Ziti and Zucchini with Lime and Herbs
Last year, I had the honor to guest post over at Aggie’s Kitchen. Through food blogging–Aggie has become a good friend of mine. We send random text messages to one another, emails, and have had the chance to attend a few cool events together (Southeast Produce Council, CFL Bloggers Bake Sales, and Food Blog Forum Orlando). I shared this recipe last October with Aggie’s readers and have yet to share it with my own.
We are eating on average 6-8 zucchini’s a week in our house hold. So when you have a plethora a zucchini you start getting creative. The wide variety of herbs, jalapeno to kick it up a notch and then of course the lime makes this a fresh and flavorful dish for the summer. Best of all it’s meat free! I’ve made this dish multiple times in our household and we’ve never felt the need to add a piece of meet with this pasta. However, you could easily fire up the grill and cook chicken or shrimp skewers to add additional protein if needed.
Don’t be scared by the variety of flavor profiles in this dish. Give this fresh and flavorful dish a try the next time you are trying to figure out what to make on a hot summers day.
Adapted from: Rachael Ray, August 2011
Ziti and Zucchini with Lime and Herbs
Ingredients
- 1 pound ziti
- 1 tbsp salt
- 3 zucchini, Thinly sliced into 1/4-inch-by-2-inch strips
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 jalapeno, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- Juice of 1 lime
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh basil,chopped
- 1 cup grated Pecorino-Romano cheese (divided)
- salt & pepper
- 1/2 cup pistachios, shelled, chopped, and toasted
Directions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon of salt to the water. Once the water is to a boil add the pasta and cook until al dente. Prior to draining reserve 1 cup of the starchy cooking water, drain, and set pasta to the side.
- While the pasta is cooking prep your veggies: halve the zucchini lengthwise, and thinly slice into 1/4-inch-by-2-inch strips. Chopped garlic, jalapeno, herbs, and nuts.
- In a large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, over medium-high heat. Stir in the jalapeno and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the zucchini to the skillet and season with salt and pepper.Cook until tender, roughly 8-10 minutes.
- While the zucchini is cooking in a small frying pan heat the chopped pistachios on medium heat. Stir frequently to ensure they don't burn. As soon as you see them starting to brown remove them from the heat.
- Add the juice of 1 lime to the zucchini and stir in the butter to melt. Add the pasta, parsley, mint, basil, handful of cheese, and the 1/2 cup reserved starchy cooking water. Toss for 1-2 minutes and add additional cooking water if needed. To serve, top each bowl with more pecorino-romano cheese and the toasted chopped pistachios.
This recipe is brought to you by Katie Jasiewicz of Katies Cucina
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13 Responses to “Ziti and Zucchini with Lime and Herbs”
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This is a great summer pasta. I remember when you guest blogged for Aggie. I love her blog.
Thanks for stopping by! I know–I’ve put off on reposting this recipe for a long while now!
This sounds amazing with the lime…I never thought of that combination with the zucchini!!
Yum! Zucchini is such a great summery food. I don’t know if my garden has any this year, but if it does I will most certainly be incorporating it into my favorite pastas 🙂
Ashley–this is the best way to use up the abundance of zucchini in the garden! Even if you don’t yield any–this dish is worth trying!
You’re right, it does seem like an odd combo. It’s the parmesan that’s throwing me off. Everything else sounds like Thai food, sort of. Does the parm work because it goes so well with the zukes if not traditionally with the other ingredients?
I have no idea why the parm works so well… I think its because it makes it a bit creamy. I’m sure you could always omit the parm if you don’t want to use it!
Everything sounds so fresh and delicious! I’m always looking for new zucchini recipes…yum!
Thanks–this is a perfect summer time meal!
I loved this pasta gen you posted it, I wish I actually made it myself! What am I waiting for??? It’s beautiful!