I’m not sure about everyone else, but the abundance of rain this summer has really put a damper on my garden produce, quite literally. The weeds are out of control, and due to not extremely high temperatures my tomatoes haven’t ripened as early as I would have liked, but once I saw the first ones begin to blush I immediately got excited and began cooking some summer meals. 

This dish is a creation of mine, made by just throwing everything I have from the garden into one pan and letting their flavors speak for themselves. My husband loved it so much that he told me it had to go into my column, so here it is!

Serves 2 

You will need: 

1 large beefsteak tomato (or any kind you have growing) cored and chopped into chunks

3-4 cloves chopped garlic

3 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp butter

¼ tsp red pepper flakes 

Heavy pinch salt 

1 small summer squash thinly chopped into half moons

1 zucchini thinly chopped into half moons

5-10 leaves fresh torn basil

½ lb of your favorite pasta (I used tortellini, but spaghetti would be great!)

¼ cup pasta water

*Optional- 2 ears summer corn if you have cut off the cob

Fresh Parmesan for garnish

Over medium heat, add in olive oil and garlic for about a minute. Once your olive oil Is bubbling add in your tomatoes, squash, and zucchini. Do not let your garlic brown, it will become bitter so make sure to stir at this stage. Add a heavy pinch of salt to draw out the water from your tomatoes and add in a pinch of red pepper flakes for some heat.

Let the tomatoes, squash, and zucchini cook down for about 15 minutes and in the meantime heavily salt your pasta water and cook the pasta to al dente (reserving ¼ cup of the starchy water).

In the last three minutes of cooking your tomatoes down, add in butter, basil, and fresh corn kernels if you have. You want your corn to still have texture and not be mushy.

Add in your cooked pasta to the pot and a ladle full of your pasta water. 

Add in more torn basil and fresh Parmesan cheese over the top and enjoy!