We love to mix up this salad when our garden overflows with beans or we’ve received a big bag in our weekly delivery from the farm. We vary the ingredients depending on what else is ready for harvest—tomatoes of all sorts, perhaps a sweet bell pepper. A variety of fresh herbs are always nice—basil, dill, parsley or a combination—if you don’t have arugula. A teaspoon of perky Dijon mustard added to the dressing is wonderful too.
If you have leftover rice (white or brown) this is a tasty way to finish it off. Any zucchini (or other summer squash) languishing in the fridge, left from last week or overflow from a backyard garden will be the perfect addition. The basic ingredients listed are a starting point, but you could easily add (or substitute) other vegetables you have on hand such as leafy greens, green beans, potatoes and other types of peppers.
This salad is full of flavor at the height of summer corn and tomato season. You can vary the herbs as you like—cilantro or arugula are as winning as the basil.
This recipe couldn’t be easier – the vegetables are roasted together then tossed with cooked pasta right in the roasting pan. And though I think of it mostly as a summer dish when our garden is overflowing with sweet sungolds, I often turn to this technique mid-winter, when I’m craving the tastes of summer. It’s astounding what roasting does for a lack-luster, off-season tomato. Try it next December.
Consider adding other vegetables you have on hand such as summer squash, eggplant or bell pepper. You can omit the onions if you like, but don’t forgo the garlic—just a little bit add loads of flavor. During the last few minutes of roasting you could also throw in a few olives or some cooked cannellini beans. We like to use orzo because it soaks up all the pan juices and becomes creamy, almost risotto-like in consistency, but other pastas work nicely too. Arugula and basil are equally wonderful, so use what you have—even both.