A Quick, Tasty And Easy Pasta Recipe
We admit that our love for food drives us to learn to grow what we can in our garden. While the following pasta recipe is made using zucchinis (courgettes) and basil straight from the summer vegetable garden, we have made it spring and late autumn with store bought items (whenever possible help to support your local farms). If you enjoy fresh pasta, zucchini, basil, lemon juice and Parmesan cheese, keep reading.
This recipe is quick and easy, and we have yet to find someone that does not love this pasta meal. A delicious, healthy dinner on a hot summer’s evening with a crisp white wine, and, seriously, everything will be alright. Grow your own zucchinis and basil for a garden fresh summer dinner!
Items Needed For 4
500g Penne pasta
10-12 small to medium-sized zucchini (courgettes)
Large handful of basil leaves
1-2 Lemons
Olive oil
A small block of Parmesan cheese
Black pepper
Steps Taken
- Thinly slice all the zucchinis at an angle. If you have a hand-held Mandoline it will help speed up the process to a minute or two. It will look like an awful lot of zucchini, but once cooked, it will reduce down. The idea is to have a more or less equal amount of zucchini to pasta.
- In a large pan, heat the olive oil at medium to low heat. There should be enough olive oil to just cover the pan. Then put the sliced zucchini in the pan – cover and cook for about 25 minutes. Occasionally stirring so the zucchini cooks evenly.
- In a separate pan, cook the pasta in boiling salted water according to package instructions, usually about 10 minutes.
- After 25 minutes of cooking the zucchini, toss the shredded basil leaves with the zucchini and cook for another five minutes. Once completed, turn off the heat. Then add pepper and squeeze the lemon juice to taste.
- Serve hot with the zucchini over the pasta with shavings of Parmesan cheese. Yum!
Note about adding salt: No need to add salt as lemons are a healthy salt substitute. Keep in mind too that Parmesan is high in sodium.
From Garden To Table
While it is not feasible to grow lemon trees in the Pacific Northwest, it is super easy to grow zucchinis and basil. More information and tips on how to grow, and harvest these ingredients straight from your edible garden:
