Description
Homemade tomato zucchini pasta brings Mediterranean freshness to classic Italian comfort food. Quick ingredients and simple techniques make this dish perfect for weeknight dinners and casual gatherings you’ll want to savor.
Ingredients
Scale
- 12 oz (340 g) pasta (spaghetti, penne, or fusilli)
- 2 medium zucchinis, sliced into half-moons
- 1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese (plus extra for serving)
- ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional, for heat)
- ½ cup reserved pasta water (if needed)
Instructions
- Boiling Preparation: Fill a large pot with water, liberally salt, and bring to a vigorous boil, creating the perfect pasta-cooking environment.
- Pasta Cooking: Immerse pasta in boiling water, meticulously following package instructions to achieve the quintessential al dente consistency, simultaneously preparing a cup of starchy cooking liquid.
- Vegetable Preparation: While pasta cooks, expertly slice zucchini into delicate rounds and dice ripe tomatoes, releasing their vibrant essence and flavor potential.
- Sauce Development: Heat olive oil in a spacious skillet over medium flame, introducing zucchini to create golden-edged, tender-crisp vegetable bases, then incorporate tomatoes to develop a rich, naturally sweet sauce.
- Seasoning Enhancement: Sprinkle fragrant herbs, freshly ground pepper, and a nuanced salt layer to elevate the vegetable medley’s depth and complexity.
- Final Composition: Gently unite cooked pasta with the vegetable mixture, folding carefully to ensure complete coating, strategically adding reserved pasta water to create a luxurious, silky texture.
- Garnish and Serve: Crown the dish with freshly grated parmesan and a delicate cascade of chopped basil, transforming the meal into a culinary masterpiece ready for immediate enjoyment.
Notes
- Optimize Pasta Cooking: Reserve a cup of starchy pasta water before draining to create a silky, emulsified sauce that helps ingredients cling perfectly.
- Control Vegetable Texture: Sauté zucchini quickly on medium-high heat to achieve golden edges and maintain a tender-crisp center, preventing mushiness and preserving nutritional integrity.
- Balance Sauce Consistency: Add reserved pasta water incrementally to adjust sauce thickness, ensuring a glossy, light coating that embraces every pasta strand without becoming watery.
- Enhance Flavor Depth: Layer herbs and seasonings gradually during cooking, allowing each ingredient to release its essential oils and develop a more complex, harmonious taste profile.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner
- Method: Boiling
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 5
- Calories: 400
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 300 mg
- Fat: 14 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 56 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 12 g
- Cholesterol: 5 mg