AMY
Summer…There is just something so magical about all the GORGEOUS produce that grows (in the Midwest) in the summer. After the coolness of fall, dark and dreary months of winter, wetness of spring; comes the light, warmth, and beauty of summer. We are inundated with an abundance of fresh homegrown fruits and vegetables that scream, “Summer is here!!” each year. Some of my favorite summer flavors are garden tomatoes, basil and corn. Last week I put them all together for a very quick and delicious pasta dinner: Summer Pasta with Mascarpone Cream Sauce with Gaby Dalkin’s extremely delicious Basil Vinaigrette. So freaking good.
It’s the best time of the year.
Aside from Hallothankmas (Halloween/Thanksgiving/Christmas), summer is the absolute BEST time of the year. We get a lot of humidity in the Midwest, but the snow is gone (for most of us) and its basically perfection. Although this summer was not quite like others in the past, it has still been magical time that I wish would never end.
I think my family has basically eaten our weight in stone fruit, tomatoes, cucumbers, and corn on the cob. We have been using the help of a local(ish) food delivery service, Doorganics, making biweekly trips to Trader Joe’s and pulling some of it straight out of my garden (!!!) to try to take advantage of every seasonal thing we can get our hands on.
It’s the first year we’ve ever been able to actually consume anything I’ve attempted to grow. This year we’ve harvested what seems like hundreds of cherry tomatoes, many cucumbers, basil and SO MANY green beans. We’ve been eating many of it in salads, grilled, roasted and sautéed. I was beginning to become bored with the veggies and felt inspired to get creative.
Insert: Basil Vinaigrette.
Apparently, I’ve been living under a rock, because I’ve just recently discovered Gaby Dalkin, the author/chef from What’s Gaby Cooking. I have absolutely fallen in love with so many of her delicious recipes. One of my favorites right now is her basil vinaigrette (linked above and below). It is light, delicious and so ridiculously easy to whip up. Plus, it’s allowed me to use up a ton of my basil before the season is over. It was also the perfect complement to the pasta that I made the other night. It would honestly be perfect with just about anything, FYI. The only thing that I’ve changed is that I added a bit more basil this last time and also omit the red pepper flakes.
Let’s get cooking.
I opened our most recent delivery from Doorganics and was happy to find several ears of corn. As much as we enjoy corn on the cob, I felt like I needed to change things up a bit. Fresh corn, especially corn that is in season, is ridiculous. It’s perfect as is, so I cut it off the cob and then looked around for what I could pair it with.
This pasta dish screamed summer to me, hence the decision to call it Summer Pasta. When I was making it, Harley asked for “mac & cheese” so I opted for a creamy sauce. I added some other beautiful things that I had on hand. Tomatoes from my garden ✔, heavy cream ✔, mascarpone cheese ✔, and Gaby’s basil vinaigrette ✔✔.
To add a protein or not to add a protein?
The first time I made this, I served it without any kind of protein, but it was delicious as is. The second time I tested, altered and in my family’s words “perfected” this recipe, I grilled shrimp (marinated in the basil vinaigrette). I think that chicken, shrimp, salmon, lobster or BACON would put this over the top.
My summer pasta with mascarpone cream sauce was so easy, incredibly tasty and was the perfect ending to a perfect warm summer day.
PrintSummer Pasta with Mascarpone Cream Sauce
My summer pasta with mascarpone cream sauce was so easy, incredibly tasty and will be the perfect ending to a warm summer day.
- Prep Time: 25
- Cook Time: 25
- Total Time: 50
- Yield: 4 – 6 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Grilling & Saute
- Cuisine: Pasta
Ingredients
Basil Vinaigrette
- 2 cups packed fresh basil leaves*
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, smashed
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons vinegar*
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Grilled Shrimp
- 1 pound shrimp, shelled and deveined
- 1/2 cup of Basil Vinaigrette
- ½ lemon, cut into wedges
Mascarpone Cream Sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons grated or minced garlic
- 1 1/3 cups heavy cream
- 1 lemon, juiced
- ½ cup mascarpone cheese
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Summer Pasta
- 1 pound pasta, your choice (I used linguine)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Kernels removed from 2 medium ears of uncooked corn, about 2 cups
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, either cut in half or left whole
- Basil, for garnish
Instructions
Basil Vinaigrette
Add the ingredients to your blender and blend until the mixture is smooth and pourable. Adjust seasonings, if needed. If you are not using this immediately, then you can store it in airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Grilled Shrimp
Place the shrimp in a medium sized bowl. Add the basil vinaigrette and toss gently to combine. Marinate the shrimp for about 20 minutes. In the meantime, preheat your grill to at least 350 degrees. After the shrimp is done marinating, add them to skewers and place on the hot grill. Cook on the grill for about 3 minutes per side. Sometimes I do 4 minutes per side because we like them a bit firmer. Just remember, the bigger the shrimp, the longer the cooking time will be.
When the shrimp is done cooking on the grill, remove it from the skewers and set aside until you’re ready to use.
Mascarpone Cream Sauce
Preheat a skillet over medium/low heat. Make sure all your ingredients are ready to go to avoid burning the garlic.
Add olive oil to the pan. Add in the garlic and sauté for about a minute or until it becomes fragrant. Do not burn the garlic. If it burns, discard burned garlic, clean out your pan and begin again.
Now stir in the heavy cream, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Turn the heat to low and simmer for 15 – 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce should become thick and creamy.
Turn off the heat and stir in the mascarpone cheese until it’s melted. Set aside until ready to use.
Summer Pasta
Bring large pot of water to a boil, add a liberal amount of salt and cook pasta to the package directions. Drain the pasta and place it back in the hot pot. Add the mascarpone cream sauce to the pasta and stir to coat the pasta completely.
Preheat a large skillet over medium heat and add olive oil to it. Add in the corn and tomatoes. Season this immediately with salt and pepper and sauté for 3 – 5 minutes. You want to make sure that the tomatoes start to burst. Remove from the heat.
Top the mascarpone cream covered pasta with the corn/tomato mixture and the grilled shrimp*, if you’re using it. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the summer pasta with mascarpone cream sauce and grilled shrimp. Garnish with basil, if desired.
Notes
- I used about 3 cups the last time I made this. It was heavier/thicker, but still had great flavor.
- The original recipe calls for red wine vinegar, but I’ve used ACV in it’s place and it’s pretty darn tasty.
- Leave the shrimp out for a vegetarian pasta dish!
Keywords: shrimp pasta, summer pasta, pasta, vegetarian pasta, vegetarian, shrimp, summer, seafood, seafood pasta