Enriched with two kinds of cheeses, this baked pasta showcases favorite summer vegetables at their seasonal best, including sweet corn, zucchini and fresh tomatoes.
Recipe courtesy of Williams-Sonoma
Ingredients
- Kosher salt, to taste
- 1/2 pound penne
- 6 tablespoons olive oil, plus more as needed
- Kernels cut from 2 ears of corn
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 8 zucchini, about 2 pounds total, cut into half-moons
- 1/2 yellow onion, diced
- 4 tomatoes, cored, seeded and cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 tablespoon sliced garlic
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
- 6 ounces mozzarella cheese, grated
- 2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
Preparation
- 1 Preheat an oven to 400ºF.
- 2 Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Generously salt the water, add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain the pasta and rinse under cold running water. Set aside.
- 3 In a 12-inch nonstick fry pan over medium-high heat, warm 3 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the corn, season with salt and black pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the corn is lightly golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Set aside.
- 4 Set the pan over medium-low heat. Add the onion, 1 teaspoon salt and black pepper, to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 2 minutes.
- 5 Stir in the tomatoes, garlic, oregano and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes soften and begin to form a sauce, about 5 minutes.
- 6 Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Add the wine and cook until the wine has reduced and the sauce is fairly thick, about 3 minutes more.
- 7 Add the pasta, tomato sauce, basil, mozzarella and half of the Parmigiano-Reggiano to the bowl with the vegetables and stir to combine.
- 8 Transfer to the fry pan and sprinkle the remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano on top. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake until golden brown on top, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve warm.
