summer pasta recipes

A perfect mixture of healthy, refreshing ingredients, this Summer Pesto Pasta Salad is a must-try for a meal or quick bite after visiting the beach or spending time in the sun!

Summer Pesto Pasta Salad

oz dried pasta (I used brown rice fusilli)

zucchini

yellow squash

cherry tomatoes,

mozzarella balls,

pine nuts

Italian seasoning

basil

pine nuts (or cashews/almonds)

olive oil

tsp red or white wine vinegar

lemon

garlic

tsp salt

tsp pepper

parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water.

Cut zucchini and yellow squash into bite size pieces and then saute on stove top for about 10 minutes, or until softened.

Add your pasta to a large bowl, and add the zucchini, squash, tomatoes, mozzarella balls, pine nuts and Italian seasoning. Set aside.

Using an immersion blender, regular blender, or food processor, combine all of your pesto ingredients and blend until completely smooth. I use an immersion blender.

Pour dressing over top of pasta and veggies and toss until completely coated.

Top with more pine nuts and parmesan cheese.

Made this today and my husband and I LOVE IT! This will be my go to this summer.

This was so so good!! Super easy to make and perfect for summer! I knew I wanted to try this recipe as soon as it was posted &amp; I am so glad I did!

This is the best pasta salad I have EVER had!! So flavorful, delicious and easy! My whole family loved it.

Made this for my family last night with tomatoes from our garden and everyone loved it! Husband and toddlers approved! Love the dressing. Will be my go to pasta salad this summer!

I made this for work and it was perfect each day I ate it! So delicious while not feeling too heavy.

Didnt have zucchini but I subbed sautéed bell peppers in this and it was awesome! A great pesto dressing vs traditional pesto - this will def be a summer staple! Also learned I could use my immersion blender for more than just soup 🤣 just stumbled upon this blog a few weeks ago and everything I’ve tried has been awesome, and have so many more recipes bookmarked too that I can’t wait to try ☺️

This was such an easy to make recipe!  My entire family enjoyed it with grilled chicken.  My nine year old is begging me to make it again!!  I’ll be bringing this to pool family days as well.

Just meal prepped this for a long work week ahead &amp; WOW! I cannot wait for my lunch tomorrow. It is absolutely delicious! Such a pretty dish as well. I added chicken, that I marinated in Italian dressing…perfect combo. 10/10 recommend!

I am OBSESSED with this pasta salad recipe!! Can’t wait to make this all summer long! It’s great on its own or makes a great side for grilled chicken or turkey burgers.

This was a super easy and fast recipe to pull together- perfect “summer” side (although I’d eat it all year) and bonus points- my 1.5 year old loved it!! Will definitely make again!

This pasta salad is delicious! When I first made the pesto dressing, I was a little worried since it was a little too acidic for my liking, but once I combined all of the ingredients together, it was perfect! The flavors balance each other well. Also so smart to use an immersion blender for the pesto; I don't know why I didn't think to do this before!

Everyone loved this pasta salad! So easy to make and the flavors are perfect for summer! Will definitely be making it again soon!

This was AMAZING! A bit of work but worth every second with each bite. Love your recipes and your platform! 😌

DELICIOUS! I used cashews instead of pine nuts. Didn't have red wine or white vinegar and still tasted yummy.

quick and easy recipe!

Yummy! I used chick pea pasta and almonds in the pesto! I think you could put lots of different combinations of veggies to change it up. Definitely a fresh summer salad!

This pasta recipe is fantastic! It's full of flavor and is such a great summer dinner or lunch! Another great recipe of hers!

my new go-to summer salad! so simple and so delicious :)

This is absolutely delicious! So easy to make and refreshing! Allergic to pine nuts so I subbed almonds in the pesto and the salad, it’s perfect! Erin, you did it again! Thank you!

Erin, this is a delicious pasta salad that looks great too.  Thank you so much for the recipe!

Made this for Father's Day (my Father's Day cookout had an "Erin Lives Whole" theme, I also made your bbq yogurt kabobs and avocado corn salad), and it was absolutely delicious! Love the addition of summer vegetables, it was the perfect pasta salad for summer and I will definitely be making this again this summer!

Hi Erin,

What do you sauté the squash and zucchini in?

Thanks!

It turned out great!  Thank you for replying!

This recipe is so quick and easy to make I was so impressed by how yummy it is too. Lasts a few days and still tastes great! We’ve made it two weeks in a row!

Wow, this was a crowd-pleaser! I totally forgot to saute the veggies prior to mixing in with the pasta, but it made for an awesome crunch with each bite 😊 Thanks for sharing a simple, yet delicious recipe!

I was excited to try this recipe and WOW! It did NOT disappoint!! Easy and packed with flavour. Doesn't feel heavy. I will be following some of the advice from other readers and trying it with chicken for my husband. Very versatile. Definitely a new staple!

Loved this! We have already made it twice this week. Loved adding some grilled chicken to make it a complete meal. So delicious!

Made this with Erin’s pineapple turkey burgers for a BBQ and both were a hit! Thank you!

This is JUST what I was craving. It screams summer and is so light and refreshing and tasty. Love the squash and zucchini in it and the pesto dressing is so delicious. Also it’s a quick and easy recipe. Perfect for summer nights and/or bbq potlucks.

it’s good regular, it’s good modified, it’s good however u want!! lol my whole fam loved this

This is such a fresh summer recipe, especially love the mozzarella cheese balls with the fresh tomatoes! Every time I make this people rave about it, so delicious!

such a good recipe!! my family is allergic to pine nuts so we subbed the pesto with a garlic basil vinaigrette, still sooo tasty!! thanks for the idea, will definitely be making again!

Really great pasta salad for a picnic or family gathering. It’s not your average pasta salad, but everyone loved the pesto dressing! This made plenty of leftovers, so I will be enjoying this all week!

Wow, Erin! This was fantastic! You've done it again. Somehow your recipes are so simple and sensible, but are so great and something I would've only gotten 75% of on my own. That extra 25% (like fresh pesto) is what makes all the difference. Loved how much this made! Definitely could've (and maybe should've) halved it and still been good to go. Catch me with this pasta salad &amp; ginger seltzer all week!

Made this last night for some dinner for a group and everyone loved it! It was so simple to make and so tasty. Will definitely be on repeat

Omg this is AMAZING!! I want to eat the pesto with a spoon! Made it for the first time yesterday and we’re so excited to have it for the week! 😍😍

I made this on Saturday night and it's almost gone already. I had been craving a pasta salad and this hit every single mark. This will definitely be my go-to!

I’m not usually big on pasta salad but I love pesto so I tried this out and I’m glad I did! It was so good, I’ll definitely be making it again soon!

So quick and easy and delicious!!! My new favorite pasta salad recipe for sure. I was lazy and used pre-made pesto sauce, but next time when I have more time on my hands I’ll definitely try to do it homemade.

This meal is a new fave.  The combination of flavors is absolutely delicious.  Easy to make and very satisfying.

Absolutely loved it! I made to as q dish for work and I kept so nicely qnd was absolutely delicious every time I ate it!

Just made this for the first time and absolutely loved it! So refreshing and filling.

Love this recipe!! Making it for the second time tonight and have been looking forward to it all week!! Light, summery and so delicious!

So simple, yet so delicious. I threw in some leftover cooked chicken and couldn’t get over how great it was!

Love this! Just made it a second time for visiting family and added some bell peppers. The leftovers are somehow even better!

I love this recipe!! I add some white beans and it makes the perfect summer meal.

This creamy pasta with asparagus is made with fresh egg pasta, snappy asparagus, and a silky garlic, egg, and creme fraîche sauce.

Creamy Asparagus Pasta

Kosher salt

eggs

crème fraîche

hard cheese (such as Parmesan, pecorino Romano,

asparagus

store-bought egg tagliatelle or fettuccine

black pepper

Heat

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and maintain a gentle simmer, but don’t add the pasta yet.

Whisk

In a heatproof bowl that will fit on top of the pot, whisk together the eggs, crème fraîche, Parmesan cheese, and garlic, until fairly smooth.

Cook

Place the bowl over the simmering water and cook, stirring, until the sauce has melted together, is completely smooth and hot through, 3 to 5 minutes. (Don’t allow it to overheat, as the egg will start to scramble and become lumpy.)

Season

Remove the bowl from the heat and set aside, tasting to check if the sauce needs any salt.

Boil

Add the asparagus and pasta to the simmering water and increase the heat if necessary. Boil until the pasta is tender and the asparagus is bright green, about 3 minutes, then drain in a colander immediately.

Serve

Toss together the sauce, pasta and asparagus. Serve with more grated Parmesan cheese and a dusting of freshly ground black pepper.

Top 2 summer pasta recipes recipes from across the web

The most viewed summer pasta recipes recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

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Summer Pesto Pasta Salad

Creamy Asparagus Pasta

Top 2 summer pasta recipes recipes from across the web

The most viewed summer pasta recipes recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Summer Pesto Pasta Salad

Creamy Asparagus Pasta

The most viewed summer pasta recipes recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine