So it’s the middle of summer, and it’s hot.  You probably don’t want to turn on your oven, or even spend much effort making food.  Luckily, there are some easy, refreshing dishes that you can make right on your stovetop.  Here’s one, which we based on a recipe from Bon Appetit.

To make it, you’ll need:

• 12 ounces of pasta
• 1 or 2 yellow squash
• 1 or 2 zucchini
• Garlic
• Red pepper flakes
• Parmesan cheese (leave this out if you want vegan pasta)
• Lemon juice
• A package of basil

You’ll first want to take 8 (yes, 8) cloves of garlic and slice them up thinly, then cook them in a large skillet over medium heat in 1/4 cup of olive oil.

Once the garlic begins to brown, after about 4 minutes, chop your squash and zucchini into quarters and add those to the pan as well.

While these veggies are heating up on your stovetop, boil your pasta until it just loses its firmness.  Once your squash and zucchini have softened, after cooking for about 15 minutes, transfer all the pasta to the skillet along with 1/2 cup of the water the pasta was cooking in and a sprinkling of red pepper flakes.

Gradually add in 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese and more red pepper flakes to taste and cook everything in your skillet until the pasta is fully done.

Then add in all your basil leaves and a tablespoon of lemon juice.

You can serve your pasta with more Parmesan cheese and some extra basil leaves on top.

And there’s a simple, tasty, slightly spicy pasta dish that’s filled with seasonal flavors.  You only need a few ingredients and less than half an hour to make it and you end up with a veggie-filled meal.  Whether it’s a lazy Sunday or a brutally hot day or you just want to make something easy, try this pasta dish out for something healthy and delicious.