Fresh Corn and Basil Add Summery Notes to This Easy Pasta Dinner

The savory sauce offsets the sweetness of the corn. Steve Klise/TNS

Summer might be winding down, but this pasta dish highlights some of the season’s best bounty. Blending fresh basil into reduced cream with Parmesan made a rich, savory, herbaceous sauce for tortellini, offsetting the sweetness of the fresh corn and mellowing the spice of a Fresno chile.

Tortellini With Corn and Basil Cream Sauce

Serves 4

• 2 (9-ounce) packages fresh cheese tortellini
• 3/4 teaspoon table salt, divided, plus salt for cooking pasta
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 ears corn, kernels cut from cobs
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 1 red Fresno chile, sliced into thin rings
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, plus extra for serving
• 1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (1/2 cup), plus extra for serving

Bring 4 quarts water to boil in a large pot. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water, then drain pasta and return it to pot.

Melt butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add corn, shallot, Fresno chile, pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook until vegetables are tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer to pot with pasta.

Bring cream to simmer in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring often, until reduced to 3/4 cup, 3 to 5 minutes. Off heat, stir in basil. Transfer to a blender and blend with Parmesan and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt until smooth, about 1 minute.

Add sauce to pot with pasta and toss to combine. Adjust consistency with reserved cooking water as needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve, topping portions with extra Parmesan and basil.

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