My Favorite Summer Pastas & What I Cooked Last Week
Plus how to make a pantry pasta, Mom's summer pasta, Thai red curry chicken, healthier key lime pie
Hi everyone,
Hope you had a great week! As you know, Doug and I just got back from Italy and had the best time. We loved the lifestyle so much that we’re already planning another trip. We just couldn’t get enough. One of my favorite parts, of course, was all the incredible pasta.
Inspired by the meals we had in Puglia, I’m sharing four of my favorite summer pasta recipes. I don’t know if everyone thinks of pasta as a summer food, but I’ve always loved it this time of year, especially when tomatoes and fresh herbs are at their peak. (Of course, heartier dishes like baked ziti or lasagna are better saved for the cooler, cozier months.)
The first is my mom’s summer pasta. I used to beg her to make it when I was a kid. I especially love it in the summer because the sauce requires no cooking: you simply toss together chopped tomatoes, basil, toasted pine nuts, little cubes of Parmesan, garlic, and olive oil. Then you add the hot pasta and let all the flavors meld together. It’s so easy and delicious, and I hope you give it a try!
As always, my cookbook Maxi’s Kitchen is now available for purchase at your local bookstore or online:
Thank you so much for your support 🤍
What I Cooked Last Week! ↓
Mom’s Summer Pasta
This recipe is one of my childhood favorites—I used to beg my mom to make it! You pour the hot pasta onto a no-cook sauce and all the flavors meld together.
You can download the PDF recipe above and watch the video here :)
Thai Red Curry Chicken
To make authentic Thai curry, you fry the curry paste in some coconut milk to bloom the spices and aromatics. It’s the base for creating a balanced and delicious broth.
Healthier Key Lime Pie
My friend has been making this on repeat and says everyone who tries it becomes obsessed. Made with Greek yogurt for added protein, it still has that creamy, tangy finish.
My Favorite Summer Pastas 🍝
Before I dive into the recipes, I wanted to share Alison Roman’s fantastic YouTube video on pantry pasta. I love Alison. She’s someone I’ve looked up to for years because she’s an incredibly talented cook with such a unique point of view. She’s also hilarious. I’ve learned so much from watching her YouTube videos, and I always recommend them if you’re looking for approachable recipes and techniques. Alison also moderated my New York City book event, which happened to be the first stop on my book tour. It was such a pinch-me moment to be in conversation with one of my cooking idols.
I recently rewatched Alison’s pantry pasta video and was reminded of what a great tutorial it is for making pasta on the fly with whatever you have in your kitchen. My biggest takeaway is this: If you’re making pasta with pantry staples like garlic, shallots, onions, herbs, red pepper flakes, and olive oil, you’ll probably need more than you think. For example, you’ll likely need much more olive oil than you expect to create a silky sauce that coats every strand of pasta. Alison calls this philosophy “more is more.”
Another thing: Alison loves anchovies, and I wholeheartedly agree that they add incredible depth and complexity. Plus, they melt completely into the sauce as they cook. If you don’t have a tin of anchovies, you can use fish sauce instead since it’s made with anchovies and gives you a similar umami flavor. (It won’t taste fishy, I promise.) And if you don’t eat fish, capers are a great substitute. They also add a wonderful briny, bright flavor.
Like Alison, I love using garlic and shallots. If tomatoes are in season, I’ll throw those in too, along with lots of chopped parsley and a squeeze of lemon juice and zest at the end.
One of the things I love most about pasta is that you can make something incredibly delicious with whatever you have on hand. Just don’t be afraid to be generous with the mix-ins. Pasta on its own is pretty bland, so it can handle a lot of bold flavors. Worst case, you can always dial it back next time, but I think you’ll be surprised by how much it takes to build a really flavorful sauce.
Anyway, here are a few more pastas I’ve been making on repeat this summer:
Summer Cherry Tomato Bucatini
This one was inspired by Alison’s pantry pasta method. It’s got a generous amount of garlic and shallots, along with fish sauce for that signature depth of flavor. I’ve also added cherry tomatoes, since they’re in season, plus lots of chopped parsley and a squeeze of lemon juice for a bright finish. It’s one of those dishes you won’t be able to stop eating.
You can find the recipe here.
Spaghetti Aglio e Olio
An Italian classic, and the ultimate pantry pasta because it’s made with just a handful of ingredients. As with any pantry pasta, it’s important to be generous with the olive oil and garlic, then finish cooking the pasta in the sauce so it absorbs all those savory flavors. You can easily double the spaghetti to serve more people, just be sure to double everything else too.
You can find the recipe here.
The Best Fresh Pesto Pasta
Of course, I had to include my favorite homemade pesto pasta. I fell in love with pesto in high school. I played competitive water polo through my first year of college before deciding to quit (my parents weren’t thrilled, lol, though they understood). In high school, we traveled to Liguria, the region of Italy famous for pesto, to play against Italian teams. In the evenings, we’d have these incredible dinners where they’d bring out plates of pesto pasta, usually rotini, as the primi (first course). Then we’d have a secondo (second course) with fish or meat. The pesto was so delicious, and I’ve loved it ever since.
It’s such a beautiful thing to make in the summer, when you can find big bunches of fresh basil at the farmers market or grocery store. It’s also delicious served at room temperature, making it perfect for picnics or barbecues. I recently brought it to Cinespia, a really cool outdoor movie series in LA where you watch films in a cemetery.
One pro tip for the pesto: you could toast the pine nuts before blending them. Put them in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly, until they’re fragrant and golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Keep an eye on them, as they can burn quickly.
You can find the recipe here.
I hope these recipes inspire you to make lots of pasta this summer or to throw together your own pantry pasta with whatever you already have in your kitchen.
Wishing you a wonderful weekend!
Love,
Maxine