Patio-Perfect Pasta: Light, Delicious & Easy Breezy

No Comments | Written on June 14, 2012 at 3:00 pm, by The Editors

Ravioli with Spinach Pesto

Spinach pesto sauce and fresh squash add nutrition and flavor to this penne pasta dish.

Summer Chicken and Mushroom Pasta

We love the richness that mushrooms and chicken stock give this hearty summer main dish.

20-Minute Pasta

The name says it all: this flavorful recipe is short on time — but not on taste.

Pasta and Sicilian Tomato Sauce

This no-cook sauce is a delicious way to showcase garden-fresh summer tomatoes and basil.

Cream-Sauced Pasta with Vegetables

Summer squash and asparagus, combined with a creamy sauce, are a perfect topper for pasta in this vegetarian-friendly recipe.

Summer Farro Salad

Farro, a hearty grain popular in Italian cooking, is a filling accompaniment to fresh, flavorful summer vegetables such as tomatoes and cucumbers.

Pork and Pasta Skillet

This great one-pot recipe ensures that your cleanup time will be even shorter than your cooking time.

Rotini and Sweet Pepper Primavera

A perfect way to showcase the bounty of summer sweet peppers, this colorful and tasty primavera is quick to prepare, thanks to bottled Alfredo sauce.

chicken-and-melon-stuffed-shells-R105241-ss

Chicken-and-Melon-Stufed Shells

Sweet, creamy and filling, this inventive recipe is sure tickle the kids (and delight a few adults, too).

Garden Vegetable Pasta Toss

There's a whole garden's worth of veggies in this easy and chic summer recipe. We love the added kick of a dash of cayenne pepper.

On hot summer evenings, pasta probably isn’t your first choice for dinner. But give it a second thought. Yes, we know come winter nothing beats a hearty marinara sauce chock full of seasoned ground beef or a good lasagna stuffed with Italian sausage.

Yet pasta hails, of course, from Mediterranean climes, and it’s eminently versatile. One of the best-known pasta dishes, pasta primavera, literally translates to “springtime pasta.” And it’s true: fresh, flavorful seasonal vegetables bring out the best in pasta, and what better way to enjoy it than outside on the patio.

The pasta recipes we’ve got here (including a primavera, of course!) all showcase summer’s bounty and are light yet full of flavor. As an added bonus, each of these recipes takes 30 minutes or less to prepare (summer’s no time to heat up the kitchen, after all).

Whether you opt for the chicken-and-melon stuffed shells, the rotini and sweet pepper primavera or the ravioli with spinach pesto, you’re in for a meal that’s satisfying, quick and delicious. And that’s something that’s perfect, no matter the season!