Pasta with Zucchini

not one but two recipes with summer's favourite ingredient

I love pasta with zucchini.*

And I love cooking with zucchini not only because it’s a seasonal hero but also because it lasts for ages in the fridge, which is extremely helpful for someone like me who too often has absolutely no idea what’s for dinner until I start peeling things out of the fridge around 6.30pm while multiple hangry children ask me for snacks. I buy an enormous amount of zucchini and just keep them there, minding their business, until one of these evening strikes.

My version of pasta with zucchini is packed full of vegetables and flavour. Don’t forget to drizzle a bit of olive oil on top.

I love it for other reasons, too. It’s summery and can be so full of flavour without being bogged down. It’s quick to cook, which means we can spend less time inside and more time basking in the evening sun. It’s also, for the most part, a crowd pleaser. Sure, my littlest one will surgically remove all traces of actual vegetable from her fork, but the pasta and the stuff and the depth of flavour is good. She likes it. Or at least she eats it. And that’s enough for me.

I’m going to share two ways to make pasta with zucchini. Both are simple and quick and definitely worth making (especially if you’ve got a big basil or two on the go). One version, though, is the purist’s, the Italian, the old school version. I feel compelled to share it after being semi-indoctrinated into the Italian way of thinking that really emphasises simplicity. These days I prefer the second, zhuzhed up version—it’s incredibly flavoursome (and yes, a bit heavier — it has pancetta, after all) and makes for some epic leftovers.

That’s it from me — onto the recipes themselves!

*apologies to my British friends and neighbours—as an American, there are some words I’m happy to adopt (trousers, nappy) and there are others I’m not (reckon, courgette). Plus, we’re working with Italian-esque recipes today and in Italian, they’re zucchine.

MY ZUCCHINI PASTA

This is my riff on the Italian classic. It’s FULL of vegetables. What it lacks in photogenicity it makes up in taste. It uses a truly enormous amount of zucchini, is not inherently vegetarian (though you can modify it, of course) and is much more flavourful than the original. Try both! Why not! Let me know what you think. Again, it makes enough for 4 - 6 adults; cooking with leftovers in mind is highly recommended.

• 500 grams (1 lb / 1 box) pasta, such as rigatoni (I recommend De Cecco, Garofalo and Rummo brands; it really makes a huge difference)

• 10 zucchini (yes, 10! even 12!) chopped into moons or half-moons

• 100 - 150 g (5 slices) smoked pancetta or bacon, chopped

• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced

• 1 or 2 shallots, diced

• 1 boullion stock cube (I use il mio dado classico by Star)

• a pinch chili flakes

• 1 large dash garlic powder (my secret ingredient)

• 2 - 4 sprigs fresh basil (yes, the whole sprig, stem and all)

• 2 cups freshly grated Parmigiano (the real stuff)

• plenty of freshly ground black pepper

Set a large pot of water to boil for the pasta. Meanwhile, in a large, wide-bottomed pot, heat up a few big glugs of extra virgin olive oil then throw in all the zucchini, garlic, shallot and pancetta and cook, stirring often, over high heat. After a few minutes, add in the boullion cube and a little bit of water to keep it from sticking. Stir stir stir.

The pasta water should be boiling by now so add in plenty of coarse salt to the water and cook your pasta in the salted water, stirring often.

While the pasta cooks, toss the chili flakes, garlic powder, and full sprigs of basil into the sauce. Keep cooking and stirring, adding little bits of pasta water as needed to keep everything from sticking. It will be getting a bit mushy and that’s OK! On the side, grate your parmigiano so it’s ready.

sprigs of basil about to be mixed into the zucchini; they’ll wilt down and infuse the sauce with flavour

When the pasta is still quite undercooked (about 3 minutes less than the recommended cooking time), use a slotted spoon to transfer the pasta into the zucchini pot and continue to cook it all together over medium-high heat.

Now you’re going to finish cooking the pasta in the sauce so use a ladle or big spoon to gradually transfer large spoonfuls of pasta water to the pot, until the pasta is just al dente (test the pasta as you go — it’ll soak up the pasta water so stop adding water just before it’s ready). When it’s very nearly ready, add in half of the enormous pile of parmigiano and the black pepper you’ve just grated; remove the sprigs of basil. Stir for a minute more then serve in individual bowls; top each bowl with the rest of the grated cheese and a generous glug of good olive oil. You can add some fresh basil and more chili flakes on top if you want!

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PASTA CON LE ZUCCHINE

This is the Italian version (read: the purist’s version) and the way I cooked pasta with zucchini for years and years. It’s simple, light and delicious.

This makes enough for about 4 or 5 people and can be made from start to finish in under 30 minutes.

• 500 grams (1 lb / 1 box) pasta, such as rigatoni

• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and halved

• 1 tsp chili flakes (optional)

• 5 zucchini, chopped into moons or half-moons

• 1/2 cup fresh basil (or mint) leaves, torn

• 1 cup grated pecorino romano (or parmigiano)

• plenty of freshly ground black pepper

Set a large pot of water to boil for the pasta. Meanwhile, in a large, wide-bottomed pot, heat some olive oil over low heat and add the garlic, cooking for about 5 minutes until they are quite fragrant. You can remove them or, if you love garlic, leave them in.

Add the chili flakes to the oil and after a minute or so turn up the heat under the oil and add the zucchini slices. Stir once, then don’t touch them for a few minutes so that they brown. Keep an eye on them, stirring only to allow all the pieces to brown evenly but not burn. You may need to add more oil or a splash of water to keep the zucchini from sticking. Season with lots of freshly ground black pepper and throw in a bit of the basil. Turn off the heat under the zucchini when it’s cooked through and brown but not too mushy.

Meanwhile, salt the pasta water and boil the pasta until very al dente (at least 2 minutes less than the time on the package). When pasta is cooked, reserve a cup of pasta water, then drain it. Add the very al dente pasta, most of the remaining basil and half the cheese to the zucchini, and stir to combine over high heat for a couple minutes.

Serve in individual bowls topped with remaining cheese and basil, and a drizzle of olive oil.