Today’s recipe should perk up the ears of gardeners who have more veggies than they know what to do with. Not only does it use large amounts of tomato, sweet corn, and zucchini, but also it tastes wonderful. Other attributes on the plus side are dairy-free, uber-healthy, and pretty enough to serve to company. The only negative is that it’s complicated enough to require several cooking pans, so clean up takes some time. Even so, this recipe will again get a work out at our house when the summer veggies start taking over the kitchen.

The original recipe appeared in the July, 2013 (I think) issue of Real Simple magazine. Below is my modified version which uses ingredients I had around the house

Pasta with Summer Vegetables

3/4 pound thin spaghetti
1 cup walnut pieces
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups fresh corn (about 2 ears)
2 cloves garlic, sliced
kosher salt and black pepper
2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
2 small zucchini (about 1 pound) cut into thin ribbons with veggie peeler
2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (optional)

Blanch corn in boiling water for 5 minutes. Remove from pot and plunge into cold water. Cut corn off cob with sharp knife.

Cook pasta according to package directions. Reserve 3/4 cup of cooking water. Drain pasta and return to pot.

Meanwhile heat oven to 350°, Spread walnuts on rimmed baking sheet and toast, tossing occasionally until fragrant, 8–10 minutes.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the corn, garlic and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper and cook, tossing occasionally until corn is tender, 2–4 minutes.
Add pasta, tomatoes, zucchini, and 1/2 cup of cooking water to the pan. Cook over medium heat, gently tossing until liquid is slightly thickened and coats the pasta, 2–3 minutes (add more cooking water as needed to loosen the sauce).

Serve sprinkled with oregano, walnuts, and crumbled goat cheese (optional). Below is a picture of Hiram’s pasta with the goat cheese added.