Summer Corn, Tomato, and Basil Pasta
Recipes developed and tested by the ChefnFood editorial team, with chef-informed notes for real home kitchens.
No cooked sauce and no simmering — salt and acid pull the juice out of the tomatoes, and the hot pasta does the rest. It is peak-August cooking with the stove on for about twelve minutes. Cooking tomatoes in August is a waste of tomatoes.
Ingredients
- 12 oz short pasta (orecchiette, shells, or farfalle)
- 1½ pints cherry tomatoes, halved
- 3 ears fresh corn, kernels cut off (about 2½ cups)
- 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- ⅓ cup olive oil, divided
- 1¼ tsp kosher salt, divided
- 8 oz fresh mozzarella, torn into pieces
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
- ½ cup grated Parmesan
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- Black pepper
Instructions
- Put the halved tomatoes in a large serving bowl with 3 tbsp of the olive oil, the vinegar, ¾ tsp salt, and the red pepper flakes. Toss and leave them to sit while everything else happens — at least 15 minutes. They'll release their juice and start making the sauce on their own.
- Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta to al dente.
- While the pasta cooks, heat the remaining oil in a skillet over medium-high. Add the corn kernels and remaining ½ tsp salt. Cook 4–5 minutes without stirring much, until some kernels char and pop.
- Add the sliced garlic and cook 45 seconds, just until it turns pale gold.
- Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain the pasta.
- Add the hot pasta directly to the bowl of marinated tomatoes and toss hard. Add the corn and garlic with all the oil from the pan, then the Parmesan and a splash of pasta water. Toss until it looks glossy rather than oily.
- Fold in the mozzarella and basil last, off the heat. Grind black pepper over the top and serve warm or at room temperature.
Chef’s Take
This is a no-cook sauce that isn’t raw. Salt and acid draw liquid out of the tomatoes over fifteen minutes, and then hot pasta hitting that liquid does the rest — the heat softens the tomatoes just enough while the starchy pasta water emulsifies the oil and juice into something that clings. Cooking tomatoes in August is a waste of tomatoes; this is how you use them at their best.
Chef trick: cut corn kernels off the cob standing the ear in a wide bowl instead of on a cutting board, and they stay put instead of scattering across the kitchen. Then run the back of the knife down the stripped cob to press out the milky liquid — scrape that into the skillet too. It’s pure corn flavor and most people throw it away.
Substitutions
- Frozen corn: works out of season. Don't thaw; add it straight to the hot pan and give it an extra 2 minutes.
- No fresh mozzarella: burrata is better if you can get it, feta is sharper and also good.
- Vegan: skip the cheeses, add ¼ cup toasted pine nuts and a squeeze of lemon.
- Add protein: grilled shrimp, shredded rotisserie chicken, or crisped prosciutto.
- Any short pasta works. Long pasta is harder to eat with corn kernels.
Storage and reheating
Best within a few hours, warm or at room temperature. Refrigerate up to 3 days; the mozzarella firms and the basil darkens, but it's good cold as a pasta salad — refresh it with a splash of olive oil and vinegar. Don't freeze.
Serving suggestions
Genuinely complete as a one-bowl summer dinner. Grilled bread rubbed with garlic on the side. A cold white wine or a beer on a hot evening.
More weeknight dinners like this one
The Weekly Meal Plan — five dinners and a grocery list, every Thursday.
