 extra small, trimmed and sliced (if using larger squash, cut into half-moons)
- 1-pound rigatoni, or another short-cut pasta
- 3 Tablespoons butter
- 2 ears of fresh corn, cut from the cob
- 1 cup thinly sliced arugula
- Red pepper flakes to taste
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
- 2 balls fresh Mozzarella
- 2 Tablespoons thinly sliced basil (chiffonade)
- Finish with Maldon sea salt or other flaky finishing salt
Instructions
Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large sauté pan. Add garlic, tomatoes and thyme, and season with salt and pepper. Stir to coat the tomatoes, smashing garlic further. After 6 minutes, add the summer squash, stirring occasionally. Cook for an additional 5 or 6 minutes until the summer squash start to brown and caramelize.
Meanwhile bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, according to the package instructions, about 12 minutes.
Turn the heat down to low on the sauté pan, and stir in butter, corn, arugula and season with red pepper flakes. Cook for three minutes, scrapping up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Remove the thyme.
Drain the pasta, reserving ½ cup of pasta water. Add the pasta to the vegetable mixture and add the Parmesan. Stir to combine, adding pasta water to thin, if desired.
Divide among six bowls and top each with 1/3 of a ball of fresh Mozzarella, torn by hand.
Garnish with basil and finish with flaky sea salt, adding more red pepper flakes if desired.
Notes
Use a bit of the pasta water, if you prefer a more saucy pasta and feel free to hit it with more butter. What could be bad?
Not going to lie – I wouldn’t be mad if you threw a Tablespoon or two of pesto on this. I did however create this combo of ingredients to let stellar tomatoes, sweetest corn and gorgeous squash be the rock stars. The more things you add, the less they are the standouts. This pasta mimics a fresh ear of corn slathered with butter. You be the master of your destiny!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian, American
Keywords: Tomato, Corn, Pasta