Shells With Summer Squash, Corn, Beans and Tomato

You can use canned beans for this dish, but if you happen to have cooked pintos or borlottis in broth, use the broth for the pasta sauce.

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ pound summer squash, diced 1/2 to 3/4 inch
Salt to taste
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound tomatoes, grated on the large holes of a box grater, or peeled, seeded and diced
Pinch of sugar
Kernels from 1 ear sweet corn
1 ½ cups cooked pintos or borlotti beans, with 3/4 to 1 cup of their broth or, if using canned beans, 1/2 to 3/4 cup water
2 tablespoons slivered basil leaves
Freshly ground pepper
¾ pound medium pasta shells
1 to 2 ounces Parmesan or pecorino Romano, grated optional

Nutritional Information
- Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
  592 calories; 11 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 98 grams carbohydrates; 10 grams dietary fiber; 9 grams sugars; 25 grams protein; 7 milligrams cholesterol; 191 milligrams sodium

Serves four

Begin heating a large pot of water for the pasta.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a wide, heavy skillet. Add the summer squash. Cook, stirring, until the squash begins to color, three to five minutes. Season with salt, and add the garlic. Stir until fragrant, just a few seconds, and add the tomatoes and a pinch of sugar. Cook, stirring often, until the tomatoes have cooked down and smell fragrant, five to eight minutes. Stir in the corn, beans and bean broth or water, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Turn the heat to medium-low, and simmer for five minutes. Stir in the basil, and keep warm.
When the water comes to a boil, salt generously and add the pasta. Boil, following the timing directions on the package but checking a minute before the indicated time. When the pasta is cooked al dente, remove 1/2 cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta and toss with the vegetables and beans. If the vegetable and bean mixture seems dry, moisten with pasta water to taste. Add the cheese, toss again and serve.

Advance preparation: You can make this recipe through Step 2 several hours before you cook the pasta, but don’t add the basil. Add it when you toss the mixture with the pasta.

30 minutes