Maltagliati Pasta With Ricotta Salata Recipe

This summery vegetarian pasta is by no means traditional Italian food, but it's by all means delicious with all the best seasonal produce from corn to zucchini blossoms!

5 from 3 votes

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Prep Time 30

Total Time 40

Course Appetizer, Dinner, Lunch, Main, Noodles

Cuisine American, Italian

Diet Vegetarian

Servings servings

Calories 380 kcal

Ingredients

For The Pasta:

8 ounces maltagliati pasta

For The Pasta Sauce:

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil divided, plus more for garnish
2 medium leeks trimmed, cut in half lengthwise, and sliced into half moon shapes
kosher salt
4 garlic cloves thinly sliced
1/2 pound baby zucchini trimmed and thinly sliced
Kernels from 2 corn cob (about 2 cups)
About 12 fresh squash blossoms
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

For Serving:

2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh chives or chervil
1 tablespoon minced fresh tarragon leaves
12 fresh basil leaves torn just before serving
2 ounces Ricotta Salata cheese, thinly sliced (can substitute well-rinsed Feta cheese)

Instructions

To Cook The Pasta: Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. When it comes to a boil, stir in the pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes or according to the package directions.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add the leeks, season with salt and pepper and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and zucchini, plus 1 tablespoon of the oil and cook until the zucchini are golden brown, about 3 minutes. Stir in the corn and turn off the heat.
To Clean The Zucchini Blossoms: Clean blossoms by gently twisting the pistils (often covered in pollen) from the center of the flowers until they come off. Pull off the leaves at the bottom of the blossoms, and remove the stems. Using a damp paper towel, remove any dirt from the petals. Tear the squash blossoms into strips and stir into leek mixture.
To Make The Pasta Sauce: Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup pasta water. Return pasta pot over the stove and add half of the pasta water with the butter. Cook over medium-high heat until reduced by 1/3 and emulsified.
Stir in pasta and zucchini mixture and stir until coated — add more pasta water if necessary so that each noodle is well coated. Add herbs, stir briefly, taste and add more salt and pepper, as desired.
To serve, place pasta in bowls, top with ricotta salata, drizzle with remaining olive oil, and serve immediately.

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Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 380kcalCarbohydrates: 42gProtein: 11gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 64mgSodium: 40mgPotassium: 531mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 1487IUVitamin C: 28mgCalcium: 107mgIron: 4mg

Keyword Basic Pasta Dishes, ricotta pasta