Sunday, August 30, 2015

Pasta with Zucchini, Mint, and Feta

A quick weeknight pasta dish that celebrates glorious garden fresh zucchini. A friend gave me these cute little baby zucchini and I wanted to make something special to showcase them. This pasta is a bright and fresh summer treat that can be put together in the time it takes to boil pasta. Tender slices of zucchini, the brightness of fresh mint, and the salty crumbly feta cheese make for one perfectly balanced and delicious pasta dish. I would definitely recommend this if you have an abundance of zucchini.

Pasta with Zucchini, Mint, & Feta
Adapted from Apples for Jam
by Tessa Kiros
Serves 3-4

4 tablespoons olive oil
2 small zucchini, finely sliced or about 6 baby zucchini
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and squashed a bit
salt
1/2 teaspoon dried mint or a tablespoon fresh diced mint
3/4 cups small cubes feta cheese
1-1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
16 ounces pasta of your choice
olive oil, to serve
grated Parmesan cheese, to serve

Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick frying pan and add the zucchini and garlic. Saute over quite high heat until the zucchini are cooked through and golden in places. If the garlic starts to burn, sit it on top of the zucchini. Season very lightly with salt and remove from the heat. Toss in the mint, crushing it between your fingers, and add the feta and lemon juice to the pan.  

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in boiling water, following the package directions. Drain the pasta, not too thoroughly, and save a little cooking water. Toss the pasta, directly into the zucchini pan, if it fits.  If not, return it to its own pan and add the zucchini sauce. Add 1 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil and toss quickly and thoroughly to mix it all through (add a little cooking water if necessary if it seems at all dry). Serve immediately, with Parmesan and an extra drizzle of olive oil, if you like.
Theme: August Potluck!

8 comments:

  1. That looks simple and delicious, the type of pasta dish I like best.

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  2. I feel like I missed on the zucchini abundance this year, BUT I'm always up for eating zucchini! Pairing it with these fresh Mediterranean flavors and pasta sounds so good.

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  3. Yum! Kim, this looks and sounds delicious. I love zucchini but The Mister isn't on the same page as me. So, I usually have to incorporate it into dishes. This would be perfect.

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  4. Perfect mix of ingredients for a great dish! Thanks for sharing!

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  5. We have had soooo much zucchini but I still love it. This looks like a refreshing meal, perfect for summer. Is the weather brutally hot for you in Kentucky this year? It's been bad here. We are still going out riding though :-)

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  6. I like zucchini a lot and need more creative ways to showcase them. Thanks for bring us this wonderful combination with feta and pasta. Beautiful dish!

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  7. This looks like the perfect summer pasta--how did I miss making this one?!
    I love the feta-mint-zucchini combination and I think the orecchiette that you used is the perfect pasta choice. Yum! ;-)

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