When I make pasta during the summer, I like it to be light and have lots of veggies. Cue: This summertime pasta with tomatoes, corn, and zucchini.

I decided to make the dish last night after taking stock of what was in the fridge. I had two ears of corn, a large zucchini, and a very ripe tomato sitting on the counter. I also had an unopened container of Parmesan that I don’t remember buying, but that’s often the case with cheese.

This pasta is so easy and satisfying. It comes together relatively quickly and it tastes good without lots of cheese on top, which is my test for good pasta.

If you want, you can add garlic into the mix. I’m very sensitive to garlic so I tend to avoid it when possible. Instead I rely on onions or in this case, shallots, to give the vegetables some extra flavor.

If you have a different kind of summer squash on hand, it would also work well in this dish. You could also sub in cherry tomatoes for diced tomatoes, but the flavor might be a little sweeter. I found that using one whole, diced tomato was more than enough.

So yeah. Make this pasta as soon as possible. It’s an easy weeknight or weekend meal and it incorporates the best ingredients of the season.

Here’s a song to get you started.

Summertime Pasta with Tomatoes, Corn, and Zucchini

Ingredients

1/2 box farfalle pasta
1/2 large shallot, chopped
2 ears of corn, kernels removed
1/2 large zucchini, sliced thin
1 tomato, diced
olive oil for frying
salt and pepper for seasoning
Parmesan cheese for serving

Directions

Heat some olive oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat. Add the shallot and corn and sauté until they’re golden brown, about three to five minutes. Add the zucchini and stir to combine. Allow the zucchini to soften a little before stirring in the tomato. Add more olive oil if necessary. Let the mixture simmer on low heat. Season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain the pasta, return it to its cooking pot, and stir in the vegetable mixture. Serve with Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!