Zucchini pasta with feta, zucchini pasta with brie, zucchini-ricotta-sun-dried tomato pasta

 

If you've found yourself winding to the end of harvest season with zucchini piling up, here are a few more ways to use that blank canvas that is zucchini.

Wagon wheels with zucchini and brie

From “Super Tuscan” by Gabriele Corcos and Debi Mazar. The recipe called for wagon wheels (which I have not seen in stores for years) or another round pasta.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 ½ pounds zucchini, sliced into 1/8-inch rounds
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
12 ounces Brie, cut into 1inch cubes, rind trimmed
1 pound pasta (the recipe called for wagon wheels or a tube-shaped pasta like penne
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Grated Parmesan for serving

Method
Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add zucchini in as flat a layer as possible. Top with red onions. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until zucchini is beginning to brown, about 20 minutes or so. Remove from heat. Top with Brie chunks, cover and let sit while pasta cooks to al dente. Drain, reserving cooking liquid, and toss with zucchini mixture. Add reserved cooking liquid as needed for sauce consistency. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with grated Parmesan.

Rating: Nice enough, but fairly subtle flavor. 

 

 Zucchini dill pasta

Adapted from “Al Fresco: Inspired Ideas for Outdoor Living,” by Julie Pointer Adams. A lot of the food in this book doesn't necessarily scream outdoors or picnic in the stereotypical sense; just recipes that are photographed in idyllic settings that you could at least transport to a table in your back yard. Just make sure that back yard is in So Cal or Tuscany for the photo backdrop.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more to taste
½ medium yellow onion, diced
Red pepper flakes
4 garlic cloves, chopped
5 medium zucchini, coarsely grated
12-ounce package fettucine
½ cup white wine
Zest and juice of 2 lemons, divided
A handful of chopped fresh dill, plus more for garnish
Small handful lemon balm, chopped
½ cup crumbled feta
2 tablespoons chopped pistachios

Method
Bring water to a boil for pasta.

While water is heating up, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat in a large deep pot. Add onions and cook until translucent. Add a pinch of salt and of red pepper flakes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add zucchini and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated.

Add pasta to pot and cook until al dente. Drain, reserving some pasta cooking liquid.

Add wine to zucchini and cook over medium high heat until it mostly cooks off. Add lemon zest and juice of 1 lemon. Add herbs, pasta and cooking liquid as needed for desired sauce consistency. Season with salt and pepper. Serve garnished with more dill, feta, a drizzle of olive oil, pistachios and the remaining lemon juice.

Rating: Between the first two recipes, I liked this one a bit more, probably because it seemed creamier, and had the bright flavor of dill and tang of feta. Certainly a workable combination. I confess we ate it indoors because it was raining.

 

Pasta with roasted zucchini, ricotta and sun-dried tomatoes

Having tried two variations of zucchini pasta with cheese, I pondered what a version with ricotta would be like.

Ingredients
1 pound short pasta, cooked to al dente and drained, some cooking liquid reserved
3 medium zucchini, ends trimmed, sliced into ¼-inch rounds
2 tablespoons oil from oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, divided
Lemon pepper seasoning, salt
3 garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lemon
½ pound ricotta
½ cup chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes

Method
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Place zucchini rounds in a single layer in the pan. Brush with 1 tablespoon of the oil. Sprinkle liberally with lemon pepper seasoning and a bit of salt. Bake for 20 minutes until tender and starting to pick up color. Remove from oven and set aside.

In a large deep pot, heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Add garlic, red pepper flakes and lemon zest and cook over medium heat until garlic is just fragrant. Add lemon juice and ricotta and heat through. Add zucchini, pasta, sun-dried tomatoes and enough pasta cooking liquid to make desired sauce consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Rating: Not a bad first take on a recipe. I liked the ricotta a lot, and thought the roasted zucchini brought a bit more to the party than the previous recipes. Sun-dried tomatoes up the flavor. If I try it again, I'll try adding all the oil to the garlic pan and using some of that to brush the zucchini, or maybe grilling it for extra flavor.