Creamy Cherry Tomato & Summer Squash Pasta
Simple summer pasta recipe featuring roasted cherry tomatoes, zucchini and yellow squash with rotini and a light goat cheese sauce. Healthy and delicious!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 30, 2024
Are you struggling this morning? Me, too. I caught up with family and friends in Oklahoma this weekend, over campfires and Mexican food and deep-dish pizza. It’s been glorious and I’m struggling to get back into work mode. Only have three and a half more days until next weekend!
I made this light but creamy pasta dish before I left town, and I might just make it again when I get back. It’s simple to make, plus it’s loaded with veggies and tastes much more indulgent than it really is. Burst cherry tomato juices, a little bit of butter and goat cheese, and reserved pasta cooking water form the most delicious of sauces.
That pasta cooking water is magical, so don’t forget to save some before you drain the pasta. It’s full of starch, which lends a fat-free creaminess to the pasta sauce, and helps the sauce stick to the pasta instead of just running off into your bowl.
We cooked the pasta in a relatively small pot, which meant that we got super concentrated cooking water, which I actually recommend. If Serious Eats says it’s ok, then I can, too, right?! (If you really want to geek out with me, check out “Does Adding Pasta Water Really Make a Difference?,” too. Let’s discuss!)
Watch How to Make Creamy Cherry Tomato & Summer Squash Pasta
Creamy Cherry Tomato & Summer Squash Pasta
Simple summer pasta recipe featuring roasted cherry tomatoes, zucchini and yellow squash with rotini and a light goat cheese sauce. Recipe yields 4 servings.
Ingredients
- ½ pound whole grain rotini or fusilli or penne pasta
- 1 pint (2 cups) cherry tomatoes
- 2 medium yellow squash, quartered vertically and then sliced into ¼-inch wide wedges
- 1 medium zucchini, quartered vertically and then sliced into ¼-inch wide wedges
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
- 1 ounce goat cheese, crumbled
- 1 small clove garlic, pressed or minced
- Pinch red pepper flakes
- 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup. On the baking sheet, toss the whole cherry tomatoes and sliced zucchini and squash with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and arrange in a single layer (or as close to a single layer as possible). Roast for about 25 minutes, tossing halfway, until the cherry tomatoes have burst and the squash is tender.
- Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to boil and cook the pasta until al dente, according to package directions. Before draining the pasta, reserve about 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot.
- While the pasta is hot, add the lemon juice, butter, goat cheese, garlic and red pepper flakes to the pot. Add about ¼ cup of the reserved pasta cooking water and gently toss the pasta until the ingredients are evenly mixed together and the pasta is coated in a light sauce (add more reserved cooking water if the pasta seems dry).
- Once the tomatoes and squash are out of the oven, add them to the pot along with all of the tomato juices. Gently toss once again to combine. Season to taste with salt (I added more than ½ teaspoon) and freshly ground pepper, then sprinkle chopped basil over the pasta and divide into individual serving bowls. Serve immediately.
Notes
Make it gluten free: Substitute gluten-free pasta for the whole grain pasta.
Make it dairy free/vegan: Substitute olive oil for the butter and skip the goat cheese. The starchy pasta water is pretty creamy in itself, so I think it’ll still be nice and saucy without the goat cheese. You might want to add some nutritional yeast, to taste, for cheesy flavor.
Storage suggestions: This recipe keeps well, refrigerated and covered, for about three days. Serve leftovers as a chilled pasta salad or gently reheat.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
I’m struggling a bit today, too. But I’ve accepted it and I’m going easy on myself today. Sending some good luck to you for focusing-up!
We do a sheet tray of roasted veggies + pasta night every week and I look forward to it so much, so this one ticks all the right boxes for me. Also the bit on the concentrated cooking water is interesting. I sort of already do that, so maybe ahead of the curve for once? ;)
Love your pasta nights. I think I’ve caught a few glimpses of them on Instagram. Thanks for the good luck; hopefully I’ll get my act together tomorrow! xo
To put a sheet of roasted veggies in the oven OR toasted oven makes it so much easier for me !
I have 4 rescue dogs and the evening meal for them is vegetarian too. !
My 2 senior dogs love a little pasta too !
Roasted veggies are the best! Love that your dogs are getting their vegetables. Cookie says hello!
I’ve always added pasta water to my sauces and tossed them with a small amount of butter- I think it makes it luscious. The Serious Eats article was fascinating. I’m glad that my habit of boiling pasta in way less water than recommended actually helps my pasta in addition to cooking it quicker. I just got a bumper late summer crop of summer squash, and this looks like the perfect way to use it up.
I was looking for dinner inspiration and it was waiting in my email! Can you recommend a substitution for the goat cheese? I was thinking of using a couple of eggs for a faux carbonara. Looking forward to dinner tonight!
Love the eggs idea! Feta might be really nice. I tried Parmesan in this one (it was good) but preferred goat cheese.
I know this is old, but in case anyone is looking through the comments for ideas:
I used cream cheese because I don’t like goat cheese & it has a similar texture. It was awesome!
Thank you for the suggestion!
Hey just wondering how much cream cheese you used? Did you stick to the 1oz same as the goats cheese? Thanks.
I used more like 2 ounces of the cream cheese just because it’s what I had left after bagels, but it was perfect that way so I will still use that much in the future. :)
Pasta water FTW! It’s a simple thing but makes such a huge difference. Now I’m craving this pasta!
I will be making this asap! Not letting go of summer just yet. Also, the pasta water sauce debate article is awesome, talk about some serious food science
Thanks, Gaby! I always get lost on Serious Eats and open up, like, ten tabs. Love those guys. :)
Pass me a big bowl, please! Love this pasta!
Yes! This is exactly the kind of simple pasta I love to make at the end of summer. Eat all the veg!
I, too, have oodles if summer squash, so any s.s. recipes are welcome. I used all yellow squash and my super-sweet home-grown cherry tomatoes, coming in here in New Mexico in July.
I deviated a bit from the recipe by melting my butter, sauteeing the garlic lightly and adding my (previously frozen) goat cheese. I will not do that again, at least with the cheese, as the texture got a bit grainy. I omitted the lemon juice due to concerns about curdling the already too-textured sauce. and feel like the sauce missed that tartness. I will try this again soon (so much squash!) And follow the directions.more precisely. Still delicious!
Yumm! Can’t wait to make this.
I love that a lot of this creaminess comes from the pasta sauce! So gloriously healthy and gloriously delicious.
It’s a hard call between what I like more – autumn or summer veggies. However, after looking at this recipe, summer veggies are definitely winning :)
All of my summer favorites in one dish! Can’t wait to try this one :)
It’s worth waiting for. I’m so sorry I didn’t take a photo. Delicious. By the way, I was interrupted when the vegetables were perfectly roasted. The extra time in the oven still had a terrific outcome. Just used more pasta water because the juices from the tomatoes had evaporated.
Thanks, Nellie! Glad yours turned out well!
I’m always struggling on the first day back after a vacation, haha! I’ve never used the leftover pasta water before and now I feel like I’m missing out on lots of deliciousness! Goat cheese is one of the best cheeses ever and I love that you made this pasta creamy with it!
yummy!! looks so delish :D
This pasta looks delightfully creamy, true to its name.
I’m not usually crazy about summery pastas but man alive does this ever look delicious. I absolutely love adding pasta water to my pastas. It’s so magical! I love geeking out over food too ;). I closed my cafe for the next few days so I can take a break and have other people make food for me…. but this is so on the list when I start cooking again :D
Thanks, Amanda! Hope you get some good rest during your break.
Your recipes are amazing:) congratulations
This dinner for four turned into a dinner for two! Excellent way to use up the summer veggies. I used herbed goat cheese.
Herbed goat cheese sounds like a great idea! Thanks, Ginny!
I have seen Giada add pasta water to her sauces so many times – I am convinced that it is necessary. That starchy water is golden. Love your recipes!
Made this for dinner tonight. It came out great and I was able to use the cherry tomatoes from my garden. Why do they all ripen at the same time?
Perfect! Thanks, Robin. Glad it turned out well for you.
found this blog at glamour.com and I’m very happy that I did and this pasta looks super delicious too, love the recipe!.
Thanks, Rachel! Glad you found my blog!
Wow, I’m hungry just looking at this.
Oh wow this looks unbelievable. I can’t resist a gooey pasta dish. That’s interesting about the pasta water, I usually add tons of water but will have to try it with a bit less next time.
This salad looks to healthy and delicious! What a perfect way to clean up those summer veggies!!
I like all of the individual ingredients, but when combined it wasn’t my favorite. Good way to use up summer veggies though. I’ll try to tweak it a little next time, maybe with more olive oil. Thanks for the ideas!
I’m bummed to hear that, Emily! Hope it turns out perfectly with your tweaks.
This recipe is FANTASTIC!!
Summer in a pot!!
Thanks for sharing
Woohoo! Thanks, Ruth!
This is a very delicious, quick and easy meal. I didn’t have any goat cheese on hand, so used parmesan and it turned out great.
Thanks, Ginger!
Hey., I love that a lot of this creaminess comes from the pasta sauce! So gloriously healthy and gloriously delicious :)
What I love about this recipe is that I can walk up to my neighborhood farmer’s market this morning and get everything I need for this recipe. This fact contributes to its brilliance.
I have made many of your recipes; the simplicity and overall yumminess of this recipe put it at the top of my list. I love following your blog-thanks for this great recipe. I made mine with fusilli pasta (had a box on hand), and it paired well with tomato basil soup and salad.
Thank you very much, Casy! I appreciate it. :)
Oh man this was amazing. So easy to make and the flavor was so good. I quote my roommate “I want to eat this every day until I don’t like it anymore”. It was quite the hit. Roasting the veggies in the oven made them really tasty and the tomatoes were oh so juicy. Wow just wow. Thanks Kate this one’s a keeper!
Hooray! That’s so great to hear. Thanks, Abbie!
KATE, this was incredible. You’ve done it again. The goat cheese added just enough creaminess, and the sauce was divine. I enjoyed this with a big glass of Cabernet Sauvignon while I watched the debates last night. It’s also my lunch today. I can’t get enough. :)
I’ve never added pasta water to make a sauce before, but this was brilliant. It bound everything together. I may try this again, but with a dash of pesto to make a pesto cream sauce. Or maybe butternut squash for fall??
Thank you very much, Mia! Love your ideas on how to change it up.
Made this tonight and it turned out lovely! I love how your pastas are always heavy on the vegetables, they’re the best excuse to eat all the veggies, but with the lovely pasta too (because my, do I love pasta. And quinoa, and tortillas, and all the carbs, as long as there’s an unreasonable amount of veggies too). And thanks for linking to the pasta water discussion, it was such an interesting read!
Thanks, Evelyn! Glad you enjoyed it!
This was delicious! Definitely going to be in our meal rotation. My husband requested that we eat more pasta, so thank you for providing this wonderful recipe.
Hi Kate,
Do you mind if I feature this recipe on my blog (credit and link to your blog included of course), let me know! thanks
Hi! So, I don’t allow other websites to republish my recipes in full, but you’re welcome to share one of my photos and link back to this post. Thank you for asking!
The roast flavour makes this so yummy. I completely forgot to add the cheese but my family ate it anyway. I added the cheese the next day and it revamped it for a second appearance. I confess I also added some small cubes of roasted pumpkin just because I like pumpkin. I even served it heated up sprinkled with cheddar as a toddler lunch. Such a yummy recipe.
Thank you for letting me know, Emmy! Love that you added some roasted pumpkin, too.
Hi Kate,
I have been experimenting with my cooking these days and yours is the my one stop site for all the dishes i search. Love all your dishes and their Photos.
Am planning to try out everything in your site. Keep Inspiring!
Karthika
Belated thank you, Karthika! So glad you’re enjoying my recipes, yay!
This is truly super yummy, thank you for sharing!. I has become one my favourites : )
Hooray, thanks Claudia!
I’ve been cooking nothing but your recipes for the past few weeks and this one was one of my favorites so far (tied with pickled radishes and your potato salad). It was super tasty and so easy. Will definitely be making it a few more times this summer. Thank you!
That is awesome!!! Thank you for letting me know, Kayla.
Loved it!! Easy week night dinner- faster than take out ;) Will defo make again- thank you!!
Just made this and it was DELICIOUS. The goat cheese really added a lot! Will definitely be adding this to my recipe collection.
Woohoo! Thanks, Sydney!
This recipe was wonderful! It had just the right balance of lemon, heat and creaminess. A real hit with my husband as well. A nice light meal for a hot summer night. It would also go well with some broiled fish for a heartier meal.
I’m so glad! Thank you, Susan!
Hi Kate;
I am a relative newcomer to your site. Despite the fact that I have been perusing your recipes for a few months, this is my first time leaving you a comment. And I’d just like to say that I love your recipes….! And, I am making this pasta dish tonight, for my vegan husband, with cherry tomatoes, zucchini and fresh basil from my garden.
Looking forward to more delicious dishes!
Greetings from Croatia!
Nora
Hi Nora! Thank you so much for saying hi. I’m delighted to hear that you both have been enjoying my recipes! Have a great day.
Yummy and husband approved! Also baked some bacon and then crumbled it in so it satisfied his meat need. Yummy! Thanks for delicious and easy sauce!
Thank you, Jaime! Glad to hear it!
This one is a winner! Even my 16 year old stepson – a vegetarian who, to my chagrin, doesn’t seem to particularly like vegetables – loved it. Delighted to see him go back for more, and delighted to join him.
That’s great news! Thanks for letting me know, Tania. :)
Made this for dinner last night, and it was fantastic. We made a few minor changes – halved tomatoes and roasted them cut side up so they got a little more carmelized, and pan fried the zucchini as I am not a big fan of roasted (water content can lead to “steaming” and softer vegetables, which we do not prefer). We added a little extra goat cheese and some almond milk in addition to (less) pasta water for extra creaminess, and extra basil as I had lots! I really enjoy using both goat cheese and pasta water to form a creamy sauce. This made a delicious dinner that did not take long to prepare, and took full advantage of fresh local summer produce. Thanks for another great recipe Kate!
Thank you, Linda! Your version sounds stellar. I’m so glad you enjoyed this one.
This is fantastic! We’ve used this site almost exclusively since becoming vegetarian (now GF vegan) over the past year. I’ve never been disappointed. We used what we had on hand which was two zucchini and one squash. We also use brown rice pasta and omitted the cheese. It was delightful and filling yet light.
Thank you, Melanie! I’m so glad you’re enjoying my recipes. :)
I made the cherry tomato summer squash pasta, It was delicious! I’m a vegetarian but my 19 yr old grandson is a meat eater, and usually a meal isn’t a meal unless it contains meat of some kind. Well he loved it and so did I. I didn’t have summer squash,so I used zucchini and also added sliced bell pepper and sliced onions,I would’ve added mushrooms,but Kyle hates shrooms so I left them out when I asked Kyle if he would like to have it again he said YEA IT WAS Really Good Gramma. Well that says it all for me. I Will Make It Again.
Thank you so much for letting me know, Patti! I’m glad you both enjoyed this one. Maybe I’ll make it for my very carnivorous brother. :)
I just made this for dinner tonight. My while family loved it, even the kids who claim to not like tomatoes! I wanted to use up some of our garden bounty and this was perfect. Thank you very much!
High fives all around! So glad you all enjoyed it. Thank you for letting me know, Angela!
Another win! Three for three! I was snacking on sun dried tomatoes while I was cooking, so I tossed some of those in there. I used feta because that’s what I had. I served this over fresh baby spinach. It was so good! We loved it and I’ll definitely be making this again!
I made this recipe tonight its delicious i added garlic cloves to the vegetables to roast. This is a keeper
Thank you, Patty! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for commenting!