Jeffs Spaghetti With Zucchini Recipes

SPAGHETTI WITH ZUCCHINI

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until al dente, 9 to 11 minutes. Reserve 1 cup pasta water, then drain the pasta.
• Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic; when it begins to sizzle, add the zucchini and saute for a couple of minutes. Add 1/4 cup of the pasta water and cook until the zucchini is tender, about 5 minutes. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt and half of the basil. Remove the garlic.
• Add the pasta to the skillet along with about 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking water; shake the pan vigorously, adding a little more cooking water if the pasta looks dry. Cook, tossing, until the liquid is absorbed, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the parmigiano, pecorino and the remaining basil; toss. Top with more Parmesan.

THAT ZUCCHINI SPAGHETTI STANLEY TUCCI LOVES (SPAGHETTI ALLA NERANO)

Steps:

• Place sunflower oil in a deep fryer and heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Slice zucchini into 1/8-inch rounds.
• Add some zucchini to the hot oil and deep-fry until lightly browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a single layer on paper towels to drain and repeat to cook remaining zucchini. Let zucchini cool to room temperature.
• Transfer cooled zucchini to a bowl. Cover and refrigerate, 8 hours to overnight.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until it's 2 minutes away from being tender yet firm to the bite, 9 to 10 minutes.
• As you are cooking the spaghetti, heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add zucchini and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until it starts to release juices, soften, and break down, 3 to 5 minutes. Add a couple splashes of the pasta water to the zucchini, but don't overdo it. Break zucchini into small pieces with the edge of a spoon or spatula. Reduce heat to low and toss in basil and butter; stir until butter melts.
• Grab spaghetti with tongs and transfer it right into the sauce; stir until coated. Mix in Pecorino Romano and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheeses. Add a final splash of pasta water and adjust salt if needed.
• Serve with more grated cheese and fresh basil.

ZUCCHINI SPAGHETTI

Steps:

• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir beef and black pepper in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes; drain and discard grease.
• Mix tomato sauce, tomatoes, salt, basil, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, and red pepper flakes into ground beef; cook and stir until sauce is warmed through, about 2 minutes. Stir tomato paste into sauce.
• Mix zucchini "noodles" into sauce, pressing down to fully submerge them; simmer over medium-low heat until zucchini is tender, about 10 minutes.

SUMMER SPAGHETTI WITH GARDEN FRESH ZUCCHINI

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water and add the spaghetti.
• Heat the olive oil in a large straight-sided pan over medium-high heat. Add the corn, zucchini, garlic and red pepper flakes and saute, stirring occasionally, until the zucchini is tender but not browned, 4 to 6 minutes.
• When the spaghetti is al dente, drain and add to the zucchini. Turn off the heat and toss lightly. Add the tomatoes, walnuts and half the Parmesan. Drizzle with olive oil and gently mix together. Garnish with basil and additional Parmesan. Divide the pasta among bowls and serve.

CARAMELIZED ZUCCHINI PASTA

Steps:

• In a large (at least 12-inch) cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter and oil. When it's foaming, add the zucchini, garlic, the basil stems and half the basil leaves. Season with 1 1/4 teaspoons salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cover and cook until pooling with liquid, 5 to 7 minutes. Uncover and cook until the liquid evaporates and the zucchini starts to sizzle, 7 to 10 minutes.
• Continue to cook until the zucchini is very soft, dark green, and reduced to about 1 cup, another 20 to 25 minutes. When you see a build up of browned bits on the skillet, add a couple tablespoons of water and stir, scraping up the browned bits. Repeat anytime more browning occurs. If you see burning, deglaze with water and lower the heat. (Caramelized zucchini can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to a week; it also freezes well.)
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. When the zucchini is about done, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente. Reserve 2 cups of pasta water, then drain the pasta. If the zucchini is ready before the pasta, keep cooking it; the zucchini will only get better the longer it cooks.
• When the pasta's drained, remove the herb stems from the zucchini. Reduce the heat on the zucchini to medium, then add the pasta, 1 cup pasta water, and the Parmesan. Stir until the pasta is glossed with sauce. Add more pasta water as needed to thin the sauce. Stir in the lemon juice and remaining basil, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with more basil, Parmesan and black pepper.

JEFF'S SPAGHETTI WITH ZUCCHINI

Steps:

• Add diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, red wine, Splenda, and Italian seasoning to large pot and bring to a simmer.
• Separate and peel the garlic. Crush each clove with the flat of a heavy knife. Dice cloves and add to a small bowl. Sprinkle with salt and cover with 2 tbsp olive oil, mix and allow to set.
• In a skillet, brown hamburger with a dash of Italian seasoning. Drain and add to pot.
• In a skillet, brown Italian sausage with a dash of Italian seasoning. Drain and add to pot.
• In a skillet, heat 2 tbsp olive oil, add diced onions, sprinkle with Italian seasoning, wait 3 minutes, add sliced zucchini, mix well, sprinkle with Italian seasoning, add 2 tbsp red wine, cook until zucchini is tender. Drain and add to pot.
• In a skillet, heat 1 tbsp olive oil add sliced mushrooms, 1 tbsp red wine and sprinkle with Italian seasoning, heat for 3 minutes. Move mushrooms to the rim of the skillet, add diced garlic/olive oil mixture in the center of the pan, heap mushrooms on top of garlic, heat for 2 minutes, mix well and heat 2 more minutes. Add to pot.
• Cook spaghetti per instructions.
• On the plate add spaghetti, cheese, sauce, and more cheese.