Summer Pasta

This easy Summer Pasta is light and fresh-tasting with loads of summer produce — cherry tomatoes, sweet corn, zucchini, baby spinach, and red peppers. We toss the veggies in a light cream sauce with spaghetti and ground Italian sausage for a restaurant-quality meal right in your home!

Next time, try one of our refreshing summer pasta salads like this Mediterranean Pasta Salad, Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad, Italian Pasta Salad, or Greek Pasta Salad.

 Summer Pasta Recipe

This pasta recipe is brimming with flavor and good summer produce — crisp corn, roasted red peppers, shredded zucchini, baby spinach, and sweet cherry tomatoes. The cream sauce is light and fresh-tasting while still delivering a restaurant-quality feel. The sauce is a lot lighter than most pasta recipes because we use the liquid from the tomatoes and zucchini to contribute a good amount of sauciness instead of solely relying on cream and butter.

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Check out some of our other favorite summer pasta recipes like Broccoli Pasta, Corn and Sausage Pasta, or Zucchini Pasta Sauce.

Summer Pasta Ingredients

Some of the ingredients in this dish are worth diving deeper into:

• Mild Italian sausage: Depending on personal preference, use mild or spicy sausage — either works and both are delicious. Make sure to remove the casings before cooking. 
• Corn. We tested this recipe with both frozen and fresh sweet corn — either works great. For fresh corn, you can boil or grill it before cutting off the kernels if preferred. We like the corn to retain its crispness, so we just cut it off and add it in uncooked!
• Cherry tomatoes. We love the sweetness and juiciness of cherry tomatoes — this type of tomato is a must for the Summer Pasta sauce!
• Roasted red pepper strips. To save loads of time roasting peppers, you can buy pre-roasted (and chopped/sliced) pepper strips. You can find these roasted red pepper strips near canned pasta sauces, jarred pesto, or near ingredients like artichoke hearts.
• Parmesan cheese: For the perfect melt and to ensure the measurement is accurate (so the dish isn’t too salty), use a block of Parmesan cheese and grate it on the small holes of your cheese grater. Measure and add!
• Heavy cream. We don’t recommend swapping out the heavy cream. There isn’t a lot, but the small amount pulls everything together, adding such an incredible richness and thickness — it’s a key ingredient to making the best summer pasta! Half and half/milk/other substitutes simply won’t thicken the same.
• Basil. While optional, the basil at the end adds an immense flavor and freshness to this dish. 

How To Make Summer Pasta With Zucchini

Here are our top tips for this Summer Pasta recipe:

• Salt the pasta water: Make sure the pasta is well salted as it cooks, since salting the water is the only chance you have to season the actual spaghetti. 
• It’s easy to go on autopilot and dump in the whole package of spaghetti, but this Summer Pasta is perfect with 8 ounces (there won’t be enough sauce to cover 16 ounces). Many packages contain 16 ounces, so save the other half to make this dish again some other time!
• Increase the sauce as desired: Sometimes the pasta absorbs more sauce or you just want an extra saucy meal, so don’t be afraid to add in a few splashes of the reserved pasta water until the sauce is exactly how you like it!

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Do you struggle to remember to pull out pasta water before draining the pasta? I know I do! Here’s a trick: Place the colander in the sink with a mug or heat-safe measuring cup in the center. When you go to drain the pasta, you’ll be reminded to pull out some water first!

More Summer-Inspired Dishes:

• Summer Couscous Salad with corn, tomatoes, and avocado
• Vegetable Pasta with a corn-based sauce
• Green Chile Turkey Burgers with fire-roasted green chiles
• Pineapple Steak with grilled sweet pineapple
• Potato Corn Chowder with basil pesto and fresh corn

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Summer Pasta

5 from 2 votes

- Review this recipe

This easy Summer Pasta is light and fresh tasting with loads of summer produce -- cherry tomatoes, sweet corn, zucchini, baby spinach, and roasted red peppers. We toss the veggies in a light cream sauce with spaghetti and ground Italian sausage for a restaurant-quality meal made at home!

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Summer Pasta

5 from 2 votes

- Review this recipe

SAVE TO RECIPE BOX

Print Recipe

This easy Summer Pasta is light and fresh tasting with loads of summer produce -- cherry tomatoes, sweet corn, zucchini, baby spinach, and roasted red peppers. We toss the veggies in a light cream sauce with spaghetti and ground Italian sausage for a restaurant-quality meal made at home!

Course Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword summer pasta

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4 servings

Chelsea Lords

Calories 654kcal

Author Chelsea Lords

Cost $9.72

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 8 oz. mild Italian sausage (Note 1)
• ▢ 8 oz. spaghetti (Note 2)
• ▢ 2 tablespoons butter
• ▢ 1 container (10.5 oz.) cherry tomatoes (~2 cups)
• ▢ 1-1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• ▢ Salt & pepper
• ▢ 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• ▢ 1 cup fresh or frozen corn (Note 3)
• ▢ 2 cups grated zucchini
• ▢ 1 cup roasted red pepper strips (Note 4)
• ▢ 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• ▢ 4 cups fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
• ▢ 2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese separated (Note 4)
• ▢ Optional for serving: fresh basil, extra grated Parmesan, and a squeeze of lemon juice

US - Metric

USMetric

Instructions

• PREP: Halve cherry tomatoes (quarter if large). Coarsely chop spinach. Shuck and cut fresh corn off the cob. Drain and coarsely chop red pepper strips. Grate zucchini using a large grater. Boil a large pot of water.
• SAUSAGE: Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Cook sausage, breaking apart, until browned (6-8 minutes). Remove sausage with a slotted spoon to a paper-towel-lined bowl. Drain excess grease if more than 2 tablespoons.
• VEGGIES: Add 2 tbsp butter, cherry tomatoes, corn, red peppers, zucchini, and 1 tbsp minced garlic to the pan. Season with salt, pepper (I add 3/4 tsp of each, but add to preference), and 1-1/2 tsp Italian seasoning. Sauté for 5-6 minutes until most liquid evaporates.
• PASTA: Once water is boiling, generously salt water -- I add 2 tsp salt. (Heads-up: remember to save some pasta water--Note 5.) Cook pasta according to package instructions--minus 1 minute from what package indicates. Drain.
• FINISHING: Back to the sauce: reduce heat to low and add 1/2 cup cream, and 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese. Stir. Bring to a low simmer and simmer until thickened and cheese is melted, about 1-2 minutes. Next add 4 cups chopped spinach, the cooked sausage, drained cooked pasta, and a squeeze of lemon (if using). Switch to tongs. Tossing constantly, gradually add in the last 1/3 cup Parmesan, a tablespoon at a time, until pasta and sauce are nicely emulsified (Note 6). Add an extra splash of cream or reserved pasta water (if needed) to thin the sauce. Toss until creamy and the sauce coats the pasta. Taste, adding extra salt/pepper if needed. Top individual plates with additional grated Parmesan and basil (add to taste) if desired. Enjoy!

Video

Recipe Notes

Note 1: Mild Italian Sausage: Use mild or spicy sausage as preferred, and remove the casings before cooking. Use 8 oz. for a standard half-package (16 oz.), or half of a 19 oz. package for a meatier sauce.

Note 2: Spaghetti: Use only 8 oz. (half of a 1-pound package) to ensure there's enough sauce to coat the pasta.

Note 3: Corn: Both frozen and fresh sweet corn work well. For fresh corn, you can boil or grill it before cutting off the kernels for added crispness.

Note 4: Parmesan cheese: Use a block of Parmesan and grate it finely. Avoid canned Parmesan as it’s too salty and doesn’t melt well.

Note 5: Saving pasta water: Save some pasta water to thicken the sauce. Place a colander with a mug in the sink to remind you to reserve the water.

Note 6: Emulsifying: Toss the sauce with the spaghetti until it clings to the pasta. This emulsification process ensures a smooth, flavorful sauce.

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 654kcal | Carbohydrates: 56.1g | Protein: 24.1g | Fat: 37.7g | Cholesterol: 84.8mg | Sodium: 680.5mg | Fiber: 4.6g | Sugar: 7g

We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed.

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