Make this simple weeknight pasta when you have a bounty of summer squash. With just 10 ingredients, it’s fresh, bright & satisfying.
Reading: vegetarian main dish featuring zucchini and summer squash
How to Make This Summer Squash Pasta Recipe
Making this pasta couldn’t be easier. Because summer squash cooks quickly, it comes together in minutes, so it’s a great choice for those days when you’re craving something delicious but don’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. Here’s all you need to do:
- Cook your pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water.
- Sauté the summer squash with garlic and rosemary until it’s lightly browned.
- Stir in a big handful of spinach and a large squeeze of lemon juice! Then, fold in the cooked pasta and a bit of the starchy pasta water.
- Finish it all with feta, capers, and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes. For a vegan option, add pesto instead of the cheese.
- Season to taste and dig in!
Read more: Garlic Mushroom Quinoa
Summer Squash Pasta Recipe Variations
Like most simple recipes, this summer squash pasta is easy to vary according to your tastes or what you have on hand. Here are a few ideas to change it up:
- Switch the herb. Rosemary isn’t super summery, but it’s what I had on hand, and its flavor contrasts the lemon nicely. If you’ve been more successful with your herb-growing, feel free to switch it up – thyme, basil, or mint would all be great. If you use leafy herbs, just be sure to add them closer to the end so they stay fresh and bright.
- Swap the pasta shape. I love orecchiette, as it creates little cups to scoop up the veggies, cheese, and capers, but use what you have on hand. Penne, rotini, or even spaghetti would work just as well in this dish.
- Vary the veggie. Lots of varieties of summer squash are available at farmers markets, so use whatever you can get your hands on. Along with zucchini and yellow squash, pattypan squash or scallop squash would be delicious here. If you don’t have summer squash, you can use this recipe as a template for whatever vegetable you do have. Broccoli, for example, would be excellent.
And if you want to use a variety of veggies in your summer pasta, check out this one pot penne or this roasted veggie pasta.
Read more: 25 Best Bean Recipes
Looking for more summer squash recipes?
Try this zucchini bread, this pasta salad, this baked zucchini side dish, or this pizza next.
Stainless sauté pan: Williams-Sonoma Open Kitchen Stainless Cookware
Read more: 10 Top Vegetarian Thanksgiving Recipes
