Sweet Corn Pesto Pasta
With roasted corn and tomatoes, this sweet corn pesto pasta is a vegetarian recipe that shows off the best of summer produce.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 3 ears corn, kernels sliced off
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 tablespoon plus 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan plus more for serving
- 1/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts
- 8 ounces cavatappi pasta or fusilli
- 3 scallions, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- On a sheet pan toss the corn kernels and tomatoes with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Spread the corn and tomatoes across the pan arranging the tomatoes, so they are cut side up.
- Roast the corn and tomatoes for 30-35 minutes until the corn is lightly browned and crisp and the tomatoes are wrinkled but still juicy in the middle.
- For the pesto, combine 1 cup roasted corn kernels, 1/3 cup olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, garlic, parmesan and walnuts in a food processor. Puree the ingredients until the pesto is fully combined. (You might see a few corn kernels).
- Cook the pasta in salted boiling water until al dente according to package instructions. Drain the pasta in a colander and transfer it to a large bowl.
- Stir the pesto into the pasta.
- Fold in the remaining roasted corn, tomatoes and scallions.
- Divide the pasta into serving dishes and top with additional Parmesan as desired.
Notes
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3 days. Reheat them in a skillet with a little oil on the stove over low heat, stirring frequently, or use the microwave. The pasta will lose some of its al dente texture the longer you keep it, but it will still taste good.
You can eat leftovers cold like a pasta salad and stir in chopped romaine or baby arugula or spinach.
To make just the corn pesto: Slice the kernels off 1 ear of corn and toss them with 1 teaspoon olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper on a sheet pan. When you roast them at 400 degrees F, check them when they have been roasting for 20-25 minutes. Then proceed to make the pesto as the recipe is written.
You can refrigerate just the pesto for 1 week and freeze it up to 1 month in an airtight container. Let it thaw in the fridge or at room temperature. Then reheat it in a skillet over low heat or in the microwave.
Nutrition
Calories: 471kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 709mg | Potassium: 464mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 728IU | Vitamin C: 29mg | Calcium: 98mg | Iron: 2mg