Best Summer Pasta Recipes

on Jun 22, 2021, Updated Jul 21, 2022

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With all the amazing in-season vegetables like tomatoes, zucchini, squash and corn, this list of the best summer pasta recipes includes easy dishes for lunch and dinner.

Summer is the height of tomato season, so pasta is a pretty obvious choice to showcase this star ingredient. But there’s more to seasonal pastas than just tomatoes. Grilled and roasted vegetables including corn, zucchini and eggplant deserve some attention when paired with noodles.

Vegetarian and vegan pasta dishes are always great solutions for quick weeknight meals. With so many veggies at their peak, you really can’t go wrong with shapes like spaghetti, orzo, fusilli and even gnocchi.

Summer Pasta Recipes

Spaghetti with burst cherry tomatoes on a plate.

Burst Tomato Pasta

4.80 from 25 votes

With a couple pints of tomatoes, garlic and olive oil, you can whip up burst tomato pasta in 15 minutes. Try any noodle shape from fusilli to spaghetti.

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30-Minute Tomato Zucchini Orzo

5 from 6 votes

Roasting the veggies side-by-side on a single sheet pan makes this 30-minute tomato zucchini orzo a simple recipe that just needs a few spoonfuls of pesto stirred in to finish it.

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Penne pasta with tomatoes and eggplant in a bowl.

Cherry Tomato Eggplant Pasta

5 from 3 votes

This cherry tomato eggplant pasta is an easy, filling dinner that has lots of flavor with a kick of spice and heat. The pasta goes straight from a pot into the skillet with the veggies, chilies, garlic and olive oil.

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Pasta with corn pesto and roasted tomatoes in a bowl.

Sweet Corn Pesto Pasta

5 from 2 votes

With roasted corn and tomatoes, this sweet corn pesto pasta is a vegetarian pasta that will have you dreaming about more twists on the usual pesto. That's because there is no basil in the pesto and it also has walnuts.

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Summer Tomato Sauce Recipe

5-Ingredient Cherry Tomato Sauce

4.65 from 17 votes

With a couple pints of cherry tomatoes, minced garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper, you can make this easy 5-ingredient cherry tomato sauce.

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Fresh Tomato Sauce with Roma Tomatoes

4.50 from 20 votes

Roma tomatoes are perfect for this easy homemade fresh tomato sauce. With only 10 ingredients, toss it with your favorite pasta shape or even spread it on pizza.

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Summer Pasta Salad Recipes

Pesto pasta salad with roasted tomatoes and mozzarella in a bowl.

Roasted Tomato Pesto Pasta Salad

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The vinaigrette for this roasted tomato pesto pasta salad uses leftover tomato juices from the baking dish along with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

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Southwest Pasta Salad

5 from 1 vote

Tossed in avocado lime dressing, this southwest pasta salad is a mix of grilled corn, black beans, red peppers, tomatoes, radishes and scallions.

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Roasted Vegetable Chickpea Pasta Salad

5 from 1 vote

This roasted vegetable chickpea pasta salad is packed with zucchini, yellow squash, bell peppers and cherry tomatoes plus crispy chickpeas.

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Tortellini Pasta Salad

5 from 1 vote

Tossed in an herby pesto vinaigrette, this easy tortellini pasta salad has sun dried tomatoes, olives, baby spinach, red onions and Parmesan.

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Easy pasta salad with strawberries and cucumbers in a bowl.

Strawberry Cucumber Pasta Salad

5 from 1 vote

With a lovely mix of fruit and veggies, this easy strawberry cucumber pasta salad has arugula, almonds, blue cheese and balsamic vinaigrette tossed with bow tie pasta.

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Summer Gnocchi Recipes

Cherry tomato sheet pan gnocchi in a bowl.

Sheet Pan Cherry Tomato Gnocchi

4.74 from 19 votes

Ready in 30 minutes, this cherry tomato sheet pan gnocchi uses a mix of dried spices to flavor this quick and easy one-pan meal. Top it with shaved Parmesan and basil.

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