By Summer routines are establishing themselves. Tyler is working at the Freightliner dealership part-time — the same dealership where Dave has connections, where Tyler will eventually work full-time after his diesel tech degree, though neither of us says 'eventually' because eventually implies a plan and plans imply expectations and expectations are dangerous when you are a fourteen-year-old learning to change oil. He goes three days a week, learns, watches, gets grease on his clothes, comes home smelling like a mechanic's shop, which is the same smell Dave carries, which is the same smell Larry carried, and the smell is a heritage, passed down through men who work with their hands.
Amber is working at the public library for the summer — shelving books, running the children's reading program, existing among the books that have been her refuge since she was eight years old and discovered that the inside of a book was safer than the inside of a house. The library pays minimum wage and Amber does not care because the payment is the books, the payment is the quiet, the payment is the three months of being surrounded by stories before she starts her senior year and the stories become applications and transcripts and the machinery of leaving.
Justin is lifting. Every morning, in the garage, preparing for sophomore football with the methodical intensity of a boy who has been told he might make varsity and who will turn 'might' into 'will' through sheer repetition of effort. He does not talk about it. He lifts. The lifting is the talking.
I made pasta salad for the week — rotini, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, Italian dressing, mozzarella. A summer staple, a no-cook dinner component, a thing that sits in the refrigerator and gets better each day, which is the opposite of most things in the refrigerator and also the opposite of most things in life. Pasta salad improves with time. I aspire to be pasta salad.
The pasta salad I made that week — rotini, cherry tomatoes, olives, mozzarella, Italian dressing — reminded me that the best summer food, like the best summer moments, doesn’t demand much from you. It just sits quietly in the refrigerator, getting better while you’re not looking. If you’re looking for that same kind of low-effort, high-reward cooking this summer, these twelve vegetarian pasta recipes are exactly where I’d point you — no oven required, no ceremony, just good food that keeps.
12 Vegetarian Pasta Recipes
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 10 min | Total Time: 25 min (plus chilling) | Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 12 oz rotini or fusilli pasta
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 medium cucumber, diced
- 1/2 cup black or Kalamata olives, sliced
- 4 oz fresh mozzarella, cubed (or bocconcini)
- 1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup roasted red peppers, chopped
- 1/3 cup Italian dressing (store-bought or homemade)
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil, torn
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Grated Parmesan for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop cooking and cool quickly.
- Prep the vegetables. While the pasta cooks, halve the cherry tomatoes, dice the cucumber, slice the olives, chop the roasted red peppers, and thinly slice the red onion.
- Combine. In a large bowl, toss the cooled pasta with the tomatoes, cucumber, olives, roasted peppers, red onion, and mozzarella.
- Dress and season. Pour the Italian dressing over the salad and toss well to coat. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
- Chill. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving — or overnight. The flavors deepen considerably the next day.
- Finish and serve. Stir in fresh basil just before serving. Top with grated Parmesan if desired.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 310 | Protein: 11g | Fat: 10g | Carbs: 44g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 420mg