Zucchini Pasta Recipe 485

LOW-CARB ZUCCHINI PASTA

Steps:

• Cut lengthwise slices from zucchini using a vegetable peeler, stopping when the seeds are reached. Turn zucchini over and continue 'peeling' until all the zucchini is in long strips; discard seeds. Slice the zucchini into thinner strips resembling spaghetti.
• Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat; cook and stir zucchini in the hot oil for 1 minute. Add water and cook until zucchini is softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

ZUCCHINI PASTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente. Drain and reserve.
• Fill a medium sauce pan with lightly salted water. Add zucchini and bring to a boil; boil for 10 minutes or until tender.
• In a large skillet, saute garlic in oil and hot pepper flakes. Add drained zucchini and parsley, then mix all together and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. Toss with pasta; then add cheese and salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

GUILT-FREE GARLIC PARMESAN ZUCCHINI NOODLES PASTA

Steps:

• Trim and spiralize the zucchini (see notes below for doing this without a spiralizer). Then cut the spiralized zucchini into long noodles to be about the length of spaghetti.
• Add olive oil, garlic, and the red pepper flakes to a large, deep skillet. Turn to medium heat. When the oil bubbles around the garlic, add the zucchini noodles.
• Toss the noodles with pasta tongs and cook until al dente - they should be wilted but still have a crunch; 5 to 7 minutes. Do not let the noodles cook any longer, or else they will become mushy. As they cook, keep tossing so that all the zucchini noodles have a chance to hit the bottom of the skillet.
• Stir in the tomatoes, basil, and parmesan cheese, and then cook for one minute. Use pasta tongs to transfer the noodles, tomatoes, and basil to a serving dish. Leave the liquid in the skillet.
• Bring the liquid left in the skillet to a simmer.
• Combine cornstarch and cold water in a small bowl, then whisk into the simmering liquid. Cook while whisking until the liquid thickens to a sauce; about 1 minute. Taste the sauce and season with salt.
• Pour the sauce over the zucchini, tomatoes, and basil. Finish with more parmesan cheese on top and serve immediately.

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.

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.

ZUCCHINI PASTA

Steps:

• Slice clean, unpeeled zucchini into ribbons, using a vegetable peeler, and turning the zucchini as you go.
• Warm 1 TBSP olive oil in a saucepan, on medium heat.
• Saute the garlic briefly, and add tomatoes and oregano.
• Simmer uncovered for a few minutes.
• Heat the remaining oil in a large skillet.
• Add the zucchini.
• Stir for several minutes, until zucchini is soft.
• Add salt and pepper to taste, then mix in the sauce.
• Add the sausage, stir well.
• Stir in basil, and transfer to a serving dish.
• Top with parmesan cheese.

ZUCCHINI PASTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Put olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add zucchini, onion and thyme, and cook, stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper and adjust heat so onion and zucchini release their liquid without browning. Cook for about 20 minutes, or until very tender.
• Add tomatoes and their liquid to zucchini and raise heat a bit so mixture bubbles. Cook pasta until it is nearly but not quite tender. If sauce threatens to dry out, add a little pasta cooking water.
• Drain pasta and finish cooking it in sauce. Serve, garnished with parsley or Parmesan.

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.

ZUCCHINI PASTA BAKE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add penne pasta, cook for 10 to 12 minutes, until al dente, and drain. Lightly grease a medium casserole dish.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a blender or food processor, thoroughly mix the Parmesan cheese and crackers.
• Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Place the onion in the skillet, and cook and stir until tender. Mix in the zucchini, tomato, and garlic, and season with oregano, basil, celery, salt, and pepper. Continue to cook and stir until the zucchini is tender.
• In the prepared casserole dish, mix the pasta with the vegetable mixture and mozzarella cheese. Top evenly with the Parmesan cheese mixture.
• Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the topping is lightly browned. Allow to sit 5 minutes before serving.

SMASHED ZUCCHINI WITH CHICKPEAS AND PEANUTS

Steps:

• Trim the zucchini ends and slice lengthwise into quarters. Position cut sides down, then smash with the side of your knife until craggy and split. Rip into 1/2- to 1-inch pieces. Transfer to a colander set in the sink, then toss with the sliced jalapeño, lime juice and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Let drain while you cook the chickpeas.
• Heat the oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the chickpeas and peanuts and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chickpeas are lightly browned and crisp, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add the lime zest, sumac and a sprinkle of salt. Stir until fragrant, then taste and add more salt as needed.
• Shake the zucchini to get rid of any excess liquid, then transfer to a platter or plates. Drizzle with a little olive oil, then top with the chickpeas. Get a spoonful of everything and taste. Add salt and a squeeze of lime until flavors are bright and zingy. Serve warm or at room temperature (although the chickpeas will become less crispy as they sit with the wet ingredients).