18 Three-Step Pasta Dinners Perfect for Summer

Caprese Pasta Salad
Photo: Photographer / Jennifer Causey, Food Stylist / Karen Rankin, Prop Stylist / Christine Keely

Finish off a summer day with one of these easy pasta dinners. Each dish is packed with produce like tomato, corn and eggplant to help you take advantage of the freshest flavors of the season. Plus, these meals come together in just three steps or less, so anything you choose—from couscous salad to pomodoro pasta—is as simple as ever to get on the table. You can’t go wrong with our fan-favorite Spaghetti & Spinach with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce. And recipes like our One-Pot Tomato Basil Pasta makes cleanup a breeze.

01 of 18

Spaghetti & Spinach with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce

Spaghetti & Spinach with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce (tk final title)
Photography / Kelsey Hansen, Styling / Greg Luna

To achieve flavor quickly in this sun-dried tomato pasta recipe, we use the oil from sun-dried tomatoes to create the base of the cream sauce. Meanwhile, the residual heat of the pasta wilts the spinach in record time for a fast weeknight dinner.

02 of 18

Stetson Chopped Salad

Stetson Chopped Salad

Knock it out of the park at dinner with this composed salad recipe inspired by the crazy-popular Stetson Chopped Salad at Cowboy Ciao in Scottsdale, Arizona. It packs in colorful vegetables and a variety of textures from whole grains, seeds and a creamy homemade dressing for a photo-worthy, healthy meal. Keep it vegetarian or add smoked salmon or roasted chicken.

03 of 18

One-Pot Tomato Basil Pasta

One-Pot Tomato Basil Pasta

This one-pot pasta with tangy tomato-basil sauce is a simple, fast and easy weeknight dinner. All of your ingredients go into one pot, and with a bit of stirring and about 25 minutes of cook time, you'll have a healthy dinner the whole family will enjoy.

04 of 18

Eggplant Pomodoro Pasta

Eggplant Pomodoro Pasta

In this eggplant pasta dish, diced eggplant turns tender when sautéed with garlic and olive oil. Toss with fresh plum tomatoes, green olives and capers and you have a simple, tasty sauce. We like the eggplant pasta sauce over angel hair pasta, but any type will work. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and a mixed green salad.

05 of 18

Roasted Red Pepper, Spinach & Feta Penne Pasta

Roasted Red Pepper, Spinach & Feta Penne Pasta

In this quick 20-minute dinner recipe, tender penne pasta is combined with garlic, roasted red peppers and spinach and topped with crumbled feta cheese for a fast and easy Mediterranean-inspired meal. This recipe was graciously shared by EatingWell reader Dottie Carpenter, who states, "Recipes are no good if they're not shared!"

06 of 18

BBQ Shrimp with Garlicky Kale & Parmesan-Herb Couscous

BBQ Shrimp with Garlicky Kale & Parmesan-Herb Couscous

In the U.S., dry whole-wheat couscous has been partially cooked, making it a quick-cooking (5 minutes!) whole-grain weeknight dinner champ. And when you buy peeled shrimp, plus a bag of prechopped kale and bottled barbecue sauce, the savings in prep time helps to get this healthy dinner done in a jiff.

07 of 18

Tuna-Zucchini Pasta

6447992.jpg

The sauce for this pasta recipe comes together quickly in one skillet while your spaghetti noodles cook on the next burner. Zucchini, fragrant basil, fresh tomato, and canned tuna combine to make a sensational topping for the whole-grain spaghetti in this 30-minute meal.

08 of 18

Lemon-Garlic Pasta with Salmon

Walnut-Rosemary Crusted Salmon

Wondering what to do with leftover salmon? This is a delicious and easy way to turn it into another weeknight-friendly, quick dinner. Don't forget to reserve some pasta water—its starch thickens the lemon-garlic pasta sauce and makes it silky-smooth.

09 of 18

Cherry Tomato & Garlic Pasta

Cherry Tomato & Garlic Pasta

This easy and healthy cherry tomato pasta recipe takes just 20 minutes to prep, so it's a perfect weeknight dinner. Cooking garlic cloves whole and then mashing them into the sauce not only saves time, it creates a mellow garlic flavor that melds seamlessly into the silky burst cherry tomatoes.

10 of 18

Spinach, Lima Bean & Crispy Pancetta Pasta

Spinach, Lima Bean & Crispy Pancetta Pasta

We opt for fresh spinach pasta here--it cooks quickly and adds a pop of color. Cooking lima beans in pancetta drippings infuses them with flavor.

11 of 18

Skillet Chili Mac

skillet chili mac

Poblanos add a kick of heat to this chili mac recipe. If that's not your thing, swap in green bell peppers to tone down the heat in this easy pasta dish, which mashes up mac and cheese and chili into a seriously satisfying skillet dinner.

12 of 18

Caprese Pasta Salad

Caprese Pasta Salad
Photographer / Jennifer Causey, Food Stylist / Karen Rankin, Prop Stylist / Christine Keely

This light and fresh caprese pasta salad is brought together with a bright and tangy dressing, with fresh mozzarella pearls adding creaminess to every bite.

13 of 18

Elote-Inspired Pasta Salad

a recipe photo of the Elote-Inspired Pasta Salad
Photographer: Greg DuPree, Food Stylist: Anna Kelly, Prop Stylist: Christina Brockman

This zesty pasta salad draws inspiration from the flavors of elote—Mexican grilled corn on the cob that's smothered in a creamy mayo-based sauce and sprinkled with chili powder, cotija cheese and lime. Corn kernels blister in the hot pan and a sprinkle of smoked paprika brings out the flavor. If you can't find cotija cheese, grated Parmesan is a good substitute. There are a few methods you can use to remove corn kernels, whether it's a corn stripper tool or a knife and a dish towel. For more, learn how to cut corn off the cob.

14 of 18

Sloppy Joe Casserole

Sloppy Joe Casserole

Like sloppy Joes? Then you'll love this sloppy Joe casserole recipe. This kid-friendly dinner has the classic sloppy Joe flavors kids love, while parents will like all the veggies that are packed in to make it a healthy meal.

15 of 18

Tex-Mex Pasta Salad

Tex-Mex Pasta Salad

A light and creamy green-salsa dressing highlights this easy pasta salad with Southwestern flavors.

16 of 18

Spicy Jalapeno-Shrimp Pasta

5227000.jpg

Get dinner on the table in 30 minutes with this healthy, one-dish spicy shrimp and pasta meal.

17 of 18

Smoky Shrimp, Corn & Pea One-Pot Pasta

Smoky Shrimp, Corn & Pea One-Pot Pasta
Photography / Kelsey Hansen, Styling / Sammy Mila

Make your sauce and pasta all at once with this fast weeknight pasta dinner recipe. By using the exact amount of water you need to cook the pasta--no colanders here--the starch that cooks off into your pasta water, which you usually drain away, stays in the pot, giving you delectably creamy results.

18 of 18

Roasted Eggplant Pasta

Roasted Eggplant Pasta

This easy roasted eggplant pasta dish is dressed with eggplant, fresh cherry tomatoes and plenty of fresh herbs. Feta cheese adds a savory note while the balsamic dressing brightens the flavor. It's the perfect summer vegetarian dinner.

Was this page helpful?

Related Articles