This summer pasta recipe is the fresh, healthy staple you’ve been looking for!
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Y’all I cannot say this enough: THIS IS THE BEST MEAL ALL SUMMER.
Summer pasta makes for the perfect light lunch, picnic meal, or simple side dish. It’s the easiest way to get fresh summer flavors on your plate!
With summer temperatures in full swing and our A/C not stretching into the kitchen, I have a serious aversion to the oven right now. Somehow I don’t remember it being as bad last summer, but I suspect that has more to do with the excitement of Moving to Italy making everything shiny and new.
Does this look familiar? It’s an amped-up version of Mark Bittman’s penne with summer vegetables, which I shared years ago. Tastiest glow up ever.
Nowadays, this is my go-to summer lunch option. I make a massive batch about once every two weeks. We eat it for dinner the first night, then I eat it for lunch until it runs out.
It’s good hot, cold, or lukewarm, meaning it’s the perfect picnic, train meal, or beach lunch.
Because I make it so often, I usually toss whatever veggies need to be used up. The required flavors for me are tomatoes and corn, but everything else is negotiable: zucchini, green beans, onions, garlic, peppers… whatever’s in season and lying around! I also tend to add in whatever leftover roasted vegetables in there as well.
The sauce is essentially just olive oil, so I’d advise using a decent one. How to decide what’s a good olive oil? It’ll be different depending on where you shop. But one easy thing to look for is that the olives originate in one country. If it doesn’t tell you clearly on the bottle, they don’t all come from one place.
Like any good Italian resident, I’m a sucker for some good basil. Top this with any fresh herbs you want for added flavor! But if you don’t have time for that, decent olive oil and everything bagel seasoning will do the trick just fine.
Tools you’ll need: skillet, pot.
Summer Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 lb any short pasta
- 3-5 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes or similar
- 2 ½ cups corn frozen or fresh
- 4 zucchini
- 1-2 Tbsp everything bagel seasoning
Optional add-ins:
- 1 handful basil
- any other vegetables
Instructions
- Boil a large pot of water and cook the pasta according to the package instructions.
- Dice onion and mince garlic. Slice the zucchini into half-moons, remove the kernels from the corn cob, and quarter the tomatoes.
- Add olive oil to a large skillet. When it's heated, add the zucchini and corn and brown, stirring occasionally. If you're adding any other veggies, do it here.
- After another minute, add the onion and garlic. After 3 more minutes, add the tomatoes.
- When the pasta is cooked, drain and add it to the veggies. Remove from heat and stir in pasta, seasoning, and any herbs if you're using them. If it seems sticky, add a little more olive oil.
I’ve made summer pasta tons of ways – follow along on Instagram for more ideas on varieties!
