A creamy, herb-filled Italian zucchini sauce tossed with pasta, made with fresh vegetables, olive oil, and Romano cheese for a light yet comforting meal.
Calories:
Author: Sandra Myers
Ingredients
For the pasta:
12ozdry pasta of your choice
For the zucchini-herb sauce:
2½lbzucchini
¾cupextra-virgin olive oil
1cupdiced sweet onionsuch as Vidalia
Pinchcrushed red pepper flakes
1½tbspminced fresh garlic
1tspkosher salt
1tspground black pepper
2tbspchopped fresh basil
2tbspchopped fresh oregano
2tbspchopped fresh mint
1cupheavy cream
¾cupfinely grated Romano cheese
2tbspchopped fresh basilto finish
2tbspchopped fresh oreganoto finish
2tbspchopped fresh mintto finish
Instructions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until al dente, reserving 1 cup of pasta water before draining. Toss with a little olive oil to prevent sticking.
Trim and halve the zucchini, remove seeds, then shred using a grater or food processor. Set aside.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté diced onion for about 3 minutes until softened, then add red pepper flakes and garlic. Cook briefly until fragrant, lowering heat if needed to prevent burning.
Add the shredded zucchini, salt, pepper, and half of the herbs. Bring to a gentle bubble, cover, and cook on medium-low for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until softened.
Remove the lid and stir in the heavy cream and remaining herbs. Let the sauce warm through and thicken slightly.
Add the Romano cheese and stir until melted. If the sauce is too thick, gradually add reserved pasta water until smooth and silky.
Toss the pasta with the sauce or serve the sauce over it. Finish with a sprinkle of fresh herbs before serving.