Hey guys! I feel out of touch after my busy, blog-free yesterday! But I wanted to quickly check-in and say: YOU HAVE TO TRY THIS RECIPE!! Hands down, this was the best dinner I’ve made in a LONG time! The onion and zucchini were such wonderful flavors, even for those who aren’t veggies lovers — confirmed by Mr. Prevention. This was simply a wonderful meal that came together in 30 minutes or less. Plus, vidalia onions and zucchini are in season NOW…so don’t delay, you’ll regret it! Mmmmm!
Penne with Zucchini Pistou slightly adapted from Cooking Light
4 tsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 1/2 cups (1/4-inch-thick) slices small zucchini (about 3/4 pound)
1 cup packed basil leaves
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
2 Tbsp pine nuts, toasted
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 cups onion, chopped (about 1 large)
1 3/4 tsp kosher salt, divided
8 oz uncooked (whole wheat) penne pasta
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add zucchini to pan; saute 5 minutes or until tender and golden. Remove from pan; cool.
Place 1/4 cup cooked zucchini, basil, 1/4 cup cheese, pine nuts, salt, and garlic in a food processor; process until finely chopped. (Keep mixture in processor.)
Heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion to pan; saute 10 minutes or until golden. Return remaining cooked zucchini to pan. Remove from heat.
Combine 6 quarts water and 1 teaspoon kosher salt in a large Dutch oven, and bring to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water according to package directions. Drain in a sieve over a bowl, reserving 1/3 cup cooking liquid. Add pasta to vegetables.
With processor on, add reserved liquid to basil mixture; process until smooth. Add basil mixture to pasta. Add cream, remaining salt, and pepper; stir. Top with remaining cheese. Yield: 4 servings, approx. 1 1/2 cups pasta with 1 Tbsp cheese.
Nutrition Information (per serving): 420 calories; 17.2 g. fat (6.1 g. saturated, 6.6 g. monounsaturated, 2.6 g. polyunsaturated), 29 mg. cholesterol; 575 mg. sodium; 52.9 g. carbohydrate; 8.4 g. fiber; 13.9 g. protein
Question: What SHAPE noodle do you usually prefer?
I can’t decide between linguine and penne!
Pasta love,
I’m a penne girl. 😉 Or linguine if it needs to be a longer pasta.
I just bookmarked this, it looks awesome! I’ve seen pesto pasta but this looks even better with the zucchini and onions! Thanks!
This definitely sounds delicious! I’ll pass it on to my parents who are tending the garden filled with zukes and basil.
That does look wonderful. I’m a sucker for anything you can put zucchini in! 🙂
I’m a fan of angel hair- it’s quick and delish!
This does look delicious! Unfortunately I have to avoid pasta, but I think this would be great with rice or quinoa!
Any pasta dish with zucchini and parmesan cheese has my name written aaaalllll over it :). As for pasta shapes, my typical grocery store purchases are penne and linguine, but I absolutely love freshly made fettuccine. There’s just something about that chewy thick cut of pasta that makes me smile!
Sounds amazing! I’m not huge on pasta, but it totally depends on the dish as to which shape I prefer.
I am an angel hair lovah!
Oh wow-that looks awesome!! I love the long pasta the best!
Looks good, though I’d skip the onion. Ew. Penne is my go-to but when I’m out and ordering just pasta with sauce it’s spaghetti. My husband things I’m crazy for trying out new pasta shapes since they’re all, he says, the same exact thing. But I think different shapes give the food a different feel.
That looks delicious!!!!!! I like all kinds of pasta, but I guess I probably lean mostly towards fettucine.
I think this looks and sounds amazing! I’ll see if I can get the Hubs to go for it…the only veggie he really doesn’t like is zucchini. 🙁 Crazy, right?!?!?
Hmmm I’ll have to try to concoct a dairy free version. I have a bunch of zucchini that Matt’s cousin gave us from his garden.
I love ANY noodle shape, but I’ll go with elbow macaroni 🙂 That dish looks amazing!
I love any kind of noodles if it is made spicy…
Looks good and I absolutely love basil. I have no preference when it comes to the state of the pasta shape.
Nice, that does sound really good. I hope today is a little less busy for you.
I love curly pasta… Not sure the name but I think it starts with an r?
Mmmmm – now I want pasta for lunch!! Too bad Olive Garden is the closest thing I’d get right now. 😉
I’m a penne girl, or ziti. But really, I love ’em all!
This looks SO good!! Im going to try it this weekend.
Im a big fan of angel hair – it feels fancy to me. I do like rotini noodles though too.
This looks wonderful! I’m a penne for ‘short’ pasta and linguine for ‘long’. 🙂
That looks great – my husband hates zucchini but I got a lot in our CSA this week.
My favorite pasta is angel hair – my husband is VERY particular about his pasta shape though.
oh YUMM!!! I love bowtie pasta! my favorite. i just think the bowties are cute haha
This looks so yummy! I’m a HUGE fan of all pasta, but I think I love angel hair the best!
Mostaccioli/rigatoni 🙂
Love penne and bow tie! Ick . . . too many onions, but everything else looks delicious!
Nicole, this recipe looks SO GOOD! Perfect to get your veggies in, especially for a slight veggie-phobe like Peter. It looks so easy, too, which is important when you’re busy (and I am!). I think my fav noodle is a linguine, because I like the thickness 🙂
Have a great day, Nicole!
Sounds and looks delicious!
I really like spaghetti, but I don’t make it that often as the toddler usually gets a bit “too creative” with it…
Oh.my.gosh. I’m printing this for sure! It combines basically all of my fave things!
I’m usually a penne, rotini or shells kinda gal! I like the bit of “chew” that all of these have!
What kind of food processor do you own?
xo