Pasta Primavera with Zucchini
Ingredients
2 servings
- Short pasta 200 g
- Water for boiling the pasta 2 l
- Salt for boiling the pasta 14 g (7 g per 1 l of water)
- Zucchini 1
- Small tomatoes 200 g
- Arugula a handful per plate
- Basil a little
- Olive oil 3 tbsp
- Garlic 2-3 cloves
- Fresh hot chili pepper 1 small pod
- Salt to taste
- Parmesan 20 g (a small piece)
- Ground pepper optional
Step-by-step recipe
Pasta
The best pasta primavera has herbs and sautéed zucchini, though there are many versions of the recipe. The combination of sautéed tomatoes and zucchini is very pleasant. Fragrant arugula and basil improve the flavor. We use short pasta: penne, fusilli, tortiglioni.
The vegetables cook quickly, so boil the pasta while you prepare them.
Boil the pasta. Heat 2 l of water in a pot over high heat, salt it at the rate of 7 g of salt per liter (14 g) and cook the pasta. The cooking time is on the package; the manufacturer guarantees al dente in that time. The pasta is tossed with the vegetables, so it should be cooked by the time they are ready.
Vegetables
If you like, especially when there is no zucchini, you can use young green beans and green peas, even frozen ones. Asparagus also works very well; trim off the tough ends first.
Flavor the oil. Heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Peel 2-3 cloves of garlic and a small pod of fresh hot pepper, chop them coarsely and fry in the hot oil for 2-3 minutes, without letting the garlic burn. If you like, you can then discard them, as they have done their job. But the dish will taste noticeably more piquant if they stay.
Fry the zucchini. Cut young zucchini, with seeds not yet formed, into large cubes and fry in the oil without a lid until soft.
Fry the tomatoes. Cut small ripe tomatoes into rounds about 1 cm thick and fry together with the zucchini for another 2-3 minutes. Pasta primavera looks colorful and beautiful if the tomatoes are of different colors. Don’t fry them hard; it is enough for them to release a little juice and start to soften.
Reduce the heat to the minimum. Salt the vegetables and add coarsely chopped green basil leaves.
Toss the pasta with the vegetables. By now the pasta is cooked. Drain it in a colander and toss with the vegetables.
Serving
Divide the pasta with vegetables among plates. If you like, add a little freshly ground pepper.
Shave a piece of Parmesan with a knife into thin, almost translucent slices, then add to the pasta. Right before serving, put a handful of arugula leaves on each plate.
Serve the pasta right away, while it is hot. It makes a great, filling breakfast that keeps you full until lunch.
Calories and macros
645 kcal
Serving ≈ 410 g
- Protein20 g13% of kcal
- Fat25 g37% of kcal
- Carbs79 g51% of kcal
100 g158 kcalProtein 4.8 gFat 6.2 gCarbs 19.4 g
Calculated from the recipe ingredients, excluding salt and spices. Data: USDA and Matvaretabellen.