Easy to make and take, this pasta salad is perfect for rounding out any barbecue buffet. Load it up with fresh-from-the-garden zucchini, corn straight off the cob, and pungent summer basil. Pine nuts offer toasty crunch, while adding bacon makes it all so savory and satisfying.
At this point, the pasta salad just needs some sort of dressing to tie everything together. You don’t want to overpower the taste, texture, and color of all the mix-ins, so forgo the typical mayonnaise base, and use a little cream with a splash of pasta water instead.
Makes
4 servings
Total Time
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Ingredients
BOIL:
COOK:
Test Kitchen Approved
Test Kitchen Tip
To bring out their flavor, toast pine nuts in a skillet over medium-high heat until golden brown, 3–4 minutes
Instructions
Boil pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water according to package directions. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup pasta water.
Cook bacon in a large skillet until crisp. Transfer bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate; drain all but 1 Tbsp. drippings.
Sauté zucchini and corn in the drippings in the same skillet until tender, 5–6minutes. Add pasta to skillet.
Stir in bacon, cream, basil, and pine nuts. Add reserved pasta water, as needed, to loosen dressing. Season pasta with salt and pepper.
To make measuring and cleanup easy, cut the kernels directly off the corn cobs into a bowl.
Test Kitchen Approved
Nutritional Facts
Nutritional Facts
Per serving
Calories: 539
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 30g 46%
Saturated Fat 11g 55%
Cholesterol 46mg 15%
Sodium 335mg 13%
% Daily Value*
Carbs 54g 18%
Fiber 4g 16%
Protein 16g
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
