Zucchini Pasta
A simple pasta dish that utilizes "too much zucchini."
Ingredients
- 2 zucchinis med-large
- 1/2 cup vegetable-based oil
- 250 g dried pasta
- 2 tbsp cream cheese
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup pecorino or parmesan cheese grated
- 1/2 cup fresh herbs parsley or basil
Instructions
- Wash your zucchinis and cut them into coins either on a mandolin (mine slices 1/4" slices) or with a knife, as thin as you can.
- In a large dutch oven, add your oil, and heat it on medium-high heat until shimmery.
- Add a layer of the sliced zucchini to the oil and fry on one side for about 4-5 minutes, then flip and fry for another 3-4 minutes on the other side. They should be soft in the middle, and caramelized on the outside. Remove to a paper towel to drain. Repeat for the rest of the zucchini.
- In a large pot, bring a litre of water to a boil and add 2 tsps of salt to the water. Add your pasta and cook it according to package directions, until it is al dente. Drain the pasta, but reserve some of the pasta cooking water.
- In the dutch oven you were using previously, if there's any oil left, drain it all off except for a tablespoon or two. Heat the pan over medium heat, and add back in the fried zucchini. Add the garlic and stir till fragrant, then add in the cream cheese and 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking liquid. Stir everything together until the cheese melts into the pasta water and the zucchini and it becomes saucy and emulsified.
- Add your pasta into the sauce and add more pasta water if needed if it's too thick. Add half of the grated cheese and half the fresh herbs and stir everything well to coat the pasta and melt the cheese. Taste for seasoning (I haven't added a lot of extra salt here because both the cheese and the pasta water are seasoned) and add additional salt if needed.
- Serve in a bowl, garnished with additional grated cheese, fresh herbs and freshly cracked pepper.