Before I move on to autumn food, I want to take a moment to reminisce on this wonderful summer. And perhaps not very surprising: I like to do that with food. I found some beautiful fresh local corn and juicy sweet nectarines, searched for inspiration from one of my favorite Finnish foodies and inspired by her salad recipe came up with this deliciously fruity end-of-summer pasta salad (vegan).
If you want to read the post in Finnish, click here.
I’ve been following Juulia’s blog Vaimomatskuu and her beautiful Instagram page for a long time and I’m always very inspired by her moody & artistic food photos and unique ingredient combos. I found a recipe on her blog which perfectly suits my end-of-summer mood: a fruity flavorful corn salad. I wanted to make a plant-based comfort food version of this creation to welcome early autumn vibes and here’s what happened:
End-of-summer pasta salad with:
- Corn, nectarines, blueberries, tomatoes and basil exactly like Juulia’s version
- Then I got a little side tracked and wanted something comforting =carbs = pasta to go with all these wholesome plants.
- To combine all the beautiful flavors, I used my herby green chimichurri style sauce as a pesto for the pasta.
- And for that little something extra I used vegan cheese from Violife but you can use whatever salty cheeze you like.
I have to admit this was my first time eating pasta with fruit! I’ve eaten many other savory meals with fruit, but I’ve been very traditional with my pasta sauces – either something creamy (like mushrooms, cheeze) or fresh like tomato sauce or pesto. So I was very pleasantly surprised to notice how well all these elements worked together.
And with this post I would love to encourage you to try something different too! Experiment with pasta dishes by combining fruits you love with veggies and either a herby or creamy sauce. Add something salty like cheeze. If you don’t want to use store bought cheeze, make vegan parmesan or cashew cheese! If you have the right kind of balance: something sweet, salty, acidic, I’m sure your pasta salad will taste amazingly delicious!
Happy end-of-summer (and welcome fall!) ♥
- [b]Pasta salad[/b]
- 2 fresh corns on the cob
- 2 nectarines
- 2 tomatoes (or 4 small ones)
- 1/2 cup blueberries
- fresh herbs: basil, mint
- Pasta for four people
- Vegan cheeze cubes (I used Violife)
- [br]
- [b]Herb sauce[/b]
- handful of parsley
- handful of mint
- handful of basil
- 5 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
- salt & pepper to taste
- Cook pasta according to instructions.
- Cut cheese into cubes and warm them in a pan for a minute or two (if the cheese you are using is a hard cheese like “halloumi style”)
- Chop herbs into small pieces and mix with other ingredients. Taste and add salt & pepper to taste.
- Cut corn kernels from the cob.
- Chop nectarines and tomatoes.
- Mix cooked warm pasta with herb sauce and place into a bowl or tray.
- Add other ingredients, give it a little stir and enjoy!
What a beautiful and colorful pasta salad Tiina! I love that it is a pasta salad since I definitely prefer more hearty meals! I love all the fresh herbs used too, I can just imagine how delicious it both smells and tastes!
Thank you so much Brandi! I totally love this comfort food season, although I eat pasta all through the year 🙂 Have a lovely day!