Recipe collection

Summer Pasta Recipes

Cook South African summer pasta with salads, seafood, lemon, pesto, fresh tomatoes and lighter no-oven dinners.

South African summer asks for food that travels, cools well or spends little time over heat. These recipes bring pasta salads, seafood, lemon, herbs and tomatoes together without pretending every dish should be served cold.

21editorially reviewed recipes
Trofie pasta with bright basil pesto green beans and potato in a handmade green bowl
Liguria · Genoa

Trofie al Pesto Genovese

Fresh basil pesto coats twisted trofie with potato and green beans in the Ligurian manner.

35 minModerateServes 4
Chicken pesto fusilli with baby marrow and basil in a contemporary green ceramic bowl
Fast basil dinner

Chicken Pesto Pasta

Juicy chicken, fusilli and blistered baby marrows meet basil pesto in a fresh, quick sauce.

30 minEasyServes 4
Spaghetti alle vongole with open clams parsley and garlic on a pale coastal plate
Campania · coastal classic

Spaghetti alle Vongole

Clams, garlic, parsley and white wine make a clean, briny sauce that belongs on hot spaghetti, not at the bottom of the bowl.

40 minModerateServes 4
Garlic butter prawn linguine with lemon parsley and visible pink prawns
South African coastal dinner

Garlic Butter Prawn Pasta

Quick-cooked prawns, garlic, lemon and parsley coat linguine in a glossy butter sauce with no cream required.

25 minEasyServes 4
Linguine in tomato seafood sauce with mussels prawns calamari and parsley
South African shared table

Seafood Tomato Pasta

Mussels, prawns and calamari cook in stages through a reduced tomato and wine sauce made for a generous weekend bowl.

50 minModerateServes 6
Lemon chicken linguine with golden chicken strips Parmesan and parsley
Bright family supper

Lemon Chicken Pasta

Golden chicken, lemon and Parmesan make a light glossy sauce that feels creamy without relying on a cup of cream.

30 minEasyServes 4
Simple tomato basil spaghetti with glossy red sauce and torn basil leaves
Modern everyday tomato sauce

Tomato and Basil Pasta

Ripe tomato, garlic and basil make a clean weeknight sauce whose quality depends on reduction rather than a crowded spice rack.

30 minEasyServes 4
Cold fusilli salad with sliced chicken cucumber tomato herbs and lemon dressing
Make-ahead summer lunch

Lemon Chicken Pasta Salad

Chicken, cucumber, tomato, herbs and fusilli meet a bright yoghurt-lemon dressing that stays light enough for hot days.

35 minEasyServes 6
Golden curried macaroni salad with peppers peas and spring onion
Braai-table favourite

South African Curried Pasta Salad

A tangy mild curry dressing, crisp peppers, peas and spring onion make this cold macaroni salad useful beside a braai, not sweet and soggy.

30 minEasyServes 8
Linguine with seared prawns red peri-peri sauce lemon and parsley
South African-inspired seafood

Peri-Peri Prawn Linguine

Prawns, lemon, garlic and restrained peri-peri coat linguine in a bright butter-and-tomato pan sauce.

25 minModerateServes 4
Shell pasta with bright peas lemon mint and finely grated Parmesan
20-minute vegetarian dinner

Lemon and Pea Pasta

Peas, lemon, mint and Parmesan form a fresh green sauce for shells, with some peas crushed and others left whole.

20 minEasyServes 4
Fusilli with basil pesto baby marrow green beans and cherry tomatoes
Green summer pasta

Pesto Vegetable Pasta

Baby marrow, green beans and cherry tomatoes join fusilli and basil pesto in a quick dinner that keeps every vegetable distinct.

30 minEasyServes 4
Farfalle salad with charred sweetcorn feta tomato spring onion and herbs
Fresh South African braai side

Sweetcorn and Feta Braai Pasta Salad

Charred sweetcorn, feta, tomato, spring onion and lime dress farfalle for a colourful make-ahead braai side.

30 minEasyServes 8
Fettuccine in creamy garlic sauce with pink prawns parsley and lemon
Silky seafood supper

Creamy Garlic Prawn Pasta

Juicy prawns and fettuccine meet a restrained garlic cream sauce sharpened with lemon and parsley.

30 minEasyServes 4
Tagliatelle with smoked salmon lemon creme fraiche dill and black pepper
Fast, elegant ribbons

Smoked Salmon Lemon Pasta

Tagliatelle, smoked salmon, lemon and dill come together in a fresh creme fraiche sauce without cooking the fish to dryness.

20 minEasyServes 4
Linguine with seared prawns burst cherry tomatoes lemon and parsley
Bright coastal-style pasta

Prawn and Tomato Linguine

Prawns, burst cherry tomatoes, garlic and lemon coat linguine in a light, vivid sauce ready in half an hour.

30 minEasyServes 4
Fusilli seafood pasta salad with prawns white fish cucumber tomatoes and herbs
Chilled braai-table centrepiece

Seafood Pasta Salad

Fusilli, prawns, flaky white fish and crisp vegetables are bound by a light lemon-herb dressing made for sharing.

35 minEasyServes 8
Spaghetti with wilted baby spinach lemon zest Parmesan and black pepper
Twenty-minute green dinner

Lemon Spinach Pasta

Spaghetti, baby spinach, lemon and Parmesan become a fresh pantry meal through a quick pasta-water emulsion.

20 minEasyServes 4
Fusilli pasta salad with cucumber tomato olives feta red onion and oregano
Fresh summer and braai side

Greek-Style Pasta Salad

Fusilli, cucumber, tomato, olives and feta meet a sharp oregano dressing that travels well when kept cool.

25 minEasyServes 8
Fusilli pesto pasta salad with green beans cherry tomatoes basil and pine nuts
Green make-ahead side

Pesto Pasta Salad

Fusilli, green beans and tomatoes are coated in pesto loosened with lemon, not a heavy blanket of mayonnaise.

25 minEasyServes 8
Farfalle salad with kidney beans cannellini beans green beans peppers and herbs
Substantial pantry braai side

Three-Bean Pasta Salad

Farfalle, three beans, peppers and herbs make a bright, filling salad with a mustard vinaigrette.

30 minEasyServes 8
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