This summer pasta dish is fresh and delicious, made with sweet summer corn, cherry tomatoes, zucchini, basil and cavatelli pasta.
Summer Cavatelli with Corn, Tomatoes and Zucchini
This pasta dish just screams summer! Fresh cavatelli pasta is combined with cherry tomatoes, zucchini, corn, and marinara and topped with basil and Pecorino Romano. This meal comes together in less than 20 minutes – perfect to whip up on busy weeknights. Try this Grilled Vegetable Orzo Pasta Salad and Warm Pasta Salad with Corn and Zucchini for more of my favorite summer pastas.
I went to Copperhill, a Long Island restaurant, a few years ago where they served a similar pasta dish, which is what inspired this recipe. My husband really enjoyed it. He loved the summer veggies and didn’t miss the meat!
How to Make Summer Pasta
Everything cooks really quickly in this recipe, so make sure to have all of your ingredients prepped before you get started.
- Cook the garlic for one minute in olive oil.
- Add in the tomatoes and salt and then the corn and zucchini.
- Pour in the marinara and season with salt and pepper.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta and reserve some of the pasta water.
- Add the pasta to the veggies.
- Sprinkle in the cheese, remaining oil, salt, and pepper and cook for one minute.
- If the pasta isn’t saucy enough, add in a little pasta water and then top with basil and more cheese.
Variations:
- Pasta: You can find fresh or frozen cavatelli at any Italian specialty store. If you can’t find it, sub it with any short pasta, like orecchiette, fusilli, or rotini. If you aren’t using fresh pasta, sub with 8 ounces of dried pasta.
- Meat: If you really want meat for some extra protein, add diced chicken breast, shrimp, or Italian chicken sausage.
- Vegetables: Swap the zucchini for yellow squash or the cherry tomatoes for grape tomatoes. If you don’t have fresh corn, frozen will work. Eggplant would also be delicious if you want an extra veggie.
- Cheese: Substitute Pecorino Romano with parmesan or asiago.
More Pasta Recipes You’ll Love:
Summer Cavatelli with Corn, Tomatoes and Zucchini
I love this quick, summer pasta dish made with homemade Cavatelli pasta, cherry tomatoes, zucchini, corn and marinara.
- 1 pound fresh or frozen cavatelli
- 3 teaspoons olive oil
- 2 ears corn, kernels cut from the cob
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 1 1/2 cups diced zucchini, (6 1/2 oz)
- 2 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- black pepper, to taste
- 3/4 cup homemade marinara sauce
- 6 tablespoons grated Pecorino Romano, plus more for serving
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil, for garnish
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Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
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In a large skillet over medium heat, add 2 teaspoons of the olive oil and garlic, and cook until golden and fragrant, about 1 minute.
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Add the tomatoes and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook 3 minutes, until the tomatoes soften.
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Add the corn and zucchini and cook until tender crisp, 2 to 3 minutes.
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Add the marinara, season with salt and pepper and cook until heated through, about 1 minute.
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Meanwhile, cook the cavatelli according to package directions, reserving some of the water before draining, then toss with the marinara and vegetables.
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Add the grated cheese, remaining teaspoon olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt and black pepper to taste and cook 1 minute, adding some of the reserved pasta water as needed.
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Serve right away with fresh basil and additional grated cheese if desired.
Serving: 1.3cups, Calories: 297.5kcal, Carbohydrates: 59.5g, Protein: 10.5g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 1.5g, Cholesterol: 7.5mg, Sodium: 184mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 4g
WW Points Plus: 7
Keywords: cavatelli, Kid Friendly, summer pasta