Summertime is for relaxing…laying by the pool (or a beach) and just taking it easy.  Even though relaxation is the name of the game for the summer, you still need to eat.  I like to make easygoing meals that don’t require tons of heat or time…like pasta!  Pasta is simple and let’s be honest, you don’t really need a recipe; you could sort of just wing it and see what happens.

I thought I would share 3 pastas that I’ve made this summer in hopes to encourage readers to take it easy but still make a delicious pasta to accompany your dinner or to take to a barbecue.  Alright, here are the easiest pastas – feel free to adjust according to your preferences.  

Smoked Mozzarella Pasta

Somewhat inspired from a smoked mozzarella pasta I had at Whole Foods – it’s a less involved version, I guess you could say.  The Whole Foods version is very delicious but this is simple and easy to complete at home. Get the recipe on my column over on Nooga.

Simple Salmon Pasta

Fish is so easy to cook, right? Why not throw in some pasta with a few veggies?  This is the perfect snack for a summer BBQ.  This pasta is a little special for me because, it was featured on YumSugar a few weeks ago (yay!). 

Verano Veggie Pasta

First things first, I got “fancy” with the name. If you speak Spanish, you’ll know that verano means summer in English.  Lesson over.  I made this pasta recently to take to a barbecue and it’s pretty much a few of my favorite vegetables (green beans, corn, red bell peppers, cucumber, zucchini and squash), tossed with bowtie noodles salt & pepper and little Italian dressing.  Like seriously, how easy is that? I did blanch the green beans before adding it to the pasta and I sauteed the remaining veggies (just for a couple of minutes) in some garlic oil, salt and pepper. 

I topped it with a little parmesan cheese but any other type of cheese (or no cheese) will do.  

Do you have a favorite summer pasta?