Summer Vegetable Pasta
This fresh Summer Vegetable Pasta is an easy meatless meal that celebrates the flavors of summer produce! I love how quickly this comes together and that a serving feels filling without being heavy. I chose to use some of my favorite vegetables, zucchini, yellow squash, green beans, and sweet corn. One of the nice things about this recipe is that it’s super versatile. You can definitely mix up the vegetables based on your preferences or what you have on hand. Not only is this recipe easy and tasty, but a hearty (1 & 2/3 cup) serving is just 299 calories or 6 WW Points (or 7 WW Points if following the diabetic WW plan). To view your current WW Points for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site, click here.
I’ve been trying to work a few more meatless meals into my own dinner rotation, and when I first mentioned that at the beginning of the year several readers contacted me saying they’re trying to do the same. I will still be sharing plenty of meat, but if you’re looking to eat a little less meat while still having tasty, satisfying meals, I’ll keep posting some meatless ones as well!
Recipe Tips and Substitutions
- Vegetables: I love the veggies I chose, but you can definitely swap some based on your preferences or what you have on hand. I think bell peppers, carrots, or mushrooms would all be tasty in this dish!
- Meat: I specifically created this as a meatless meal, but you could definitely top if off with some grilled or sauteed chicken or shrimp for a boost of protein.
- Broth: I used vegetable broth to keep this vegetarian, but you can use chicken broth if you prefer. You could also use white wine if you want to change up the flavor a bit!
- Serving Size: This recipe made about 10 cups total, so I broke it into six servings of 1 & 2/3 cups each. If that’s too much or too little for you, feel free to split it up differently!
- Recommended Side Dish: I highly suggest serving this with my Easy Garlic Knots – it’s a perfect match!
More Lightened-Up Meatless Meals
Looking for more tasty meatless recipes like this Summer Vegetable Pasta? Check out my Cauliflower and Barley Parmesan Bake, Cheesy Spicy Black Bean Skillet, Broccoli Cheddar Stuffed Baked Potatoes, Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad, Baked Cauliflower Mac and Cheese, Vegetable Fried Rice, Buffalo Cauliflower Wings, Avocado Egg Salad, Veggie Lover’s Flatbread, Strawberry Quinoa Salad, Spinach and Artichoke Lasagna Roll-Ups, Eggplant Parmesan Casserole, Linguine with Roasted Vegetables and Goat Cheese, Broccoli Cheddar Soup, Tomato Soup Mac and Cheese, Enchilada Cheese Rolls, Zucchini Casserole, and more in the Vegetarian category of my recipe index!
Summer Vegetable Pasta
Ingredients
- 10 oz uncooked whole wheat pasta, I used Farfalle
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ medium red onion, thinly sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 medium zucchini, cut into cubes
- 1 medium yellow squash, cut into cubes
- 1 ½ cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
- 1 cup cut green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- ⅓ cup vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon light butter, I use Land O’Lakes light butter spread with canola oil
- 2 oz Parmesan cheese, freshly shredded
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions. Remove about ½ cup of pasta water and set aside before draining the pasta. Drain the pasta and set aside.
- Once the pasta goes in to cook, drizzle the olive oil into a large sauté pan and bring to medium heat. Add onion and stir to coat with the oil. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the zucchini, yellow squash, corn, and green beans and sprinkle with the salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper. Stir everything together to combine.
- Reduce the heat to med-low and cover the pan. Cook for 5 minutes, briefly removing the cover to stir halfway through.
- Remove the lid and return the heat to medium. Add the broth and the lemon juice and stir. Cook for another 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender. Add the cooked pasta and stir to combine. Add the butter and the parmesan cheese along with reserved pasta water as needed (I used about ¼ cup of pasta water at this point, but you can add more or less, to taste). Stir until the cheese and butter have melted and all ingredients are combined. Simmer for a minute or so and then top with basil before serving.
Notes
8 per (1 & 2/3 cups) serving (PP calculated using a Weight Watchers PointsPlus calculator and the nutrition info below) inspired by healthyish foods
Just made this recipe. I liked it and I will make it again. But I will make some changes. I gave a rating of 3 stars because I felt there wasn’t a lot of flavor. Many bites tasted like I was just eating plain pasta. Next time I make it, I will use less pasta (thinking 6 oz), for a more ‘flavorings to pasta’ ratio. I may also add a few other things like sundried tomatoes, ( I know that will change the points a bit) but just whatever I can think of to give the dish more flavor overall. But I did like it and I will be making it again.
Delicious! I felt it needed more flavor so I did more salt and pepper and added some Kinders Carmilized Onion Butter seasoning and it was perfect! Light, filling and fresh. This will definitely be in the rotation.