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!
PREP: Cut cherry tomatoes in half (or quarters if large). Chop spinach coarsely. If using fresh corn, shuck it and then cut off the cob. Drain red pepper strips and give a quick coarse chop. Grate zucchini on the large holes of a grater. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
SAUSAGE: Heat a large cast-iron skillet/pot (big enough to hold all the pasta later) over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pan. Add sausage and cook, breaking apart until browned, about 6-8 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove sausage to a paper-towel-lined bowl. If there is an excess of grease (more than 2 tbsp), drain some off.
VEGGIES: To the center of the pan, add 2 tbsp. butter, halved cherry tomatoes, corn, red peppers, zucchini and 1 tbsp minced garlic. Season to taste with salt and pepper (I add 3/4 tsp of each, but add to preference). Add in 1-1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning. Sauté, stirring frequently, for 5-6 minutes or until most of the excess liquid has evaporated.
PASTA: Once water is boiling, generously salt the water -- I add 2 tsp salt. (Heads-up: remember to save some pasta water--See Note 5.) Cook the pasta according to package instructions--minus 1 minute from what the 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!
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Notes
Note 1: 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. 8 oz. is half of a standard 16-ounce package (or use half of a 19-ounce package for a slightly meatier sauce).Note 2: Spaghetti: Make sure to only use 8 ounces (this is half of a standard 1 pound/16 ounce package). There isn't enough sauce to coat all 16 ounces of pasta.Note 3: Corn: We tested this dish 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 more crispness so we just cut it off the cob and add it in!Note 4: Parmesan cheese: Use a block of Parmesan and grate it on the small holes of a grater. Alternatively, use finely grated Parmesan cheese. (Parmesan from the can will be too salty and won't melt into the sauce nicely.)Note 5: Saving pasta water: We want to save some pasta water to thicken the sauce. Here's a trick to remember: set a large colander in the sink with a glass or ceramic mug in the center of the colander. When you drain the pasta, you'll see the mug and be reminded to fill it first.Note 6: Emulsifying: Toss until you get the sauce clings to the spaghetti instead of falling to the bottom of the pan. (The final step of tossing the cream sauce, hot pasta, and reserved pasta water is one of the secrets to good pasta dishes. It’s called emulsifying and that’s how you get a luxuriously smooth and incredibly flavorful sauce.)