Summer No Recipe Pasta Delight - Supper With Michelle

 

Doesn’t my Summer “No Recipe” Pasta Delight dish just siiiiing summer?!? 🙂 It’s a little creamy, saucy, veggie-y, summery, all that! This dish was inspired by a fellow “instagramer”, Zeynep. She had shared a dish not too long ago that involved zucchini and eggplant with a homemade garlic tomato sauce and yogurt. Zeynep was originally inspired by a Turkish dish called “mixed fried vegetables”. Well, it was just so beautiful that I felt inspired to make this.

For this dish I wanted to use some of my favorite summer veggies, that can be either sautéed, roasted, or grilled. I like to make a simple marinara sauce with some of the tomatoes that I grow during the summer months and I love to pair them with a lighter pasta like orzo. You can certainly use a little bit of your favorite marinara sauce, if you don’t feel like making a marinara sauce from scratch. Now I don’t typically do this, but for this dish I’m calling it a “no recipe” dish because it’s fairly simple to make. So, I’ll just share the basic ingredients that I use along with the process below.

Summer No Recipe Pasta Delight - Supper With Michelle

Similar to my cookbook, you can freestyle this dish and make it your own in different ways.

Here’s a few ways to freestyle this recipe:

  • use sour cream instead of yogurt
  • top with a small ball of burrata instead of yogurt and drizzle with a little balsamic glaze
  • in the fall and winter months switch out the summer veggies for roasted winter squash, mushrooms (that have been marinated in balsamic vinegar, seasoned, and then roasted), and sautéed  hearty greens such as collards, swiss chard, or kale
  • use a dollop of cottage cheese (small curds) or ricotta cheese instead of yogurt
  • top with fresh basil instead of fresh dill

Here are some other additions and ideas to consider:

  • stir in a dollop of pesto
  • add a small portion of warmed beans such as white beans
  • add your favorite protein on top, such as grilled or sautéed shrimp or baked, grilled, or pan-seared fish or tofu
  • top with a little bit of your favorite cheese, such as pan-seared or grilled halloumi, crumbled feta cheese, or grated parmesan cheese

Are there ways to veganize this recipe???

Sure. Simply omit the yogurt or sour cream and use a non-dairy sour cream or unsweetened non-dairy plain yogurt.

Summer No Recipe Pasta Delight - Supper With Michelle

Looking for other great summer meal ideas? Give these delicious recipes a try! 

Join me on my social channels and please don’t forget to take pictures and tag me #supperwithmichelle and @supperwithmichelle, if you make any of my recipes! I absolutely love to see all of your creations. You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, YouTube, or Pinterest! As always, I love when you share your reviews in the comments below, and if you have any fun substitutions or additions, let me know how it worked out below too!

Thank you so much for stopping by today! I hope that you love my Summer “No Recipe” Pasta Delight. The full printable “no recipe” is below. Enjoy!

Summer No Recipe Pasta Delight - Supper With Michelle

Get the Recipe: Summer "No Recipe" Pasta Delight

Yield: 2 people
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
Doesn't my Summer "No Recipe" Pasta Delight dish just siiiiing summer?!? 🙂 It's a little creamy, saucy, veggie-y, summery, all that!
5 from 9 reviews
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Ingredients

  • 1 cup orzo pasta
  • 1 to 2 medium zucchini, sliced
  • 1 to 2 medium yellow squash, sliced
  • A good drizzle olive oil
  • a sprinkle of a combination of dried Italian herbs, garlic powder, paprika, optional
  • salt and pepper , to taste
  • a pinch red chile flakes, optional
  • 1 cup corn, I use one ear of corn that has been boiled or grilled. Of course, you can use canned or frozen corn, if you prefer.
  • 5.3 ounces plain Greek yogurt
  • 2 cups marinara sauce, homemade or store-bought

optional toppings

  • fresh dill or basil

Instructions

  • Cook the orzo according to the instructions on the package, drain, and set to the side.
  • Prepare the zucchini and squash. Feel free to season it with a good drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of dried Italian herbs, garlic powder, paprika, salt, pepper, and/or a pinch of red chile flakes. Roast, sauté, or grill the zucchini and yellow squash and set to the side once done.
  • If using fresh corn, boil or grill the corn. Once done, let the corn cool for a few minutes and then cut it off the cob. If using canned or frozen corn, cook until warmed/cooked through.
  • For this step you can use either use homemade or store-bought marinara sauce. For my marinara sauce, in a large skillet, I sauté some minced garlic until fragrant and then add 1 pint of cherry tomatoes and a little fresh basil. I simmer the sauce for about 30 minutes or until the tomatoes break down and become “saucy”. If you're using store-bought sauce, simply warm it in a small sauce pan.
  • To serve, add some orzo to your bowl(s), ladle on some sauce, top with the veggies, and then add a dollop of yogurt. Shower with some fresh dill or basil, if using.
    Enjoy!

Notes

Please note that the nutritional information will differ depending on what type of sauce you use and additional toppings that you choose. 
Calories: 489kcal, Carbohydrates: 94g, Protein: 25g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 0.01g, Cholesterol: 4mg, Sodium: 542mg, Potassium: 1681mg, Fiber: 10g, Sugar: 21g, Vitamin A: 1658IU, Vitamin C: 56mg, Calcium: 166mg, Iron: 4mg