Pasta Salad with All the Summer Vegetables

A Perfect Dish for Potlucks and School (and Work) Lunches

Hello, readers and cooks - With summer weather winding down in Northern CA, I’ve been looking out my window at my fig tree and realizing that all the green fruits on the branches are unlikely to ripen at all this year. The extra cool weather back in June must have kept them from growing early in the season, and now we’re seeing the consequences. I imagine that I’m not the only backyard grower seeing these kinds of odd outcomes (and I know of farmers who also didn’t get certain crops this year, with more dire consequences), but it’s kind of sad to know we’re missing out on some of our favorite home-grown fruit.

Before I give up on the season, however, I have one last summery, produce-heavy recipe to share with you all: a pasta salad that I’ve been making these past few weeks, while the market is still full of things like summer squash and corn and in-season tomatoes. It’s definitely one we’ll return to again next year. I hope you enjoy it!

Pasta Salad with All the Summer Vegetables

This recipe is what happens when late summer vegetables take over a classic Italian antipasto-inspired pasta salad. The usual suspects are still there—including mozzarella and salami and olives and a zesty vinegar-based dressing—but there are also lots of delicious summer vegetables in the mix. The final product is both healthier and more flavorful than the deli-style original. It’s a great all-in-one dish to bring to a potluck or pack into lunches, and it holds quite well for a few days in the fridge.

If you want an even more vegetable-laden dish (or need to make it gluten free), you can even swap the pasta for big, hearty beans like the inch-long royal corona beans I got from Rancho Gordo a little while back. The result is just as delicious.

For the Pasta:
1 pound dried bowtie pasta
Kosher salt
2 ears of corn
Olive oil
1 red onion
2 medium-large zucchini or other summer squash
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 pint small balls of mozzarella
2 ounces sliced salami
A 4.25-ounce can of sliced black olives (or an equal amount of other olives)
Large handful basil leaves

For the Dressing:
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 small clove of garlic
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Dried oregano

1. In a large pot, boil the pasta in salted water as directed by the package. Two minutes before the pasta is done, add the corn, so it can cook in the water as well. Drain the pasta and corn, set the corn aside, and toss the pasta in just enough olive oil to keep it from sticking. Let both ingredients cool to room temperature.

2. Peel the onion, halve it lengthwise, and cut it into fairly thick slices (about 1/3” across). Trim the squash, cut it lengthwise, and cut it into thin half-moons (about 1/4” or thinner). Heat a thick slick of olive oil in a large pan and add the onion and squash. Season the vegetables with a big pinch of salt and a couple grinds of pepper, and sauté them, stirring frequently, until the onion is soft and the squash has browned in some places and is very, very soft. (The cooking time will depend on how firm the squash is; it should be soft enough that it is really starting to fall apart.)

3. In a large bowl, mix the onion and zucchini with the cooled pasta. Cut the kernels off the corn, halve the tomatoes and the balls of mozzarella, and cut the salami into thin strips; add all of these to the pasta, along with the olives, and mix well.

4. Make the dressing: Combine the vinegar, olive oil, and mustard in a small jar. Use a microplane to grate the garlic into the jar and add a pinch of salt, a grind of pepper, and a couple shakes of oregano. Close the jar and shake it well to emulsify the ingredients.

5. Dress the pasta salad with about 2/3 of the dressing, then taste the salad and add more if needed. Chiffonade the basil leaves and toss them into the salad shortly before serving.

More California Recipes to Cook From

The LA-based Fresca newsletter also sent out a last-of-summer recipe last week: a Tteokbokki with Creamy Sesame and Steamed Greens that combines the flavors of Guadalajara-style esquites with Korean rice cakes. Meanwhile, the Santa Cruz-based newsletter Pass the Fish Sauce offered a method for reduced-sugar jam, which is a great way to use up end-of-season fruit, and Edible Marin and Wine Country has a recipe for late-season tomatoes with whipped feta and popped seeds.

If you’re more excited about upcoming fall flavors than late summer ones, check out the creamy pumpkin mousse that SF-based food writer Christine Gallary published with The Kitchn. And if you have a lot of brisket left over from Rosh Hashanah (like I do), the OC Register has you covered with a variety of dishes you can make with it, including a hearty hash, stir-fried noodles, and tacos.

Photo: Georgia Freedman