Summer Vegetable Pasta Skillet

Fresh broccoli, zucchini and mushrooms were the highlights of this dish. With more vegetables than pasta in this meal, it was completely filling without the weight of a heavy pasta dish. This was a very tasty meal that took less than 30 minutes to get on the table.

We arrived at our cabin mid-day Saturday and the meat I’d planned to cook for dinner was still frozen. I decided to use some of the fresh vegetables that were sitting on our counter instead. Once I tasted the dish, I quickly jotted down notes, so that I’d remember what I’d done. This is definitely a meal that will be made repeatedly. All of my kids devoured this, vegetables and all, and one of my boys ate two huge servings.

Summer Vegetable Pasta Skillet

2 cups broccoli cut into florets and stem thinly sliced

2-3 cups summer squash, I used green and yellow zucchini, crookneck and Mexican grey squash, sliced into round about 1/4” thick

5 oz small button mushrooms, cut into quarters

1/2 small onion

2 cloves of garlic

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

2 tablespoons olive oil

29 oz crushed tomatoes

8-10 ounces pasta, I used a fusilli shaped corn variety

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Freshly shaved or grated Parmesan cheese

Cook the pasta according the directions on the package. Drain and set aside. Do not rinse the cooked pasta. In the bottom of a large cold skillet, combine the olive oil, garlic and all of the spices. Set burner to medium high and warm the oil mixture, stirring as needed. When the mixture is fragrant, after about 1 minute, add the onions and saute until tender and slightly browned.

Add the broccoli to the skillet. Saute about 2 minutes and add the mushrooms. Add the squash and saute just until crisp and barely tender. The vegetables should be very bright in color by this point. Add the crushed tomatoes and bring to a low simmer. Simmer just until the sauce is warmed through. Add the lemon juice and stir again. Add the cooked pasta to the skillet and toss well to coat. Sprinkle individual servings with Parmesan just before serving. Enjoy!

Click here for printable recipe

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