Summer Glow Pasta with Turmeric and Saffron is a restaurant quality vegetarian meal ~ perfect for keeping that summer glow going year round.
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Summer glow pasta is one of the fastest, most delicious, and beautiful dinners I’ve made in a while. I was inspired by this New York Times recipe, and when they compared this pasta dish to the colors of a summer sunset, I was hooked! I took the flavors in a slightly different direction, adding saffron for an extra boost of color and earthy flavor, and swapping feta cheese for creamier ricotta.
This is going to be a new back-pocket dinner for me, for sure.
Ingredient highlights
This is a simple dish with few ingredients, but the uniqueness of the flavors combined with a generous amount of butter in the sauce makes for a truly restaurant-quality experience.
TURMERIC + SAFFRON
These two highly pigmented yellow spices give this recipe its sunny ‘summer glow’, and bright personality.
Turmeric is earthy, warm, slightly peppery, with an intense golden color. Think cozy curries, golden milk.
Saffron is earthy in a more delicate way, with the same beautiful color.
RICOTTA
The inspiration recipe called for feta, but I think ricotta is a better choice. It’s milder and creamier and sort of melts into the hot pasta. I recommend whole milk ricotta.
BUTTER
Don’t underestimate the power of a little salted butter with pasta. Along with a bit of juice from the blistered tomatoes, it makes the light ‘sauce’ for this dish.
CHERRY TOMATOES
They go soft and glisteny and add just the right pop of acidity to this creamy pasta dish. Cherries work great in pasta dishes, and are always in season, I always have them on my counter. If yours are larger you can halve them.
Cook the pasta until al dente, drain, and set aside. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta cooking water.
Meanwhile, heat 3 tbsp of the butter in a large saucepan. Add the garlic, turmeric, and steeped saffron (along with the 1/4 cup water) and cook briefly over medium heat until fragrant.
Add the cherry tomatoes and cook for a few minutes until they start to release some of their juices. Season with salt and pepper.
Add the warm pasta and remaining 1 tbsp of butter to the skillet and toss everything together. Add pasta cooking water to taste if you'd like to thin down the sauce a little bit. Taste and season with extra salt and pepper if needed.
Serve with dollops of fresh ricotta cheese and red pepper flakes.
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although The View from Great Island attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
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Hey there ~ I'm Sue. I love to make delicious food, photograph it, and write about it, but mostly, I just love to EAT. Isn't that what it's all about? My recipes are creative, vibrant, and totally approachable no matter what your skill level. Let's grab a bite together!
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