Roasted Zucchini Pasta
Bite-sized pieces of zucchini are roasted and tossed with ziti in a spicy marinara sauce along with cubed mozzarella, Pecorino Romano, and fresh basil.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 pound ziti or penne, rigatoni, et.
- 5 medium zucchini seeds scooped out and cut into half moons
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil divided
- 1 medium onion diced
- 5 cloves garlic sliced
- 1-2 teaspoons Calabrian chili paste optional
- 1 28-ounce can plum tomatoes hand crushed or blender pulsed
- 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano grated
- 3/4 pound smoked mozzarella cubed, can sub regular mozzarella
- 10 large basil leaves hand torn
- 1/4 cup flat leaf Italian parsley minced
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup reserved pasta water
Instructions
- Toss zucchini with a 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil and spread out on a baking sheet. Season zucchini with salt and pepper and roast for about 20-25 minutes at 450f on the lowest oven rack or until well browned.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water (2 tablespoons kosher salt) to boil.
- In a very large pan saute the onions in the remaining olive oil over medium-low heat until translucent (about 5-6 minutes) then add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes more or until lightly golden. If using, add the Calabrian chili paste into the oil and cook for 30 more seconds.
- Add the tomatoes to the pan and bring the sauce to a simmer stirring occasionally.
- While the sauce is simmering, cook the pasta until 1 minute less than al dente.
- Taste test the sauce and adjust salt and pepper to taste. Add the pasta and roasted zucchini to the sauce and toss to coat. Cook for 60 seconds or until just al dente, then turn off the heat. If the pasta is too dry add a splash of pasta water. Add the Pecorino Romano cheese and mix together.
- Add the cubed mozzarella cheese, parsley, and basil. Toss once more and serve immediately with more Pecorino Romano and Calabrian chili paste on the side. Enjoy!
Notes
- 5 medium zucchini will equal about 5 cups after removing seeds and cutting into half moon sized pieces.
- Ziti was used, but any tubular-shaped pasta works well.
- If you can find it, smoked mozzarella is even better than regular in this pasta.
- Calabrian chili paste can be subbed with hot red pepper flakes.
- Leftovers can be saved for up to 3 days and can be reheated in the microwave.
Nutrition
Calories: 719kcal | Carbohydrates: 99.4g | Protein: 21.3g | Fat: 30.1g | Saturated Fat: 5.2g | Cholesterol: 7mg | Sodium: 419mg | Potassium: 701mg | Fiber: 7.5g | Sugar: 11.9g | Calcium: 112mg | Iron: 5mg