Time to eat beautiful food!
The truth is I only began to enjoy tomatoes when I discovered heirlooms a few summers ago. They looked so gorgeous I wanted to eat something pretty for dinner — salt, pepper, a drizzle of balsamic, maybe some cheese and basil. I kept eating them until I liked them. That’s how it goes with many vegetables for me: repeated exposure until affection follows.
I mean, how could you resist these striped, multicolored characters?
They’re simply stunning.
This salad is my attempt to hold on to summer a little longer. The weather dipped to around 65 degrees yesterday — my ideal temperature — but I’m not ready to let go of tomatoes, corn and all the produce that defines warm months. I adore comfort food, but I get especially excited about snacky meals that showcase summer ingredients. Oddly, I’m not normally a pasta salad fan, so I set out to create one that would turn me into one.
This is that pasta salad.
Quick note: I received a gift card from Whole Foods to pick up these vibrant tomatoes, which made stocking up impossible to resist. Their heirlooms are spectacular and worth the trip, even if it’s a bit of a drive.
My original idea was a corn tart with heirloom tomatoes — two of my favorite things combined — but I decided to get creative and make a pasta salad instead. I kept grilled corn, added peaches, tossed in bacon and plenty of cheese. I almost added avocado but skipped it so the salad would keep a few days without browning. If you want to add avocado right before serving, it’s fantastic.
There’s a lot in this dish that I adore: the sweetness of grilled peaches and corn, the tang of basil vinaigrette, the savory crunch of bacon and the creaminess of feta. It comes together into a pasta salad that’s bright, smoky and perfectly summery.
Smoky Heirloom Tomato and Grilled Peach Pasta Salad with Basil Vinaigrette
4 to 6
Ingredients
- 1 pound whole wheat pasta like ziti or rigatoni
- 2 ears sweet corn
- 2 peaches sliced in half and pits removed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 medium heirloom tomatoes cut into wedges or chunks
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 4 ounces feta cheese crumbled
- 4 green onions sliced
- 4 slices thick-cut bacon cooked and crumbled
Vinaigrette
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions. While the pasta cooks, preheat the grill to medium-high. Brush the corn and peach halves with olive oil and place them directly on the grates.
- Grill the peaches 1 to 2 minutes per side until grill marks appear. Rotate the corn until kernels are golden, about 5 to 6 minutes. Remove the corn, peaches and sprinkle them and the tomatoes with salt and pepper. Cut the corn from the cob.
- To make the vinaigrette, add the basil and red wine vinegar to a food processor and pulse until the basil is finely chopped. With the processor running, stream in the olive oil until combined. Season with salt and pepper.
- Place the drained pasta in a large bowl and pour the vinaigrette over it. Toss to coat. Stir in the tomatoes, peaches and corn. Fold in the feta, green onions and crumbled bacon until combined. Garnish with a few basil leaves if desired. The salad is good warm but benefits from chilling in the fridge for 20 minutes.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag your photos with the hashtag and share them on social — it’s so rewarding to see your versions.
P.S. I have one big heirloom left, so it’s safe to guess what I’ll make next — a BLT, of course.
Thanks to Whole Foods for sponsoring this post and for the gift card used to purchase these heirloom tomatoes.