Last night I threw together this pasta to deplete some of the abundance of veggies in our refrigerator and it was so tasty that I had to share. I will definitely be making this again. We still had lots of fresh zucchini, summer squash, and green beans from last week’s CSA box, with more due to arrive today. I also found garlic, onion, tomatoes, and basil for a tasty sauce, and some pasta in the cupboard. Sounds like dinner!
Time required: 25 minutes
Serves: 4-6
14 oz penne pasta
1 Tbsp coarse salt
3-4 Tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 cup tomato, roughly chopped (I used cherry tomatoes)
coarse salt and pepper to taste
2 large zucchini or summer squash, sliced 1/8″ thin
1/4 cup fresh basil, chiffonade (see tips) (or 1 Tbsp dried basil)
2 cup fresh green beans, ends trimmed
1/2 cup green onion, sliced 1/4″ thin
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, chop your veggies.
Add 1 Tbsp coarse salt to the boiling water and stir in pasta. Set a timer for 4 minutes less than the al dente cooking time suggested on the package.
Put a large skillet over medium-low heat and add olive oil. Once oil is hot, saute garlic and onion until fragrant (about 1 minute), then add tomatoes and saute until softened (about 5 minutes). Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Turn the heat up slightly to medium, add zucchini and continue to saute until soft, another 5 minutes or so. Stir in basil in the last minute or two of cooking, then remove the pan from heat.
Back to the pasta. When the timer goes off, add green beans to the pot and boil another 4 minutes, until both the pasta and beans are done. (Ideally, they are both done at the same time!) Drain and put the beans and pasta in a large bowl. Top with the zucchini/tomato mixture, stir together, and sprinkle green onion slices on top. Yum!
Savorra Tips
Cut basil into chiffonade strips for a quick fifteen pieces of flair. Stack basil leaves on top of each other and roll the stack tightly like a jelly roll from one side to the other. Using a sharp knife, cut the roll into 1/8 inch slices and voila!—basil flair.
