11 Sep 2010 Zucchini Pasta

I have debated back and forth about posting this recipe…  Pros: it uses up zucchini, which is very important this time of year.  The pasta recipe is good.  Simple, straightforward. Good.  Cons: It’s not GREAT; it’s good, but it’s lacking Emeril’s “Bam”!  I made this for the first time at my friend’s beach house this summer.  We all liked it, but we all thought it needed something else.  Garlic?  Shallots?  Lemon Peel?  Egg yolk?  Not sure…

When we returned from the beach my friend kept asking for the recipe and I kept thinking about making it again.  So it had to have something, right?  I sent my friend the recipe (I had no intention of posting it), and I made it again.  The results were the same.  The pasta was good, not great, but…

…for the last two nights I have had leftover homemade pizza, leftover beef rice bowl, and leftover ribs in the refrigerator, along with the leftover Zucchini Pasta.  Two nights in a row I’ve chosen leftover Zucchini Pasta over all my other choices.  So this dish has to have something, right?  Maybe it’s just comfort food.  End of the summer comfort food.  Yes, that must be it.

This recipe is from a Pasta Cookbook I received as a birthday present and took to the beach to read. (I read cookbooks like novels. Who’s with me on that?) The cookbook is called “Homestyle Pasta” by Bay Books (I don’t think that’s a person and I couldn’t find a link!!)  I’ve changed the recipe a bit, but only to reduce the amount of pasta.  The original recipe called for 1 lb. of pasta.  That’s too much pasta, and not enough zucchini and cheese.

Did I mention how easy this is to make?  While the pasta boils, stir up the zucchini…

Did I mention that my two year old grandson can’t stuff this into his mouth fast enough?

Zucchini Pasta

1/2 lb. fettuccine (the original recipe called for 1 lb of pasta)
1/4 cup salted butter
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 lb. zucchini (about 3 medium), grated
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook the fettuccine in boiling salted water per package directions. Drain pasta and keep warm.  Melt butter in a large frying pan, saute the garlic for one or two minutes.  Stir in grated zucchini and saute until zucchini is soft, about 3 minutes.  Stir in drained noodles and grated cheese. Toss well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Good. Fast. Easy. End of the summer comfort food.  And you now have three less zucchini.  HEY! You could attach this recipe to the zucchini you drop off on your neighbor’s porch after dark tonight!

Enjoy these last days of summer.  Enjoy your harvest 🙂

Thanks for stopping by my kitchen today!

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11 Responses
  1. Susan Martin says:

    I think the zucchini pasta recipe sounds good, definitely comfort food. I wonder how it would taste with some fresh basil and crushed red pepper added to it? Fresh basil makes everything taste great. Oh – and I would at least double the garlic – but I’m crazy like that.

    • Polly says:

      Go for it! YES, to the basil. The original recipe topped the dish with fresh basil leaves fried in a cup, yes, a cup of olive oil! Maybe that’s what was missing, and then again, maybe not…but yes on the crushed red pepper, double garlic, and fresh basil.

    • Polly says:

      Susan, and Connie, and Nancy…and Bonnie, and Tess, too…after you have made this recipe or eaten this…please come back and rate it…My dear Rat has installed a new rating system and I’d like to try it out.

  2. Nancy Davenport says:

    I tried this for dinner last night. I added more garlic and cooked the garlic and zuchini in 2T of olive oil and 1T of butter. Added 2T butter when I added the cheese (used 1/2 cup) and topped wih roasted pinenuts and prosciutto. We ate it all! Still not perfect but will keep trying. Next time I will add more zuchini and some basil.

  3. Dana Carlson says:

    Polly…..sooooo good!! I made this tonight for my supper club and it hope it’s a hit. My kids who are not huge zucchini fans liked it a lot. I used my friend Sue’s ideas and doubled the garlic, added about a 1/2 cup of fresh basil and I also had this crazy idea to grate some nutmeg over the top. I thought it tasted great. Definitely a comfort food meal!!

    • Polly says:

      Dana, thank you so much for taking the time to comment on your success with this dish. I hadn’t thought of grated fresh nutmeg. What a great idea!

  4. Susan Martin says:

    Dana’s additions were yummy. I think I would actually triple or quadruple the garlic. The doubling still didn’t give enough garlic flavor. I also think some halved cherry tomatoes sauteed with the zucchini would add some tangy-ness. Nancy – I think the proscuitto is a great addition.

  5. karen says:

    Polly – I love reading your stuff… very cool… thanks Georgia !

  6. Nancy says:

    The zucchini is doing very well this year and I remembered cooking this many times, so will again tonight. I like the idea of adding halved cherry tomatoes and will be doing that!

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