20 Summer Pasta Recipes That Make the Most of Seasonal Produce Delicious pasta ideas using tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, corn, herbs, and more. Close Credit: Johnny Miller Our favorite summer pasta recipes include sauces you simmer and ones that require no heat at all; dishes that are vegetarian-friendly, and ones that will satisfy carnivores. Whatever you prefer, they have something in common: summer produce is front and center. And if you've got an herb garden that's in beast mode, you'll find plenty of ways to use them up here, with these recipes calling for everything from mint to tarragon to basil and parsley. Read on for a terrific array of tried and true classic summer pasta recipes as well as contenders for new favorites that you'll be happy to add to your warm-weather cooking repertoire. 34 Summer Dinner Recipes That Are Fast, Easy, and Packed With Seasonal Produce 01 of 20 Campanelle With Zucchini and Mint Credit: Bryan Gardner Here's a speedy and delicious supper that pulls from Italian and Greek traditions. It calls for mixing toothsome and lightly browned rounds of zucchini with garlic, red pepper flakes, Kalamata olives, and lemon juice. Together, they make a wonderfully salty and punchy sauce that gets a nice final kick from ricotta salata and mint. View Recipe 02 of 20 Gnocchi With Sausage, Zucchini, and Tomato Credit: Linda Xiao This quick and easy pasta melds the flavors of fresh tomatoes, sausage, zucchini, and gnocchi. Store-bought pesto and pasta water are all that's needed to create a delicious, silky sauce. View Recipe 03 of 20 No-Cook Tomato-Tuna Sauce With Spaghetti Credit: Con Poulos Here’s another recipe where tomatoes and seasonings turn into magic with very little effort. There’s a nice addition, too: oil-packed tuna for a hit of salt and heft. View Recipe 04 of 20 Penne alla Norma Eggplant is sometimes used as a meat substitute in vegetarian dishes, and this classic Sicilian dish is a great example. The eggplant lends a delightful heft, and when paired with tomatoes, basil, and ricotta cheese, it makes for a delicious and satiating meal. View Recipe 05 of 20 Croxetti With Marinated Heirloom Tomatoes To make this tasty dish, toss just-boiled pasta with marinated tomatoes, basil, capers, lemon zest, red pepper flakes, salt, and garlic-infused olive oil. The warmth from the pasta brings out the flavors of the fresh ingredients. And if you can’t find croxetti, try another flat pasta, such as maltagliati or pappardelle. View Recipe 06 of 20 Orecchiette With Sausage, Corn, and Chiles Many recipes often combine orecchiette and sausage with broccoli or cauliflower, but come summer, corn is a fantastic alternative. The pasta’s cup shape holds a kernel or two perfectly. And if you don’t like your pasta spicy, just ease up on the chiles. View Recipe 07 of 20 Pasta With No-Cook Puttanesca Sauce Credit: Marcus Nilsson Spaghetti alla puttanesca is a Naples classic made with tomatoes, olive oil, olives, optional anchovies, chili peppers, capers, and garlic. Although the sauce is typically cooked, this recipe uses raw tomatoes—as long as they’re ripe, they’ll be just perfect here. View Recipe An Illustrated Guide to 14 Popular Pasta Shapes and How to Use Them 08 of 20 Penne With Tomatoes and Parsley Breadcrumbs Credit: Johnny Miller There’s a special step that elevates this pasta dish: leaving the fresh tomato, extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper to marinate at room temperature for anywhere from two to eight hours. The result is a chunky, intensely flavored sauce that’s delicious over penne, along with toasted breadcrumbs and shaved ricotta salata or Parmesan. View Recipe 09 of 20 Creamy Corn and Spinach Pasta Credit: Johnny Miller When corn and spinach are in season, turn to this fast one-pan meal. Both of these ingredients cook in a flash, so in less than 40 minutes, dinner is on the table—its rich taste belying the speed with which you’ve pulled it together. View Recipe 10 of 20 Eggplant and Roasted-Pepper Pasta Credit: Christopher Testani This serve-at-any-temperature pasta dish combines smoky roasted peppers and garlicky sautéed eggplant. It’s especially nice with campanelle or other curly pasta, such as fusilli or farfalle. View Recipe 11 of 20 Very Vegetable Lasagna Credit: Anson Smart Two pounds of zucchini go into this veg-packed lasagna, along with frozen chopped spinach, making it lighter and healthier than a traditional lasagna. View Recipe 12 of 20 Grilled Ratatouille Pasta Credit: JOHNNY MILER Here's a new summer go-to that’s an Italian spin on a well-known French dish. It includes zucchini, bell pepper, red onion, eggplant, and tomatoes, served with curly pasta, such as cavatappi. View Recipe 13 of 20 One-Pot Penne With Zucchini and Parmesan Credit: Aaron Dyer Shredding zucchini with a box grater yields small pieces that almost dissolve when tossed with hot pasta, olive oil, Parmesan, and minced garlic. View Recipe 14 of 20 No-Bake Summer Lasagna There’s no oven needed for this summery lasagna. Instead, layer tomato sauce, cooked lasagna noodles, spoonfuls of ricotta, and sauteed zucchini on plates, plus a bit of fresh basil for a zippy garnish. View Recipe 15 of 20 Pasta e Fagioli Pasta Credit: Kate Sears Leafy green escarole, which is part of the chicory family, complements white beans so beautifully. Although the pairing is most famous in soup, it's also stunning in pasta. View Recipe 16 of 20 Sea Scallops Over Shallot-Herb Pasta Credit: Elizabeth Cecil A whopping two cups of herbs pack tons of flavor into this delicious seafood pasta. It's great with spaghetti or linguine, and as far as the herbs go, you can use anything from mint to flat-leaf parsley to tarragon to basil. View Recipe 17 of 20 Mediterranean Pasta With Artichokes, Olives, and Tomatoes If you can't resist a gorgeous pint basket brimming with grape or cherry tomatoes at the farmers market, here's a great use for those beauties. Combine them with olives, basil, and artichoke hearts for a fabulous summer pasta. View Recipe 18 of 20 Swiss-Chard and Almond Pasta Credit: Chris Simpson This creative recipe incorporates toasted almonds for a bit of crunch. Beautiful and sturdy rainbow Swiss chard adds color (and nutrition), and lemon, garlic, and Pecorino Romano bump up the flavor. View Recipe 19 of 20 Pasta Salad with Roasted Broccoli This pasta salad is perfect served cold for a summer dinner. Add some feta cheese to bring out the roasted broccoli's fresh flavor in this pepper- and olive-filled pasta salad. View Recipe 20 of 20 Pasta with Zucchini, Mint, and Pecorino Credit: Bryan Gardner Grab a few zucchini from your garden and grate them over a summery dish of your favorite curly pasta. Add salty Pecorino Romano and sprigs of fresh mint for more dimension to this dish. If you like the flavor of herbs such as basil and parsley over mint, no problem! The recipe calls for anchovies, but you can substitute the fish instead with a little added salt or fish sauce for that added zing. View Recipe Explore more: Food & Cooking Recipes Dinner Recipes Summer Dinner Ideas