This easy Summer Pasta is light and fresh with veggies, creamy sauce, spaghetti, and Italian sausage for a restaurant-quality meal at home!
Next time, try a refreshing summer pasta salad like Mediterranean Pasta Salad, Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad, or Italian Pasta Salad.
Summer Pasta Recipe
With lots of zucchini from my parents’ garden and a pasta craving, I decided to make the perfect pasta recipe. After some testing, I created a dish that will be a favorite in our house forever.
This pasta is full of flavor and fresh summer veggies—crisp corn, roasted red peppers, shredded zucchini, baby spinach, and sweet cherry tomatoes. The light cream sauce feels fancy, with the zucchini and tomato juice making it saucy without needing too much cream or butter.
Quick Tip
Check out some other favorite summer pasta recipes like Broccoli Pasta, Corn and Sausage Pasta, or Zucchini Pasta Sauce.
Ingredients
Some of the ingredients in this Summer Pasta are worth diving deeper into:
- Mild sausage: Choose mild or spicy sausage, both are great. Remove the casings before cooking.
- Corn: Fresh or frozen sweet corn both work well.
- Cherry tomatoes: Cherry tomatoes are a must for their sweetness and juiciness.
- Roasted red pepper strips: Use ready-to-use, chopped strips from near the canned pasta sauces or artichoke hearts to save time.
- Parmesan cheese: Grate a block of Parm using the small holes of a grater for the right amount and the best melt.
- Heavy cream: Don’t swap out the heavy cream; it adds a rich, thick texture.
- Basil: Optional, but it adds fresh flavor at the end.
How To Make Summer Pasta With Zucchini
Here are my top tips for this Summer Pasta recipe:
- Salt the pasta water: Make sure to salt the water—this is your only chance to season the spaghetti.
- Use 8 oz of pasta: This Summer Pasta works best with 8 ounces. Using 16 will leave too much pasta for the sauce.
- Add more sauce if needed: If the pasta soaks up too much sauce or you want more, just add a splash of the pasta water you saved.
Quick Tip
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!
Storage
Summer Pasta Storage
This recipe is best right after the sauce is mixed in.
You can store leftovers, but you may need to add more cream when reheating. The pasta will be softer but still flavorful. It’s not ideal for freezing due to the pasta and dairy.
More Summer-Inspired Dishes:
- Summer Couscous Salad with corn, tomatoes, and avocado
- Vegetable Pasta with a corn-based sauce
- Green Chile Turkey Burgers with green chiles
- Pineapple Steak with grilled sweet pineapple
- Potato Corn Chowder with fresh corn
Summer Pasta
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 ounces mild Italian sausage see note 1
- 8 ounces spaghetti not the entire box
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 (10.5-ounce) container cherry tomatoes 2 cups
- 1-1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- Salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 cup fresh corn or frozen corn, see note 2
- 2 cups grated zucchini
- 1 cup roasted red pepper strips
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 4 cups fresh baby spinach coarsely chopped
- 2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese divided, not canned Parmesan
- Toppings as desired see note 3
Instructions
- 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.
- Heat a large, cast-iron pan 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.
- Add butter, cherry tomatoes, corn, red peppers, zucchini, and minced garlic to the pan. Season with salt/pepper (I add 3/4 teaspoon each, but add to preference), and Italian seasoning. Sauté for 5–6 minutes until most liquid evaporates.
- Once water is boiling, generously salt water; I add 2 teaspoons salt. Cook pasta according to package instructions—minus 1 minute from what package indicates. Reserve some pasta water (see note 4). Drain.
- Back to the sauce, reduce heat to low. Add cream and 1/3 cup Parmesan. Stir. Bring to a low simmer and simmer until thickened and cheese is melted, about 1–2 minutes. Add chopped spinach, cooked sausage, drained cooked pasta, and a squeeze of lemon (if using). Switch to tongs. Tossing constantly, gradually add the last 1/3 cup Parmesan, a tablespoon at a time, until pasta and sauce are nicely emulsified (see note 5).
- 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
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made this tonight and it was so incredibly flavourful!! Definitely a keeper and will be making again!! Delish! I added about 2/3 of a cup of Parmesan cheese.
I am so thrilled to hear this! Thanks Kim! 🙂