Summer pasta salad
(Read article summary)A light summer salad with the savory crunch of bacon marks the arrival of tomato season.
This simple but yummy summer pasta salad was inspired by a Food52 post I saw recently. 'Tis the season for this type of fresh, light, easy meal. At this time of year, delicious meals practically cooks themselves – it's often a matter of just combining a few fresh, flavorful ingredients.
I used cavatappi (which translates to "corkscrew" – makes sense, right?) but anything will do, penne, orechiette, elbows, etc.
I made use of the first ripe cherry tomatoes from our little container garden and a generous handful of fresh basil from our potted plants. Seeing those first 'maters turn red never fails to thrill me.
I added some onions cooked with chunks of thick slab bacon I bought from Northwinds Farm at our little Woodstock Farm Festival.
Then tossed in some surprisingly sweet local corn we had left over from a meal earlier in the week. Fresh arugula (I used a mix of our own tender greens and a bunch from our CSA) added a nice peppery green counterpoint to the sweetness of the onions, corn and tomatoes.
You can either mix the greens in with the pasta or serve the pasta on a bed of them. Then cover the whole thing with a blizzard of grated Parmesan.
I made enough for us to have for dinner and for lunch the next day and we were delighted anew both times.
Summer Pasta With Tomatoes, Corn, Basil, Bacon & Arugula
Serves 4
