Pappardelle with Corn, Summer Squash and Basil

After a weekend of dining out at restaurants, it was nice to have something homemade and on the lighter side.  The corn and the squash came from a CSA I just joined called Holton Farms.  I picked up a huge bag full of produce from the CSA today, including zucchini, squash, corn, beets, radishes, and green tomatoes.  I have some serious plans for the green tomatoes (fried green tomatoes anyone?), but I decided that since we had a lot of pasta and zucchini goes with pasta, why not make some sort of pasta with zucchini mixed in.  My first candidate was this Fried-Zucchini Spaghetti, but we didn't have any spaghetti in the apartment.  My next thought was to make a No-Bake Summertime Lasagna from Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen.  But we didn't have lasagna noodles or fresh ricotta.  Then I started thinking about making some sort of pasta primavera with a variety of different fresh veggies from the CSA.  Seeing as I have never had a pasta primavera before I have no idea what veggies are usually in the dish, but for some reason I picture zucchini, bell peppers and carrots.  But I decided to use fresh corn and zucchini.  And out of the random pastas in our cupboard I decided to use pappardelle.

Alex liked the pasta because in his words it was "fresh and light."  I liked it because it let some very amazing produce take center stage. I wasn't in love with the recipe, but I thought it was pretty nice.  It was light and fresh.  And unlike a lot of heavier meat pasta sauces, it doesn't leave you feeling bloated and gross after you eat a serving.

Recipe after the jump!

Pappardelle with Corn, Summer Squash and Basil

INGREDIENTS:

2 tbsp evoo, plus 2 tbsp good quality evoo for drizzling

1 tbsp butter

5 ears corn, shucked

1 medium sweet onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 medium summer squash or zucchini

1 lb pappardelle

3/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated

3/4 cup basil, chiffonaded

2 tsp lemon zest

Heat evoo and butter in a large saute pan over medium heat.  Once foam subsides, add the corn and the onion.  Season with s&p.  Saute, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes.  Add garlic and saute for another 30 seconds.  Stir in squash.  Saute, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, about 3-4 additional minutes.  Season to taste with s&p.  

Meanwhile, cook pappardelle until al dente in a large pot of boiling salted water according to package instructions.  Drain, reserving 1 cup of pasta cooking water.

Toss pasta with corn mixture.  Add cheese and 1/2 cup pasta water.  Toss to combine.  If the pasta is too dry, add enough reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce.  Add basil and lemon zest.  Toss to combine.  Drizzle with remaining 2 tbsp evoo.

Serve.