Garden Pasta with Green Beans, Tomatoes, Corn and Herbs

I finally gathered up enough courage this week to take Aaron’s old mountain bike up the trails at Rocky Top, a series of mountain bike and hiking trails near our house. Rocky Top also has a pump track, essentially a bike track of bumps and hills for crazy kids like mine to ride and jump off of. 

We’ve spent a ton of time up there during quarantine. My oldest son Jack, loves to ride bikes. I know I’ve mentioned this a few times before. His love has re-sparked a passion for it in my husband and Luke, our middle son, has joined in the fun as well. 

The last few months Scarlet and I were content to sit in the bed of the truck and hang out while the boys did their thing. Partially because she was nursing a very broken arm and partially because we were both a little intimidated. We went for little walks and jumped on rocks instead but mostly served as official bike jump videographers.

As weeks went on, he trails started to look more and more enticing. And it occurred to me there was no reason not to give it a try. So I did. And my legs are deliciously sore as I sit here typing. I was painfully slow as I made my way up the trail and probably even slower on the way back down as I eased around the corners and figured out when to shift gears. But I had fun. And I did something I thought I couldn’t do.

Dinner that night was a delicious combination straight from the garden. Cherry tomatoes and green beans are on heavy rotation around here as the garden is producing a bumper crop this year. 

If there was ever a more ‘Salt and Stone’ kind of dinner, I don’t know what it would be. This pasta dish was the perfect summer dinner served warm but would be just as tasty served cold as a pasta salad. Summer vegetables, pasta, tons of fresh herbs and a decadent handful of parmesan cheese hit all the right notes and is a dish I’ll be making again and again.

Garden Pasta with green beans, cherry tomatoes and sweet corn

• 1 pound rotini pasta

• 2 ears sweet corn

• 1 pound green beans, ends trimmed

• 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

• 1 teaspoon lemon zest

• 2/3 cup fresh herbs (chives, flat leaf parsley and basil)

• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

• Pinch of red pepper flakes

In a large pot of salted water, boil pasta until al dente’. In the last three minutes before pasta is finished cooking, add green beans to pasta water. Allow them to cook with the pasta and drain together when pasta is finished cooking. You want the beans to cook slightly but still have a good bite to them.

Set pasta and green beans aside. Mince fresh herbs. Use whatever you have or looks good at the grocery store. I like to use a combination of parsley, basil and chives but fresh thyme or rosemary would be lovely too. This dish is meant to have a bright herby flavor that brings out the fresh flavors in the green beans and tomatoes. So don’t be shy! Chop them up and use as much as you prefer.

In a large pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and balsamic vinegar and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and corn to the pan, stirring constantly for three to five minutes. Add the pasta and green beans to the pan and stir to combine. Salt and pepper liberally. Turn heat off to the pan and gently stir in the lemon zest, fresh herbs and parmesan cheese. Garnish with a small pinch of red pepper flakes. Serve immediately. Dish serves 6 dinner portions. Store extras in an air tight container in the refrigerator.