Pasta with Tomato Pesto & Corn

To be honest, I was not expecting much when I made this dish. The thought of a tomato-based pesto intrigued me, but I did not expect the nice pesto flavor that the sauce actually had.

It had a rich texture from the nuts, a bright flavor from the basil and fresh tomatoes, a great bite from the fresh corn and just the right amount of saltiness from the cheese.

It was a good thing that the dish pleasantly surprised me, because I had a whole house full of people and made a double recipe – that’s a whole lot of corn and pasta!

A whole lot of fun items from my garden went into the pesto – tomatoes, garlic, basil and parsley. So pretty!

Pasta with Tomato Pesto & Corn

very slightly adapted from Posie Harwood’s Linguine with Red Pesto and Corn

1 lb dried linguine other thin pasta

4 ripe tomatoes (from the garden)

15 basil leaves (from the garden)

1 Tbsp parsley leaves (from the garden)

1 clove garlic (from the garden)

1 pinch salt

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1/4 tsp black pepper

6 Tbsp olive oil

3 ears fresh corn (locally grown)

Parmesan, for serving (optional)

Directions

Shuck the corn and slice the kernels off of the cob.

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Score an x into the bottom of each tomato. Drop the tomatoes into the boiling water for about 1 minute, until their skins split. Transfer them to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Once cool, peel the skins.

Return the pot of water to boil, add salt. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, following the instructions on the package. Drain.

Meanwhile, in a food processor or blender, combine the peeled tomatoes, basil, parsley, salt, garlic, almonds, pepper, and olive oil. Process until smooth.