Summer Vegetable Pasta

Ingredients

• 1 cup fresh peas (about 1 pound in the pod) or thawed frozen peas
• Salt
• 3/4 pound penne, orecchiette or medium shells
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup fresh or thawed frozen corn kernels
• 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 cup torn basil leaves
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 1/2 ounces)

Steps

1. Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil over high heat. Add fresh peas until just tender, about 4 minutes. Drain and rinse peas under cold water. (If using frozen peas, simply run hot water over them until they thaw.)
2. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente according to package instructions, 8 to 12 minutes. Drain well, reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking water, and transfer pasta to a large bowl.
3. Heat olive oil in large saucepan, add corn and cook over moderate heat until corn is tender but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add peas, tomatoes and basil and cook just until warmed through. Remove from the heat and stir in butter; season with salt and pepper. Add pasta, tossing to coat with sauce; add reserved pasta cooking water a splash at a time as needed to create a light sauce. Return to bowl, sprinkle Parmesan on top, and serve immediately.