A friend of mine recently traveled to Italy on vacation. When she returned, I couldn't wait to hear about her trip and daydream about Italian travels. We set out on a walk together to catch up and my first question was "what did you eat?"
The answers did not disappoint. She told me her favorite dish was zucchini pasta and in the region she was traveling in, it was everywhere. I have been thinking about zucchini pasta ever since. After a visit to my neighborhood farmers' market where fresh spinach, tomatoes and handmade whole wheat pasta were making my mouth water, I knew I had to try my hand at zucchini pasta.
Here is the culinary outcome of my Italian daydream. Enjoy!
Serves: 4
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Ingredients
1 Tbsp olive, avocado or sunflower oil
1 large zucchini (about 1 and 1/2 cups), cut into 1/4 inch pieces
1 cup cherry tomatoes, whole
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional depending on your spice preference)
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt, divided in half
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup vegetable broth
3 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped
2 cups fresh or dried pasta, I used fresh whole wheat pasta*
Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Heat a wide and at least 2 inch deep pan on medium heat and add oil once heated. Add the zucchini to the pan and sauté for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes, crushed red pepper flakes (if using), pepper and 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and cook until the tomatoes begin to burst and give off their juices. If the tomatoes don't burst on their own while cooking, you can lightly press on them with a wooden spoon. Add the minced garlic and vegetable broth and reduce the heat to simmer cooking for 5 minutes. Add the roughly chopped spinach to the top of the pan, along with the other 1/2 teaspoon of salt and gently stir while spinach wilts.
Meanwhile, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook per directions. Once the pasta has been cooked, drain and reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water. Add the cooked pasta to the pan of zucchini, tomatoes and spinach. You can add reserved pasta water (a little at a time) to the pan, as well as additional salt and pepper, to achieve the taste and consistency you want.
*I find that fresh pasta is easier to digest and typically has less ingredients and preservatives than dried pasta. If you are using dried pasta, consider using a whole wheat or gluten free pasta - the gluten free lentil pasta is my favorite.
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