Grilled Zucchini Corn Pasta with Mint Pesto

Name: Grilled Zucchini Corn Pasta with Mint Pesto
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 2 garlic cloves; 1 cup basil leaves; 1/4 cup mint leaves plus; 1/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts; 1/4 cup grated Parmesan (plus more for serving); 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; 1 lemon, (juice); 1/3 cup olive oil; 3 ears corn; 2 medium zucchini (about 1 pound) (sliced lengthwise 1/4-inch thick); 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; 8 ounces penne; 2 tablespoons minced chives; 4 ounces fresh mozzarella, (torn)

By Paige Adams

on Jun 04, 2025

5 from 1 vote

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This zucchini corn pasta is a fantastic vegetarian main dish that’s perfect for grilling season. Tossed in an herby mint pesto, this easy pasta recipe has fresh mozzarella and chives plus smoky grilled vegetables. It’s quick for a weeknight dinner if you have the grill fired up, and it’s still special enough for a summer get-together.

Grilled zucchini corn pasta with mint pesto on a plate.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe
The Ingredients
How To Make This Zucchini Corn Pasta

Roasting Instructions

Serving
Make-Ahead Tips, Leftovers & Storage
More Summer Pasta Recipes
Grilled Zucchini Corn Pasta with Mint Pesto Recipe

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

With grilled vegetables and fresh pesto, this pasta is a love letter to summer produce. Zucchini and corn may be available year round, but nothing is better than enjoying them in season.

This zucchini corn pasta makes the case for more grilled vegetarian main dishes. Protein doesn’t have to dominate grilling season. Vegetables are quick and easy to grill, and they can be so much more than just side dishes.

This simple summer pasta recipe has an incredible combination of flavors and textures. You get the juicy corn, tender zucchini and fresh mozzarella in each herb-filled bite.

The Ingredients

Ingredients including zucchini, corn, basil, mint, olive oil, parmesan, walnuts, chives, penne, lemon, garlic, salt and pepper.

This is what you need:

Corn: I like to buy my corn in the husks because they protect the kernels from drying out. Look for corn at the grocery or farmers market that is tightly wrapped in its husk from end to end. Please resist the urge to pull back the leaves to peak at the top.
Zucchini should have smooth green skin and no soft spots. You can substitute with yellow squash or use a combination of both.
Pasta: I like penne rigate because the ridges hold onto the pesto. You can try other short shapes like fusilli or cavatappi.
Fresh mozzarella: I prefer ciliegine. The balls aren’t too big or too small to tear into pieces. Besides being distributed throughout the pasta, those rough torn edges pick up the pesto.
Chives: This pasta is a celebration of herbs. I like the light onion flavor that chives add, complimenting the fresh mint and basil.
Mint pesto: I use both basil and mint leaves in the pesto. Mint gives traditional basil pesto a fresh twist. The pesto also has garlic, toasted walnuts, grated parmesan cheese, fresh lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, kosher salt and black pepper.

How To Make This Zucchini Corn Pasta

Preheat a gas or charcoal grill on medium high heat.

1. Make the pesto. Use a food processor to finely chop the garlic cloves, fresh basil, mint leaves, walnuts, parmesan, salt, pepper and lemon juice. Pour the olive oil through the feeder tube with the motor running. Stop when the pesto is combined.

2. Grill the corn and zucchini. Toss them with olive oil, salt and pepper. Grill the corn until it’s lightly charred all over. This will take about 5-7 minutes. At the same time grill the zucchini. It will just need 2-3 minutes on each side.

Mint pesto in a food processor. Grilled vegetables on a plate.

3. Slice the kernels off the ears of corn and dice the grilled zucchini.

4. Cook the pasta in salted boiling water until al dente following the directions on the package. Then drain it.

Side grilled zucchini and grilled corn kernels on a plate.

5. Stir the pasta with half the pesto.

6. Toss in the grilled corn and zucchini, chives, mozzarella and the remaining pesto.

Pasta tossed with pesto in a large bowl. Grilled zucchini and corn, chives and fresh mozzarella stirred into pasta.

Roasting Instructions

If you don’t have a grill, you can roast the corn and zucchini. Slice the kernels off the cobs and dice the zucchini into 1/2-inch pieces. Toss them with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Spread the veggies across a sheet pan and roast for 25-30 minutes until they are lightly browned at the edges.

Serving

A salad is the most obvious choice as a side. Try this lemon arugula salad, a better-than-a-restaurant house salad or an Italian chopped salad. I also love a bowl of marinated cherry tomatoes on the side. Then you have summer’s ultimate trio: zucchini, corn and tomatoes.

Make-Ahead Tips, Leftovers & Storage

You can make the pesto up to 2 days in advance. Store it in a jar in the refrigerator, but make sure to take it out at least 15 minute before you plan to stir it into the pasta. Oil tends to harden in the cold temperature of the fridge.

Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days. You can either eat them cold as a pasta salad and add baby arugula or spinach or reheat the pasta in the microwave.