RECIPE: Zucchini windfall? Make this zippy pasta sauce all summer long
Zucchini and summer squash are staple vegetables in my kitchen from June through August. I get them in giant bagfuls from my CSA, and I am always looking for ways to incorporate them into dinner beyond simple side dishes that my daughter won’t touch. While I’m not above “hiding” zucchini in tomato sauce or macaroni and cheese, turning the vegetables into pasta sauce has been a great success.
All you need to do is get the zucchini into tiny pieces and give it enough time to cook. The tiny pieces part is easy — instead of slicing and dicing, pull out a box grater. The large holes on a grater get the zucchini small enough that it’ll melt into a thick sauce after about 15 minutes of cooking. This, plus a small diced onion (you can chop the onion by hand or start with frozen), is just about all you need to coat a pound of al dente bucatini.
To complete the zucchini’s transformation, stir in a bit of pasta cooking water to loosen up the vegetables and allow the sauce to cling to the pasta. I do this step over relatively high heat so that the water will simmer and emulsify into the olive oil used to cook the zucchini. A squeeze of lemon adds a bit of zip to the sauce and a grating of quality Parmesan cheese brings a final touch of umami.
- Salt
- 1 pound dried bucatini
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 1 pound (about 2 medium) zucchini, ends trimmed (can substitute yellow squash)
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Freshly grated Parmesan, for serving
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the bucatini and cook until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking water.
- Meanwhile, coat the bottom of a large high-sided skillet with olive oil. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and place over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
- While the onion cooks, grate the zucchini on the large holes of a box grater. When the onion is soft, add the zucchini and another pinch of salt. Continue to cook, stirring, until the zucchini melts into a thick sauce, 13 to 15 minutes.
- Add the cooked pasta and 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta cooking water. Increase the heat to medium-high and stir constantly until a sauce forms around the pasta, about 1 minute, adding additional pasta water as needed, 1 tablespoon at a time. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice. Serve topped with Parmesan. Serves 4 to 6.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per serving, based on 4: 536 calories (percent of calories from fat, 17), 18 grams protein, 93 grams carbohydrates, 5 grams fiber, 10 grams total fat (2 grams saturated), 4 milligrams cholesterol, 158 milligrams sodium.Sign up for the AJC Food and Dining Newsletter
Read more stories like this by liking Atlanta Restaurant Scene on Facebook, following @ATLDiningNews on Twitter and @ajcdining on Instagram.
