I just love a good pasta salad! It’s great for picnics, cookouts and sometimes I like to just have it by itself for lunch with a piece of fruit. I’m always looking for simple ways to incorporate vegetables and fresh flavor into our meals and sides, especially during the summer months. I really enjoy making a dish that tastes like the season. This Fresh Summer Salsa Verde Pasta is just that. Fresh, full of summer flavor and absolutely delicious!
Al dente Cavatappi pasta is chilled slightly and then tossed with grilled fresh sweet corn, ripe and juicy grape tomatoes and crisp sweet peas in a slightly spicy but fresh salsa verde along with plenty of fresh cilantro (you must like cilantro for this recipe) for a pasta salad you won’t be able to get enough of.
The heat from the salsa verde, combined with the cool freshness from the cilantro with the other fresh ingredients just makes this side dish wonderful! The best part about this recipe is that is is so easy to make. After the pasta is cooked, it will only take you about 10 minutes to prepare. It can be made the night before a picnic so you will be ready to go the next day too.
This year the corn in our garden was doing excellent. That is until the turkey started wondering around and nibbling at it. They did ruin a few dozen pieces, but since we had a few rows planted, we were still able to get some delicious corn.
I think corn is one of my favorite summer foods. You just can’t get that taste any other time of year, you know? I love grilling it quickly for this salad too. It only takes a few minutes, but it adds such nice flavor and color to this dish.
As for those turkey lurking around my garden…my children chased about 20 of them away with their bicycles and I haven’t seen any of them since!
To make this yummy salad into a filling meal you can always add some grilled chicken to the mix too. Yum! Served with any meat from the grill or simply alongside a sandwich at lunch, this recipe is has now become a summer must have at our house!
If you are having a Labor Day picnic try this tasty pasta salad! You won’t be sorry!
Ingredients
- 1 lb. Cavatappi pasta cooked al dente, drained (do not rinse)
- 2 or 3 large ears of fresh sweet corn, shucked, grilled and cut (you may use a 15 oz. can of corn- but use fresh if you can)
- 1 bunch of green onions, finely chopped (green and white parts)
- 2 cups frozen or fresh sweet peas
- 1 (18 to 24 oz.) jar your favorite Salsa Verde (Medium will make it pretty spicy, so regular works well for a party)
- 2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 large handful fresh cilantro (about a cup and a half)
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according the package directions, drain and set in the refrigerator while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
- Preheat your grill to medium and drizzle your corn with a little olive oil on a plate and rotate to get good coverage.
- Grill the corn for 10 minutes, moving every few minutes so it doesn't burn.
- Place the grilled corn on a plate and cover tightly with foil and let it sit for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, rinse your tomatoes and halve them.
- Chop your green onion.
- Quickly rinse your peas.
- In a food processor or mini chopper, combine 1/4 cup of olive oil with a large handful (about 1 1/2 cups) of cilantro and chop/blend.
- Cut the corn off of the cob.
- Place the pasta in the bowl you plan to serve it in or large plastic container with a lid.
- Add all of the ingredients, the corn, the peas, the green onion, the tomatoes, the cilantro mixture and the salsa verde to the pasta and mix well.
- Add a little salt and pepper to season.
- Mix well.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- If pasta looks dry, you can always drizzle a little more olive oil and mix again.
- Serves 8-12.
- Enjoy!
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