Pasta Salad With Heirloom Tomatoes

3.3 from 4 ratings

This cold pasta is a summer festival in a bowl: delicious, crunchy sweet corn; earthy pan-roasted zucchini, refreshing fresh herbs, salty feta cheese… and most of all, the amazingly flavorful heirlooms. The Black Russian, Pruden’s Purple, or any red heirloom beefsteak tomatoes will be marvelous in this dish. See all tomato recipes. Click here to see 15 Tastiest Heirloom Tomato Recipes.

Servings

servings

Ingredients

2 tablespoon olive oil
3 baby zucchini (about 6 inches long), trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 ears sweet corn, husked
2 cloves garlic, grated
1 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 teaspoon aged balsamic vinegar
6 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 pound red, purple, or black heirloom tomatoes, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 bunch chives, cut 1/4-inch thick
24 large basil leaves, torn into 1-inch pieces
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 pound mezzi rigatoni, penne rigate, ziti, or ditali pasta
7 ounce goat milk feta cheese
small basil leaves, for garnish

Directions

Heat a wide skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and zucchini. Sauté until golden brown, tossing only occasionally, about 7-8 minutes. Season with the salt. Toss again and transfer to a bowl to cool. Set aside.
Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add the corn and boil for 3 minutes. Remove from the pot and transfer to a bowl filled with cold water. As soon as the corn has cooled, transfer to a clean kitchen towel and pat dry. Using a sharp knife, shave the kernels from the corn. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the garlic, salt, pepper, vinegar, and oil. Whisk until well blended. Add the corn, tomatoes, chives, and basil. Toss until well mixed and set aside.
In a large pot, bring 6 quarts water to a boil over high heat. When the water is boiling, add the salt and pasta. Cook the pasta until very al dente — about 1 minute less than what package calls for.
Drain and rinse with cold water until cooled. Shake off the excess water. Add to the tomato mixture. Mix well and let stand at room temperature for 15-30 minutes before serving.
When ready to serve, add the pan-roasted zucchini to the pasta and stir well. Spoon the pasta into individual bowls or a large serving platter. Crumble the feta on top and garnish with small basil leaves. Drizzle with a little more olive oil if desired. Season with freshly ground black pepper, to taste and serve.