When the days heat up, the last thing anybody wants to do is spend time standing over a hot stove when you could be lounging on a deck chair with a margarita in hand. That's why we've thrown together some of our favourite fast and quickly-made pasta dishes to help you keep the kitchen cool... and yourself, too!
Summer Salmon Pasta with Fresh Herbs and Garlic
You can make the sauce while the pasta is cooking; you are looking at about 20 minutes from start to finish [1], perfect for a weeknight meal. I love to finish it off with fresh herbs to give it a little taste of summer freshness. Try it and watch it disappear!
Creamy Pesto Pasta
Whether you choose to serve this dish hot or cold, it's the ultimate 15-minute dinner recipe [2] to prepare on a warm summer day when the last thing you want to do is be confined to the kitchen for longer than you need to be.
Summer Chicken Sesame Noodles Recipe
When it's far too hot to cook, these noodles can be whipped up and tossed with succulent pieces of rotisserie chicken [3] to make a light, tasty meal to be enjoyed out on the porch.
Creamy Pasta Primavera
This pasta Primavera is packed with flavour and roasted veggies, and is creamy without cream! The sauce is made from canned navy beans [4], providing protein and iron to a classic pasta dish.
Spaghetti with Olive Oil and Garlic
Today, say hello to my little friend Spaghetti Olio e Aglio (literally, Spaghetti with Oil and Garlic)--Italian’s original fast food. It may not look like it, but it’s a rock-star in the kitchen [5].
Asian Chicken Peanut Butter Noodle Recipe
It can also be served warm as a main dish or made-ahead and served as a cold noodle salad [6]. Either way, all I can say is yum!
Basil-Ricotta (Nut-Free!) Pesto Pasta
To thicken up this delicious basil-based pesto [7] I used some Italian ricotta cheese. The flavours in this dish are so wonderfully summer-fresh and will be an instant favourite with your family or guests.
Dill-icious Avocado Pasta Salad
Dinnertime can be easy too with this dill-icious pasta salad [8] that’s packed with nutrition. Avocado gives this dressing a creamy, ranch-like consistency that clings perfectly to the fusilli noodles; black beans add protein and colourful veggies bring on the vitamins.
Easy Chicken Fettuccini Alfredo
People cheat themselves out of the joy that is real alfredo sauce. Maybe the reason why is people don't understand how easy (and fast) it is to make (seriously, like 2-3 minutes tops). Imagine that while you're waiting for the pasta to drain, you drop a pat of butter and pour a little cream into the bottom of the pasta pot, melt the butter, thicken it with a little grated parmesan, and stir the pasta back in [9].
Greek Pasta Salad Recipe
The leftover salad is wonderful tucked into a school lunchbox or packed along for a picnic and is so easy all you do is boil up some pasta, chop some veggies, toss everything together, and voila! Dinner is on it's way [10].