Leaf it alone and opt for pasta
Iceberg lettuce has had a rough summer.
With a national recall still in effect and summer’s waning weekends upon us, shoppers are still eyeing the bagged greens section warily; the reliable barbecue potluck contribution suddenly feels less reliable.
Meredith Hayden’s cookbook
(publisher)
Meredith Hayden, the chef and New York Times bestselling cookbook author behind Wishbone Kitchen, has a workaround she’d recommend regardless: bring pasta.
An easy hack is to create your pasta sauce by blending vegetables, then top with fresh garnishes.~Meredith Hayden
Hayden, who cooked privately in the Hamptons before building an audience of millions online, has spent the summer growing her own produce and rethinking how much of a dinner party actually needs to happen the day of. She spoke with us about vegetable-forward pasta, working in kitchens that were never designed for cooking, and the one hosting habit she gave up entirely. Hayden recently launched a paid partnership with Barilla, which recently added an organic certification and a radiatori shape to its Al Bronzo line. (Hayden recommends this shape for the pasta salad recipes she shares below).
Y!: Half the country is side-eyeing the salad bowl right now. What are you bringing to a barbecue instead of a green salad — and how do you make a cooked or pantry-based side feel as fresh as one?
Meredith Hayden: Luckily, this summer I’ve been really focused on growing my own garden, so I’m still able to enjoy fresh produce grown at home. But when it comes to a backyard barbecue, I love bringing pasta because it’s so easy to throw together and it still elevates the meal.
I recently had friends over for a casual weeknight dinner and prepared a homemade pesto dish from my cookbook using Al Bronzo Radiatori by Barilla. The pesto still feels light and fresh, and Al Bronzo holds onto the sauce so well that you have a perfectly balanced, flavorful dish. It’s a perfect way to bring greens to the table without a salad!
Y! For someone who wants a lighter meal but doesn’t want to hear “just have a salad” — how do you build a pasta dish that’s vegetable-forward without turning it into a diet or tasteless plate?
Meredith Hayden: I never think about making food feel “lighter” by taking things away. When you start with a really strong base, like a high-quality bronze-cut pasta, it’s easy to mix in a variety of ingredients and still have a light, fresh meal. An easy hack is to create your pasta sauce by blending vegetables, then top with fresh garnishes.
Y! What’s the biggest amount of work you’ve cut out of hosting in the last two years, and what did you discover nobody notices?
Meredith Hayden: I’ve completely let go of trying to make everything at the last minute. I prep as much as I possibly can the day before and choose dishes that benefit from sitting for a little while. I prep sauces in advance so on the day of, all I need to do is throw the pasta on the stove and I have an effortlessly elevated dish. Guests never notice whether something was assembled twenty minutes ago or the night before. What they do notice is whether you’re relaxed enough to enjoy the party with them.
That’s really become my philosophy: less stress for the host usually means a better experience for everyone!
Y! Cooking for other people’s houses professionally has to have taught you something ugly about how home kitchens are set up. What do you now assume you’ll have to work around? What should people with tiny kitchens try to do when meal prepping?
Meredith Hayden: Every kitchen has its quirks. I’ve learned not to expect unlimited counter space, matching storage containers, or even the right tools.
The biggest thing that helps is keeping your prep organized. I’ll use sheet pans or large trays as portable workspaces so I can move ingredients around instead of spreading everything across the counters.
For small kitchens, I always recommend prepping in stages instead of trying to do everything at once. Finish one task, clean up, then move to the next. It makes cooking feel so much less overwhelming.
Y! The line is now certified organic. Does organic change anything you can taste or cook with, or is it a shopping-cart decision rather than a kitchen one?
Meredith Hayden: It’s both. The organic certification is meaningful for people who are intentional about the ingredients they’re bringing into their kitchens, so I love that Al Bronzo by Barilla now gives them that option without asking them to compromise on quality or performance.
When it comes to taste, what makes the biggest difference is the craftsmanship. While the organic certification is an important shopping decision for a lot of people, what stands out to me in the kitchen is that it gives home cooks a high-quality foundation for everyday meals.
Y! What’s the least mushy pasta you can use in a summer salad?
Meredith Hayden: I always reach for shapes with plenty of texture because they stay interesting even after they’ve cooled. The ridges, layered shape and texture catch dressing beautifully while offering a flavorful bite. It’s one of those shapes that makes a simple vinaigrette feel like so much more because every little groove holds onto flavor.
Easy Late-Summer Pasta Recipes from Meredith Hayden
Meredith Hayden x Barilla Summer Pasta Entertaining Recipes
Classic Red Sauce
Ingredients
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
½ medium yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped
5 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
2 (28-ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes
Handful of fresh basil leaves
Pinch of dried Italian oregano
1½ teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
Instructions
Heat a large Dutch oven or pot over medium-low heat. Combine the olive oil and onion and cook until soft but not brown. Add the garlic and cook, stirring until fragrant, 1 minute more.
Reduce the heat to low and add the tomatoes. Using a wooden spoon, crush the tomatoes into smaller chunks. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil; then adjust the heat to low and let simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened and deepened in flavor, 40 to 45 minutes. Use an immersion blender to blend the sauce to your desired consistency.
Stir in the basil, oregano and salt and allow the sauce to simmer just long enough for the flavors to meld, about 1 more minute. Season with more salt, if needed.
Serve immediately, or allow the sauce to cool before storing it in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Serve with Barilla Al Bronzo pasta like Radiatori, which will really soak up the sauce!
Basil Parsley Pesto
Makes about 3 cups
Ingredients
6 cups packed fresh basil leaves (about 3½ ounces / 100 g)
2 cups packed fresh parsley leaves (about 1¾ ounces / 50 g)
2 medium garlic cloves, peeled
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 ounces / 60 g)
½ cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese (about 2 ounces / 60 g)
Zest of 1 lemon (optional)
Instructions
Blanch the herbs: Add ice to a large bowl and fill with cold water. Set aside. Then, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the basil and parsley and blanch until they turn bright green, about 30 seconds. Use a sieve to transfer them to the ice bath. Let them cool down for 30 seconds then drain well. Squeeze out the excess moisture. Set aside.
Toast the pine nuts: In a small pan or skillet, toast the pine nuts over medium heat, watching closely and shaking the pan to prevent burning, until golden brown, 5-7 minutes. Let cool slightly.
In a food processor, combine the toasted pine nuts and garlic and process until a pasta forms. Add the blanched herbs and pulse while slowly streaming in the olive oil.
Process until the mixture is smooth and homogeneous, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed. Add both cheeses, the lemon zest (if using), and a pinch of salt and pulse just to combine. Taste and season with more salt, if needed.
Transfer the pesto to sealed containers and drizzle a layer of olive oil over the top, which will keep it from browning. Store it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Hot Tips
Hayden included weight measurements for the herbs in this recipe because she feels like cup measures for herbs can be too variable. Normally, it doesn’t bother her, but with pesto it’s important to keep the ingredient ratios consistent. If you don’t have a scale, don’t worry about it. It truly is not that big of a deal (nothing ever is).
Blanching the herbs ensures the pesto stays a vivid green color, but this is technically optional.
