If you happen to grow zucchinis in your garden you may be getting to a point where they are growing out of control by middle of summer. This year I decided to plant some 4 varieties of zucchinis and I get at least 4-6 a day I kid you not. If like me you’re constantly looking for new recipes to use them up, here’s a good one I think you’ll enjoy, plus it uses up 2 pounds of zucchinis. This recipe will make a nice lunch or light dinner and can feed a family of 4. It happens to also be vegetarian and super delicious. Hope you’ll give it a try.
- NOTE:
- 2 pounds zucchinis may seem a lot, but the recipe has very few ingredients and you want zucchinis to shine If you have to you could go down 1.5 pounds. Use small-to-medium zucchinis they are sweet and tender making it perfect to pair with long flat pasta, lots of Parmesan cheese and a little kick from chili flakes and garlic.
- If you manage to get fresh squash blossoms, they make delicious tempuras. They are totally optional but worth trying if you get them. The pasta is still delicious without them.
Zucchini Pasta
Ingredients
- 8-10 ounces uncooked flat long pasta, tagletille, fettuccini preferred
- 2 pounds zucchini diced, or a mix of zucchini and yellow summer squash
- 3 tablespoons e.v olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic minced, about 1 tablespoon
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning( rosemary, oregano, thyme)
- generous pinch of chili flakes
- ½ cup chicken or veg broth
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- kosher salt & pepper to taste
- FOR SQUASH BLOSSOM TEMPURA (optional)
- 8-10 squash blossoms, washed and patted dry
- 1/2 cup tempura mix
- water according to the instructions on the package
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3-4 tablespoons of any neutral oil for frying
Instructions
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta al dente according to directions on the package.
- While the pasta cooks chop the zucchini and mince the garlic.
- Add the olive oil to a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini, chili flakes and garlic to the pan. Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the Italian seasoning and stir.
- Add the broth, and lemon juice to the pan. Allow it cook for 1-2 minutes so it makes sauce.
- Add the parmesan cheese and toss with the drained pasta. Adjust the seasoning if needed with salt & pepper. Add a splash of pasta water if you need some extra sauce. Toss one more time and serve.
- FOR THE TEMPURA
- Mix all the ingredients for the tempura except the blossoms and oil to make a batter.
- Heat oil in a large skillet or frying pan. Dip one blossom in the batter and drain of the excess.
- Gently place it on the hot oil and fry till crispy on each side, about 2 minutes. Continue dipping and frying till you use up all the blossoms. You can fry 3-4 blossoms at a time, making sure you don’t crowd the frying pan. Serve fresh and right away along side the pasta.
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