Name: Summer Veggie Pasta and Sausage
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Ingredients: 2 zucchini; 2 squash; 1 cup cherry tomato; 2 bell pepper; 1 onion (optional); 1 clove garlic (optional ); 1 box bowtie pasta; 1 4 to 6 pack any sausage ((pre-cooked chicken sausage recommended)); 1 tbsp butter; salt and black pepper to preference; parmesan cheese topping (optional )

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Drowning in zucchini and cherry tomatoes from your garden?

By mid-summer, you’ve probably cycled through every go-to recipe to use up your endless zucchini and cherry tomato harvest—and your neighbors might be avoiding your veggies now, too. This pasta dish is the perfect way to use up vegetables from your summer garden harvest.

My mother first made this dish for our family after she came to visit for the birth of our second-born. He was born during the summer, so the garden was in full production. At the time, I was freshly post-partum with no time to preserve the garden harvest. Thankfully, my mother stepped in and effortlessly whipped up this savory recipe. She made this dish using the prolific garden harvest, and I was blown away at the simplicity and taste. This simple dish is now a summer staple for us.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

This simple Summer Veggies Pasta recipe is quick and easy to make. Using only 2 pans – no oven – it can be completed within 30 minutes.

There’s something deeply rewarding about a garden‑to‑table meal—you grew the ingredients, so each bite feels more satisfying. Plus, if you’re like many home gardeners, you’re probably overflowing with zucchini and cherry tomatoes right now. This Simple Summer Veggies Pasta features almost everything you’ve grown in your garden this season.

This recipe is customizable based on the seasonal vegetables available and your dietary needs. Read more about the ingredients about what swaps you can make with the vegetables, pasta, protein, and fresh herbs.

Ingredients

Ideally, you can easily swap out the ingredients in this recipe with whatever you currently have on hand.

Vegetables:

You can add different types of peppers, corn, okra, or eggplant for new flavors. Emphasis on Summer Veggie Pasta. You can increase or decrease any number of vegetables to make it work with what you have in abundance of.

Pasta:

Now, if you don’t have bowtie pasta, you can substitute for elbow noodles, penne noodles, or even gluten free pasta.

Sausage:

Additionally, when it comes to sausage, I prefer the precooked chicken sausage, but feel free to use any type you have on hand. Just note the varying cook times for precooked vs raw sausage.

In the recipe below I add precooked sausage directly into the same skillet with the vegetables. Raw sausage should be cooked in a separate pan to ensure it is fully cooked.

If you don’t have sausage, you can substitute it for chicken or steak.

Herbs:

To season this dish, you can use fresh herbs from your garden too. Basil, Rosmary, Thyme, and Orgeno will all complement this dish. To read more about how to start your own herb garden, check out this post

Homesteading

The Best Beginner’s Guide to Growing an Herb Garden

ByEmily Henderson May 10, 2025July 9, 2025

If you’re desiring a more sustainable and garden-to-table lifestyle, one of the easiest ways to accomplish that is with an herb garden. You can start and indoor herb garden or plant herbs in decorative pots or in a garden. This guide is perfect for an experienced or new gardener. It will highlight the benefits and growing needs of each herb.

This Summer Veggie Pasta is the perfect way to incorporate your seasonal garden harvest into a delicious and easy meal.

Now, save this recipe for next time you are dealing with an overabundance from your garden and need something quick and easy for dinner.

Summer Veggie Pasta and Sausage

This is a simple 2-pan recipe to use up extra vegetables abundantly growing from your garden.

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Serving Size 4 people

Ingredients

2 zucchini
2 squash
1 cup cherry tomato
2 bell pepper
1 onion optional
1 clove garlic optional
1 box bowtie pasta
1 4 to 6 pack any sausage (pre-cooked chicken sausage recommended)
1 tbsp butter
salt and black pepper to preference
parmesan cheese topping optional

Instructions

Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta per package instructions.
While the water is coming to a boil, place a large skillet on the stove and turn on the heat to medium. Add the butter
Dice up zucchini, squash, peppers, and onions to a similar size. About half an inch big.
Mince garlic
Add the diced peppers and onions into the buttered skillet. Cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes, just before the onions turn translucent
Add the rest of diced up vegetables and minced garlic into the buttered skillet. Cook on medium heat until the vegetables are starting to soften – about 10 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper to liking. Stir frequently to ensure the vegetables do not get burned.
Dice the sausage into quarter-inch-thick slices
Add the (pre-cooked) sausage to the skillet with the vegetables. Cook time for sausage will vary depending on what type of sausage you use. Pre-cooked sausage will have a lower cook time than raw sausage. Raw sausage should be cooked separately from vegetables to ensure it is fully cooked.
Once pasta is fully cooked, strain, and add to the skillet
Half the cherry tomatoes and add to the skillet
Turn the skillet heat to simmer for 5-10 minutes until the cherry tomatoes soften
Once everything is cooked, remove from heat, add to a bowl and top with parmesean cheese