20 Minute Summer Squash Pasta with Brown Butter & Goat Cheese.
Who is ready for all the squash?! Summer squash pasta skillet coming right up.
I mean, I’ve never met a 20 minute pasta that I didn’t like.
Happy Monday!
Can you believe it’s July 15? If you’re anything like me, then you count the months of summer to be June, July and August, and that means that July 15 is right smack in the center of the summer. Is today the mid-point of our summer? I feel like it is, even though the dates don’t exxxxactly line up. But it means that summer produce is about to peak and everything tastes so darn good.
It was tricky to leave all the other summer goods (corn! tomatoes! more herbs!) out of here. But I managed to make a flavorful dish with just a few ingredients.
So! This is summer in a skillet to me.
Truly, summer in a skillet. The flavor is awesome, it comes together quickly, you can prep it ahead of time for lunch. It’s one of those dishes that is so good and you won’t believe how simple it is!
It’s also one of those dishes that you should season to your taste. I like to keep this easy – brown butter, squash, goat cheese – all of those flavors come together to create this delicious dish. Taste it as you make it, once you finished it, right before serving. Add whatever else you think you might love, even if that means a few shavings of parmesan.
The pine nuts on top give a bit of toasty flavor along with a little crunch.
I’m having a major moment with pine nuts. I pretty much put them on everything.
Also! I’ve made other 20 minute pastas like this in the past and we adore them! You guys always seem to go crazy over them too. We have this one with marinated feta and arugula and then this one with garlic, spinach and chickpeas. They are all staples in my kitchen.
(If you new how much exclamation points I had up there before editing, you’d be giving me some major eye rolls.)
Another thing I love about this dish? It’s versatile. It’s a dish that I would make myself for dinner on a night when Eddie isn’t home. But it’s also a dish he loves, as long as it’s served… on the side. SHOCKER. On the side of chicken or steak of course.
But that’s cool, because it works for both of us. And he loves the leftovers for lunch. Basically, we all fight over the leftovers for lunch.
I’m even going to go out on a limb here and tell you that it’s good. Right out of the fridge.
YEP.
Dinner is on me.
Summer Squash Pasta
Summer Squash Pasta Skillet
Ingredients
- 8 ounces of your favorite pasta
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 small zucchini squash, sliced into rounds
- 1 small summer squash, sliced into rounds
- kosher salt
- freshly cracked black pepper
- 4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to the directions.
- While the pasta is cooking, heat a skillet over medium-low heat. Add the pine nuts. Toss and stir them until they are golden and fragrant, about 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from the heat immediately.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat and add the butter. Whisk it constantly until brown bits begin to form on the bottom and the butter is golden. When that happens, add the garlic and squash rounds and toss to coat, then cook for 5 minutes until the zucchini softens. Sprinkle it with salt and pepper.
- The pasta should be finished by now, so add it to the skillet with the zucchini. Turn the heat to low. Toss the pasta and squash well, making sure everything is combined and has a bit of butter on it. Crumble in the goat cheese and toss it well. Add in another few cracks of fresh black pepper. Toss in the pine nuts.
- Stir in the fresh basil and serve immediately.
Did you make this recipe?
Be sure to follow @howsweeteats on instagram and tag #howsweeteats. You can also post a photo of your recipe to our facebook page.
I appreciate you so much!
Give me all the brown butter every day.
69 Comments on “20 Minute Summer Squash Pasta with Brown Butter & Goat Cheese.”
Pingback: 32 Weeks of Menu Plans! That’s 224 Different Dinner Ideas For 2021! - xgirlfriend
Hey there! This looks delish! What pasta shape is this?
Rachel x
It looks like Vesuvio
I’ve seen this pasta at Trader Joes
I would really like to try this recipe, however, I’m not a fan of goat cheese….can you suggest another cheese as a substitution please? What brand of goat cheese did you use? I was just wondering if maybe it has a milder taste than I have tried before. Thanks
Same, i don’t think my roommates will eat goat cheese. I’m going to make this with Ricotta cheese..
Easy and delicious! Perfect weeknight meal!
Delicious recipe! I subbed goat cheese with parmesan, oven toasted walnuts instead of pine nuts, extra squash, and used gemelli pasta. This recipe is a keeper :) Thank you!
These all look amazing! Can you please share widely us where you can find all the cool. Unique, pasta you use in your dishes? You always seem to have fun shapes and they make a really great presentation!
Thank you!😊
It’s amazing – I had to use pistachio nuts and some pesto paste as I was missing the pine nuts and basil. I can’t wait to try it with all the ingredients. This is a keeper! delicious and fast.
Fresh, easy and delicious! We had it as a side with some grilled chicken and it was perfect. Thank you will definitely make again!!
Yum!!! So little effort for so much satisfying flavor. Brown butter and goat cheese? Yes please! And not too much stove time on a summer evening. Thanks for a great recipe!