Ah, summer dinners. The best dinners. But the thing about summer dinners is the sun stays out so late it’s hard to tell where the time went. Before you know it, you’ve started cooking and it’s already 9pm. What happened?! I’m a lover of long days, but also a lover of efficiency so I came up with this Summer Succotash Shrimp Pasta recipe just for you.
Shrimp pasta for a summer meal is delicious and iconic. This recipe takes less than an hour, so by the time you realize the sun is setting, you’ll have a finished dinner for 4-6 people (or 1-2 and leftovers galore).
This Summer Shrimp Pasta recipe uses succotash (I’ll fill you in soon), two kinds of cheeses (firm believer that 2 cheeses is always better than 1), and it’s exactly the kind of fresh, summery meal I’m tryna eat and share with my best peeps.
And for all my vegetarian homies out there, you have full permission to skip the shrimp. I promise it’ll be just as delish sans shellfish.
More pasta recipes you’ll love: White Bean and Shrimp Linguine + Spaghetti Squash Pasta with Sweet Potato Sauce + 15-Minute Marinated Mushroom Zoodle Pasta
Summer Succotash Shrimp Pasta
This summer succotash shrimp pasta takes less than an hour to make, feeds the whole family (with leftovers), and involves both summer produce and CHEESE.
Ingredients
Summer Succotash Ingredients
- 2 ears sweet corn, cut off the cobb
- 1 1/2 cups green beans, cut into 1" pieces
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, any variety, divided
- 1/2 sweet onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 tbsp finely chopped fresh oregano
- 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil
- 1 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme
- 1 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 lemon, juiced
Pasta Ingredients
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 lb dry rigatoni pasta
- 1 lb wild caught shrimp, peeled and washed
- 1/2 cup parmesan, finely grated
- 1 cup ricotta
- sea salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
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Prep all of the succotash Ingredients, excluding the butter, lemon, and 1 cup of cherry tomatoes, and add them to a large bowl.
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Heat a large pot of salted water over high heat until boiling. Once boiling, add in rigatoni, stir, and cook the pasta for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally to keep the pasta from sticking to the pot.
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Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 2 tbsp butter. Once butter is melted add all of your succotash ingredients and season generously with salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, tossing occasionally. After 5 minutes, reduce the heat to low, squeeze your lemon juice over the succotash, and continue to cook on low for 5 more minutes, tossing occasionally.
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When your pasta and succotash have 3-5 minutes left to cook, heat a medium sized pan over medium heat. Add 1 tbsp butter. When butter is melted, add your shrimp to the pan, season with salt and pepper, and toss continuously for 2-3 minutes or just until all of the shrimp turn pink. Remove from heat and set aside.
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When pasta is done cooking, drain the pasta water and return the pasta to your large pot. Add cooked shrimp, succotash, and parmesan to the large pot and mix together.
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Spoon into bowls and top each bowl with some halved cherry tomatoes, fresh ricotta, and herbs.
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EAT UP.
What is succotash?
Remember that lyric from “The Groove is in the Heart”? “My supper dish, my succotash wiiiiiish!” While I have no idea what it means in the context of that song, I can tell you exactly what I love about succotash and why you should put it in your summer shrimp pasta.
The two main stars of succotash are corn and shelled beans (lima beans are quite common, however I’m on a bit of a green bean kick , but you’ll find tomatoes play a common supporting role. Think corn, beans, and whatever other summer produce is available and ready to mingle.
Succotash has become a Southern staple over time, but that can’t keep me from whipping it up in LA. If you get your succotash on this summer and can’t get enough, you can keep it grooving all the way through fall.
Another succotash win? All the essential amino acids. I know you can’t resist.
Fresh Herbs vs. Dried Herbs
You may have noticed this dish features not 1, not 2, not 3, but 4 GORGEOUS. FRESH. HERBS. You may reach into your spice cabinet for dried oregano, basil, thyme, and rosemary, but STOP. I’m in charge here. And the recipe calls for FRESH herbs.
You may be thinking, “What’s the big diff, Haley? Same herbs after all.” Well that’s like saying prunes are the same as fresh plums or raisins are the same as fresh, juicy grapes. Not so. Like, would you be excited to receive a bag of dried herbs as a gift? Okay maybe a little, but how much greater would it be if someone brought you some freshly potted babes instead?
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a total dried herb hater. They pack a punch and are awesome for things like soups and sauces you want to leave on the stove a while, but fresh herbs give a bright vitality to your recipes and are great for fresh dishes in hot weather. Some more delicate herbs like parsley and chives can actually lose a lot of their flavor when dried, so always go fresh for those.
I guarantee you’ll taste the freshness difference in this pasta recipe. There ain’t no sub for the living thing, my friends.
Make it, eat it, let me know how it goes. xo.
