Pasta with Zucchini Pesto
Zucchini is a very recognizable and often overlooked vegetable that I think needs to be brought back into the light.
There are a lot of different things you can do with zucchini that go beyond simple salads or stir fries, you can thinly slice zucchini with a peeler and roll them around ricotta cheese, you can use a spiralizer to make fun zucchini noodles, It’s the star of one of Stanley Tucci’s favorite dishes, pasta all Nerrano or pasta with fried zucchini, and it even has a place in baking for things like a chocolate zucchini bread.
But one thing you might not have tried is blending up zucchini into a light and stunning pesto that is perfect to toss with pasta, drizzle onto pizza, use as a salad dressing, or to eat by the spoonful.
Let’s get into it!
Serves 4
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 medium zucchini, ends trimmed and split into long quarters
Salt and pepper
1 large bunch of fresh basil leaves, plus more smaller leaves for garnish
1/2 cup almonds
2oz chunk of Parmigiano Reggiano, cut into small cubes, plus some grated cheese for serving
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 pound of penne or any pasta
Heat a saucepan of salted water to a boil.
In a medium nonstick pan, heat a thin layer of oil with the garlic over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, or until the garlic starts turning golden and infuses with the oil.
Increase the heat to medium, then add the split zucchini to the pan, give it a light seasoning with salt and pepper, then cook for about 2-3 minutes per side, or until lightly browned on all sides.
Transfer the zucchini, garlic, and some of that garlic infused oil into a food processor. Add the basil, almonds, Parmigiano, and lemon juice, then blend until it forms a smooth, thick paste. Taste and adjust with salt and pepper if needed.
Boil your pasta according to package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water, then drain. Toss the pasta with all of the zucchini pesto and 1/4 cup of pasta water to combine. Add a bit more water if the pesto seems too thick for your liking.
To serve, pile up the pasta high on plates and top with small basil leaves and a grating of Parmigiano.
