Arugula Pesto Pasta
with Zucchini & Fresh Corn
freezes well | Vegetarian
When zucchini is everywhere and fresh corn is too good to pass up, this arugula pesto pasta is exactly what I want to make. Golden buttery zucchini, sweet corn cut straight from the cob, al dente pasta, and spoonfuls of peppery homemade pesto. It’s summer dinner without trying too hard.
And the pesto? Make more than you need. Trust me.
This Pesto Deserves a Permanent Spot in Your Freezer
Arugula, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pine nuts or walnuts. That’s it.
I love basil pesto, but arugula has this peppery bite that makes everything taste a little more interesting. Plus, there’s no cheese in this version, which means it freezes beautifully.
Make a double or triple batch, freeze it in small containers or an ice cube tray, and future-you has pesto ready for pasta, chicken, salmon, sandwiches, eggs, roasted vegetables…you get the idea.
Save the Parmesan for the top.
Please Don't Turn the Zucchini Into Mush
Zucchini can go from golden and delicious to sad and watery remarkably fast.
Dice it, get your skillet nice and hot, add butter, and let the zucchini actually sear. Don’t stir it every seven seconds. Give it a chance to get some color.
Once it’s golden, cut the corn straight from the cob and add it to the warm skillet. Fresh summer corn barely needs cooking. You’re really just warming it through and letting it pick up some of that buttery goodness.
You will love these recipes too!
Pasta Water Is Doing Actual Work Here
Cook your gluten-free pasta until just al dente and, as always, do not dump all that pasta water down the drain.
Add the pasta to the skillet with about ½ cup of pasta water and plenty of arugula pesto. Toss everything together until that pesto loosens up and coats the pasta, zucchini, and corn.
This is where a few simple ingredients suddenly become a really freaking good dinner.
This Is What I Want to Eat After the Farmers Market
There are summer recipes that require twelve different vegetables, three sauces, and your entire afternoon.
This isn’t one of them.
This arugula pesto pasta is basically my farmers market haul turned into dinner. Fresh zucchini. Sweet corn. Peppery greens. Pasta. Lots of freshly grated Parmesan over the top.
Add grilled chicken or shrimp if you want more protein, but I’m perfectly happy eating a giant bowl exactly as it is.
Chef's Note
Make extra pesto. Seriously.
Because there’s no Parmesan in the pesto itself, it freezes really well. Portion it into an ice cube tray, freeze until solid, then transfer the cubes to a freezer bag. Pull out a cube or two whenever dinner needs a quick hit of flavor.
Also, before draining your gluten-free pasta, scoop out more pasta water than you think you’ll need. You can always dump it. You cannot climb into the drain and get it back.
You will love these recipes too!
Don't miss a recipe
or blog post!
Disclaimer: Please note that some of the links in this blog post are affiliate links and I will earn a commission if you purchase through those links. I use all of the products that I link and reccommend them because they are high quality products that I trust.
Arugula Pesto Pasta with Zucchini & Fresh Corn
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 1x
- Diet: Gluten-Free
Description
This arugula pesto pasta with buttery zucchini and fresh corn is an easy gluten-free summer dinner made with a quick homemade pesto.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. gluten free pasta of your choice (I used spaghetti)
- 1/2 cup pasta water
- 1 package arugula
- 1/2 - 3/4 cup olive oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1/2 -3/4 cup pinenuts (walnuts or almonds work great too)
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
- 1 zucchini, cubed
- 1 ear of corn, cut from the cob
- 1/2 cup fresh parmesan, grated
- optional: black pepper and chili flakes to garnish
Get Recipe Ingredients
Instructions
- Boil a large pot of water. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Don’t forget to reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water before you drain the pasta.
- Meanwhile, make the pesto. Use a food processor or blender to pulse the arugula, olive oil, salt, garlic and pinenuts together.
- In a skillet melt the butter over medium high heat. Add in the zucchini and cook until slightly browned but still crunchy – about 4 minutes. Turn the heat off and add in the corn. Toss to combine. Add in 2 heaping tablespoons of the pesto and 1/4 cup of the pasta water.
- Add the pasta to the skillet or combine everything in the pot you used to cook the pasta. Toss with tongs. Add more pesto and pasta water if need.
- Top with fresh parmesan cheese, black pepper and chili flake (if using).
Notes
I have found that pesto is very personal. Some like it with lots of garlic, smooth texture, rustic consistency, more oily – I’ve seen it all. So make it how you like it. You will notice I put some measurements like 1/2- 3/4 cup – I would start with the lower measurement and work your way up, if you want to.
Also when you go to food process or blend it – use the pulse setting. Then you can scrap down the sides so everything incorporates evenly. Process it to the texture you like.
Pro tip: add basil to it. It will cut the spicy/peppery flavor of the arugula up, if you don’t like it.
I know pinenuts are crazy expensive so replace with walnuts or almonds. Or use a combination.
Don’t add cheese to any of the pesto you are wanting to freeze – fresh parmesan is meant to be fresh.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 15
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Boiling, Sautéing
- Cuisine: Italian
Hi, I'm Kat.
Thanks for being here.
Hi, I’m Kat, a Colorado-based personal chef, soccer mom, and the heart behind White Sparrow Food Company. I share easy, wholesome, gluten-free recipes inspired by the meals I cook for my clients and made simple for real life at home.
Read Kat’s story
