Oregon Transplant: Whole Wheat Tortellini with Corn and Tomato Relish

One of my favorite things about summer is corn. I love fresh corn! Fresh corn has that crisp/tender bite to it, and it's incredibly fragrant. Not to mention how sweet fresh corn is! It's a whole different ballgame than canned, or even frozen corn. It's a good thing too, because I've made this relish with canned and frozen corn, and wowsers. Don't make the mistake of taking on that experiment. Trust me, I've done it so don't do it. Fresh corn is the only way to go for this dish.

That being said, this dish is pretty darn good. I found these whole wheat tortellini at the grocery store, and I couldn't resist. I was perusing the produce and deli, you know, picking up lots of veggies for the hubby to juice. I was wandering through the deli, actually looking for something for me to eat for lunch, when I spotted this pasta. And it was on sale! Obviously, I couldn't resist. I think I planned on serving the corn relish as a side dish, but after I found the tortellini I knew the relish was going on the pasta.

I par-boiled the tortellini until it was al-dente. Because I wanted some garlic flavor in the dish, I toasted some garlic in olive oil. As soon as the tortellini were almost tender, I threw them in the oil to toast them as well. It was, as they say, perfection. I ended up piling the tortellini on my plate and then dousing it with relish. A slight shake of salt and a crack of pepper later, and I was practically face-first in my plate.

If you come across whole wheat tortellini in the grocery store, I highly recommend trying some. The taste is not impacted by the whole wheat, and the pasta has more chewiness in my opinion. Plus, you still get all that cheesy goodness in the center. Why not make it a little healthy? I know I'll be picking up more if it goes on sale again!

All right, I'm cutting the post short because- surprise, surprise- my to-do list is very long today. Actually, I guess it's not so much long, as it's just a few very time-consuming activities. Yesterday got away from me big-time, and now I'm left with a list I'm not sure I'll be able to complete in one day. Mowing the lawn, vacuuming the house, a doctor's appointment, and hopefully, a photo shoot for the 4th of July popsicles I made. Which are beautiful, I might add. I'm so proud of my popsicles!

Now there's a sentence I never thought I'd utter :)

Happy Tuesday friends!

Ingredients (serves 3):

3 ears of corn, cooked and sliced off the cob

1 (8 oz) package of grape tomatoes, quartered

handful of basil, roughly chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper

1 (9 oz) package of whole wheat tortellini

2 tsp olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

Directions:

1. Prepare the relish- in a large bowl, combine corn, tomatoes, basil, and olive oil. Toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.

2. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add tortellini. Boil for 4-5 minutes, just until the pasta is almost tender. Remove from heat, and drain. Set aside.

3. In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. When warm, add garlic. Sauté for 1-2 minutes, or until garlic has just begun to turn a little brown. Be careful not to burn the garlic. Add tortellini, and sauté for 1-2 minutes, or until pasta is completely cooked. Remove from heat.

4. Divide tortellini among plates, and top with corn relish. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

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