12 Italian Summer Pasta Recipes. (2024)


These 12 Italian summer pasta recipes are all vegetarian or vegan except for a couple that call for Parmigiano or pecorino. However, just use a vegetarian or vegan cheese and you’re good to go!Most of these pasta dishes are also easy and quick to make. So, perfect for warm days when you don’t want to spend much time in the kitchen!

12 Italian Summer Pasta Recipes. (1)

Italians love their pasta and eat it all year round. However, summer is the season for pasta salads and lighter recipes with lots of summer veggies and lots of tomatoes. In fact, many Italians still follow the tradition of making their own passata and tomato sauces in summer. They then preserve the extra for the winter months. Another summer food activity is making pesto, particularly basil pesto. Homemade pesto and fresh basil are both used in abundance in summer pasta dishes.

12 Italian summer pasta recipes

Just click the recipe name to go to the recipe post. If you're looking for light warm weather authentic Italian pasta recipes, I'm sure you'll love this collection!

12 Italian Summer Pasta Recipes. (2)

Cavatelli with rocket (arugula) from Puglia.

This healthy and delicious vegetarian cavatelli pasta with rocket is a traditional dish from Puglia in Southern Italy. Typical of the Southern Italian culinary tradition, it’s one of many simple recipes made with just a few fresh seasonal local ingredients.

12 Italian Summer Pasta Recipes. (3)

Spaghetti alla Checca from Rome.

Spaghetti alla checca is a simple but tasty authentic vegetarian Italian pasta recipe from Rome. It’s fresh and easy to make and perfect for warm weather meals! I served mine with burrata. You can also use a fresh mozzarella. But, you can make it without the cheese for a vegan or dairy-free version.

12 Italian Summer Pasta Recipes. (4)

Summer tagliolini with marinated vegetables from Emilia-Romagna.

This light summer tagliolini pasta recipe from a restaurant in Bologna is tasty, fresh and healthy. It has a no-cook sauce, meaning all you have to cook is the pasta. The vegetables are just chopped and marinated in olive oil. A perfect garden-to-table recipe for summer and easy weeknight meals.

12 Italian Summer Pasta Recipes. (5)

Fileja Tropeana from Calabria.

Fileja Tropeana is a typical pasta recipe from Calabria, Southern Italy. It’s made with a colourful and fragrant sauce of zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes and red Tropea onion. There’s also some peperoncino (red chili pepper) which gives this dish a bit of a kick!

12 Italian Summer Pasta Recipes. (6)

Tuscan Pomarola with mixed pasta.

Pomarola is a traditional homemade tomato sauce from Tuscany. Actually, you can make it with a combination of different types of fresh tomatoes or with just one type. In this recipe, I paired my Tuscan pomarola tomato sauce with mixed pasta (pasta mista). This is a brilliant and economical way to use up leftover dried pasta. Of course, you can use your favourite pasta shape instead!

12 Italian Summer Pasta Recipes. (7)

Creamy linguine al limone from Campania.

This beautiful creamy linguine al limone recipe comes from Italy's famous land of lemons, Sorrento and the Amalfi coast. It's easy to make and can be ready in the time it takes to boil the water and cook the pasta.This is a perfect summer weather dish. Even though it contains cream it’s not heavy. Plus, the lemon adds such a wonderful summery flavour.

12 Italian Summer Pasta Recipes. (8)

Basil pesto lasagna from Liguria.

Italian basil pesto lasagne al forno (also called lasagne alla Portofino) is hands down the best summer lasagna recipe. It’s light, easily made vegetarian and just totally delicious. If you love pesto, you’ll swoon over this dish! I used homemade pesto and béchamel and fresh pasta. But, you can cut prep times by using ready-made pesto, béchamel and pasta. Just assemble and bake!

12 Italian Summer Pasta Recipes. (9)

Casarecce with caponata from Sicily.

One of the most iconic dishes in Sicilian cooking is caponata. This sweet and sour Mediterranean veggie dish contains eggplant, celery, onions, olives, capers and tomatoes. It is delicious as a side with both meat and fish. Of course, it makes a fabulous pasta sauce too!Pasta alla caponata is great warm or as a pasta salad.

12 Italian Summer Pasta Recipes. (10)

Bucatini all’arrabbiata from Rome.

A delicious spicy classic vegetarian pasta dish from Rome. This classic Roman recipe is very quick and easy to make. In fact, all you need is garlic, chilli peppers, tomatoes, parsley, pasta and cheese. Ready in 30 minutes!

12 Italian Summer Pasta Recipes. (11)

Pasta salad crudaiola Barese from Puglia.

Made with fresh cherry tomatoes, garlic, fresh basil, a sprinkling of hard ricotta or ricotta salata and extra virgin olive oil, this pasta salad crudaiola Barese, also called pasta alla crudaiola, is an incredibly versatile and healthy dish from Bari in Puglia. You can eat it as a one-plate light meal, as part of a cold buffet or at a picnic.

12 Italian Summer Pasta Recipes. (12)

Southern Italian peperonata with pasta.

The star of this seriously tasty vegetarian casarecce pasta alla peperonata is a stewed sweet pepper sauce that’s very traditional in Southern Italy. You can also eat peperonata as a side dish or on bruschetta. It’s simple to make and full of Mediterranean flavours!

12 Italian Summer Pasta Recipes. (13)

Linguine with mint pesto and ricotta cream.

This fresh and tasty contemporary Italian mint pesto recipe is easy to make and perfect for summer meals. Aside from the mint, this pesto has some fresh basil, pine nuts, grated Parmigiano and, of course, extra virgin olive oil.Apart from being delicious this recipe requires no cooking except for the pasta and can be ready in no time!

Let me know what you think.

If you make any of these 12 italian summer pasta recipes I’d love to hear how it turns out and if you liked it. Please leave a comment here on the blog or onThe Pasta Project Facebook page. Your feedback is much appreciated.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Buon Appetito!

Want to save this collection for later?

If you want to save these recipes for later, you can bookmark this page or save it to Pinterest.

12 Italian Summer Pasta Recipes. (14)

Want to know more about my life in Italy? Why notsubscribeto my newsletter? New subscribers get a free series of recipe e-books too!


12 Italian Summer Pasta Recipes. (2024)

FAQs

What is Italy most famous pasta dish? ›

Many of the most famous pasta dishes of Italy are from the Lazio region around Rome, and one of these world-renowned dishes is carbonara. This famous Roman dish is on every menu! Made with eggs, guanciale or pancetta, eggs, and Parmigiano Reggiano, this dish is simultaneously simple and decadent.

What are the 4 main Italian pasta dishes? ›

There are four classic Roman pasta dishes: cacio e pepe, carbonara, amatriciana, and alla gricia.

What is Siena typical pasta? ›

The most typical Sienese pasta is pici, a rustic homemade spaghetti made with water, flour and oil. Vegetarians will enjoy pici all'aglione, whose sauce features locally grown garlic from Valdichiana sautéed with vegetables, fresh tomato and white wine. Another local specialty is gnudi senesi.

What is Italy's most famous sauce? ›

Carbonara Sauce

The most beloved sauce in Rome (and all over the world) is a cornerstone dish of Italian cuisine that has been imitated, debated, and confused with lesser sauces. Legend has it that it was an invention of the creative chef Renato Gualandi, who made it in 1944 for American troops in Rome to lunch on.

What is the most eaten pasta dish in the world? ›

1. Spaghetti. Perhaps one of the most popular pasta types in the world, spaghetti consists of long, thin noodles which can be paired with a wide variety of sauces. Possibly the most well known dish is Spaghetti Bolognese, where pasta is paired with meat in a marinara sauce.

What is the national dish of Italy pasta? ›

Commonly known around the world as spaghetti bolognese, in its authentic form 'Ragu alla Bolognese' is recognised as the national dish of Italy. Its origin can be traced back to Imola, a town near the city of Bologna, where a recipe was first recorded in the 18th century.

What are the four pastas of Rome Stanley Tucci? ›

While visiting Rome in his TV series "Searching for Italy," Tucci refers to "four pastas" — cacio e pepe, carbonara, alla gricia, and all'amatriciana. The latter was the one that really gained my interest, as I attempted to make it most often at home. In the show, Tucci oversees a Roman chef recreating the dish.

What pasta is famous in Tuscany? ›

Pappardelle. Large, very broad tagliatelle. A well-loved type of pasta in Tuscany.

What pasta dish is Florence known for? ›

Pappardelle al cinghiale (wild boar pasta) is a signature dish that visitors to Florence should sample. To Italians, wild boar is an extremely versatile game meat which can be prepared in many ways, whether it be cured or cooked.

What pasta is Sicily known for? ›

Pasta alla Norma is arguably the best representation of Sicilian cuisine out there, making the most of local tomatoes, aubergines, garlic, basil and ricotta salata, salted ricotta. It's called Norma after the nineteenth century opera of the same name – both the dish and the music are regarded as true masterpieces.

What is Italy's number 1 pasta? ›

Barilla Pasta is Italy's largest dry pasta brand and dominates the European and American markets. With a long-standing reputation as one of the best Italian pasta brands in the United States, Barilla's products are made with high-protein durum wheat flour, ensuring top quality.

What is the popular pasta in Italy? ›

Translating as 'thin strings', spaghetti is one of Italy's most iconic pasta shapes. Around 30cm in length, they are cylindrical strands known for their use in Carbonara or Puttanesca.

What is the most famous pasta dish in Rome? ›

The iconic quartet of carbonara, cacio e pepe, amatriciana and gricia make up the four most famous and beloved Roman pasta dishes.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Virgilio Hermann JD

Last Updated:

Views: 6461

Rating: 4 / 5 (41 voted)

Reviews: 88% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Virgilio Hermann JD

Birthday: 1997-12-21

Address: 6946 Schoen Cove, Sipesshire, MO 55944

Phone: +3763365785260

Job: Accounting Engineer

Hobby: Web surfing, Rafting, Dowsing, Stand-up comedy, Ghost hunting, Swimming, Amateur radio

Introduction: My name is Virgilio Hermann JD, I am a fine, gifted, beautiful, encouraging, kind, talented, zealous person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.