Happy St. Paddy's Day! Here is one of my favorite recipes- very easy to change it up by adding mushrooms, pancetta, or other spring vegetables. Add some fontina or parmesan cheese on top & you have yourself a meal! Be sure to let me know what you think or how you changed up the recipe on Twitter @CornuCopiaeFds, Facebook, or comment below.
Zucchini & Basil Pesto Pasta
2 large or 4 medium sized zucchini
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, finely shredded & tightly packed in cup
4 medium garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 pound angel hair whole wheat pasta
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons sea salt*
- Grate zucchini into a mixing bowl & sprinkle lightly with salt to taste*
- Toss grated zucchini with shredded basil.
- In a large skillet, heat oil & sauté garlic over medium heat.
- When garlic sizzles, add zucchini-basil mixture & sauté until zucchini begins to turn golden, about 5-7 minutes. Mix with angel hair pasta and black pepper. Grate a little parmesan cheese on top of pasta.
Serves 6, easy to make in less than 30 minutes.
Personally, I add salt to taste while cooking & don't squeeze out excess water from the zucchini. Most vitamins & minerals are water soluble and by squeezing out the excess water, you're getting rid of much of the vegetable's nutrients. I included the step with the recipe in case someone might prefer that method or wonder why I left it out.
(*many recipes & cooks will tell you to sprinkle salt on zuccinni, eggplant or other squash to draw out the water from the vegetable. After letting the vegetable sit sprinkled with salt for about 10 minutes, squeeze tightly (using a paper towel can help) to extract the water & set aside.)
