This pasta dish is excellent for a weeknight meal – put everything together in a baking dish and bake until the chicken is tender and the tomatoes have started to burst and make a delicious broth. The basil and mozarella bring extra richness and herb-y flavor that takes it to the next level. If pasta isn’t your jam, it can be served over polenta or even be eaten just by itself. Absolutely divine!
Confession time, pasta estiva sounds fancy and Italian but it isn’t really a thing. I made it up, just like Sirio Maccioni made up pasta primavera, except without being an actual chef. Simply put, this pasta tastes like summer to me — the cherry tomatoes, the peppers, the basil all make me feel like it’s late July and I’ve just come in from the garden. It’s light and sweet and I almost feel like I can taste the sunshine that ripened the tomatoes. It’s a pasta dish that makes me want to wax poetic and so I felt that it needed a suitably poetic name, not just “summer pasta.” At its heart though, that’s what this dish is — summer pasta.
This is my own, modified version of a recipe from the book “The Year of Miracles.” It’s one of my favorite recipe books right now and the narrative is so delightful. It holds a space for the grief of life while leading you towards the joy of cooking for yourself and others. This recipe is much heavier on the vegetables than the original. In fact, you can make this dish without the chicken and it stands up just as well. Just be sure to monitor the vegetables a little bit more closely because without the chicken they are more likely to burn.
Ingredients
- Chicken thighs
- Cherry tomatoes
- Mini sweet peppers or bell peppers
- Yellow onion
- Fresh mozarella cheese
- Fresh basil
- Olive oil
- Balsamic vinegar
- Brown sugar
- Chili pepper flakes
- Black pepper
- Salt
Method
Preheat the oven to 400oF and pull out a 9″ x 12″ baking dish.
While the oven preheats, prep your vegetables. Wash your cherry tomatoes and halve them if they’re large. Chop the peppers into 2 to 3 inch long strips. Cut the onion lengthwise, then into slices roughly 1/8 inch wide. Break up the onion slices so you have individual half-rings. Combine all the veggies in the baking dish and toss together.
Season with a tablespoon or two of olive oil (to taste) and several splashes of balsamic vinegar. I use around 1 tablespoon. Add in a teaspoon of brown sugar and season with chili flakes, black pepper, and salt to taste. For salting, start with 3/4 teaspoon of kosher salt. Toss to coat the vegetables thoroughly.
Place the chicken thighs in with the veggies and squiggle them around to coat them in the seasoning, making sure to get both the top and the bottom. Arrange skin skin side up and season with salt and red pepper flakes.
Bake for 20 minutes, then check the progress of the vegetables.
The veggies at the side of the pan should be starting to crisp and the chicken skin should be slightly golden around the edges but still quite pale (see above). Stir the veggies, making sure that any ones that are looking crisp are no longer located at the edge of the pan.
Optional: If you want extra crisp, golden chicken skin, take a small pat of butter and rub it over the skin of the chicken thighs.
Return dish to oven and bake another 10 – 20 minutes. If your chicken thighs are small, err on the side of 10 minutes.
Remove from the oven and stir the veggies again. Tear chunks off the mozarella ball and scatter across the dish, then return to the oven for 10 to 15 minutes until the cheese has melted and started to brown.
While waiting, wash and chop the basil and begin cooking the pasta, if using.
Sprinkle with basil and the second half of the mozarella ball. Taste and adjust seasoning if desired.
If serving a group of people, consider cutting up the chicken thighs in the dish and mixing the chicken pieces thoroughly with the rest of the dish.
Serve over gluten free pasta, polenta, or just on its own. Enjoy!
Modifications
You may omit the chicken for a vegetarian version of this dish. Add 1/2 cup water while roasting and reduce the cook time by 10 – 15 minutes.
This dish doesn’t have to be served over pasta. It’s equally delicious over polenta or mashed potatoes and can even be served without an accompaniment.
If you aren’t inclined towards spice, the red pepper flakes can be exchanged for a much milder pepper flake such as gochugaru or omitted entirely.
To make this recipe dairy free, simply omit the cheese.
Pasta Estiva
This is one of my favorite dishes to make, and I'm not just saying that. Estiva means summer in Italian and this pasta tastes like summer. The cherry tomatoes and the sweet peppers are sweet and tart and they release their juices to make the most incredible sauce that is set off by basil and mozzarella. The chicken adds a rich, savory flavor to the sauce and the skin is deliciously crisp.
Ingredients
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 400oF.
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Wash the cherry tomatoes and peppers. Cut any particularly large cherry tomatoes in half and slice the peppers into strips between 1/2 inch and 1 inch thick.
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Cut the onion in half from root to tip and peel away the dry layers. Chop both halves into thin half moons (roughly 1/8 inch thick).
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Mix the prepared vegetables together in a 9" x 12" baking dish, breaking up the onion into individual crescents. Season with olive oil, balsamic, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, black pepper, and salt. Toss together to coat. There should be enough oil that the vegetables do not seem dry; if they do, add a bit more oil.
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Add the chicken thighs to the vegetables and coat both sides in the vegetable seasoning. Arrange skin-side up and season the thighs with additional salt and red pepper flakes.
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Bake for 20 minutes, then remove from the oven and mix the vegetables. Return to the oven for 10 - 20 more minutes. For smaller chicken thighs, remove after 10 minutes and check for done-ness. The chicken should be close to done but not quite there.
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Tear up half the ball of mozarella and scatter over the dish. Return to the oven and bake for 10 - 15 additional minutes until the cheese has melted and browned slightly.
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While the mozarella is browning, cook the pasta, if using, and chop the basil.
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Remove the dish from the oven and scatter the basil and remaining mozarella over the dish. Serve over pasta.