Most times I feel pasta gets a bad name because it’s too heavy but the truth is it doesn’t always have to be. The beauty of a good pasta dish is that you can make it as light and flavorful as you want. Load it with veggies and switch all-purpose flour pasta with semolina or chickpea-based pasta and you will have a great dish without the guilt. And this Summer Squash Pasta checks all the boxes!
I tried lots of different kinds of healthier pasta that are on the market and what I find is that Semolina flour pasta is the closest in terms of taste to all-purpose and works as a great replacement in any pasta dish. Well! You need to give it a try and I bet you’ll not go back to any other boxed variety.
This Summer Squash Pasta as the name suggests is made with summer squash, shallots, burst cherry tomatoes, fresh garlic, fresh Basil leaves, a bit of freshly grated parmesan, and some spices. Loaded with delicious veggies; this light flavorful pasta is what you need in life right now. I love how good and healthy this dish turns out every time. And yes! Don’t forget the pasta water because that helps bring the pasta together.
How to Make Summer Squash Pasta
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- Preheat the Oven and while that gets done start the Prep by thinly slicing summer squash and shallots into rings. Crush the garlic cloves with the back of your knife; wash and keep aside the cherry tomatoes as is.
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- In an oven-safe dish or pan; add all the veggies along with the spices. Drizzle some chili-infused olive oil or sub for a plain one. Mix everything up and let it bake in the oven for about 20 minutes.
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- While the veggies get done; go ahead and boil the pasta as per packaged instructions.
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- Once the veggies are done; add half the grated cheese and all of the boiled pasta along with some pasta water.
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- Mix and finish off with the remaining parmesan cheese and voila!
Recipe Notes for Summer Squash Pasta
Jump Start the recipe by preparing ahead. In order to prep ahead start by slicing all veggies, boiling pasta, and storing it in airtight containers. For the pasta water, reserve double than listed in the recipe. To store boiled pasta; wash and coat the pasta with some olive oil and then seal it in an airtight container. All the prepped ingredients if stored properly stay fresh for up to 3 days.
I like to slice my summer squash and shallots into thin rings which speeds up the cooking process and is a delight to eat in every bite else you might feel you need more veggies for this amount of pasta.
For the garlic; if you slice them instead of just crushing it then you might feel that it gets burned up slightly because garlic cooks faster than other ingredients once sliced which is why crushed is the best way. Alternatively, you can roast the garlic instead and add that to the dish. Personally, I haven’t tried roasted garlic for this recipe but I don’t see a reason why it should not work.
The recipe does call for parmesan cheese and if you are vegan; you can easily sub for vegan parm or not use it at all and it will still taste fantastic.
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Summer Squash Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 Squash or Zucchini thinly sliced
- 3 Shallots thinly sliced into rings
- 1 ½ cup Whole cherry tomatoes
- 3-4 cloves Garlic crushed
- 1 Tbsp Chili infused olive oil sub for plain olive oil
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
- ½ tsp Smoked paprika
- ¾ cup Grated parmesan sub for vegan parm
- 300 gm Spaghetti sub for pasta of choice
- 10-12 Fresh Basil Leaves
- 50 ml Pasta water set aside before straining boiled pasta
Instructions
- PROCESS: Pre-heat the oven to 400°F
- In a oven safe dish or pan; add in chopped shallots, squash or zucchini, garlic, cherry tomatoes, and oil. Mix well and let it bake for 20mins in the oven
- While the pasta bakes; boil the spaghetti as per packaged instructions
- Once the veggies are baked; season with salt, pepper and smoked paprika. Add in the parmesan cheese, boiled pasta and 50ml of pasta water. Toss everything together to mix well.
- SERVING: Top with fresh basil leaves and serve hot. Enjoy!
Nutrition
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♥ Gurleen
