Late August delivers some of the best produce! I’ve been using a lot of zucchini and yellow squash lately because it’s so darn plentiful right now.
This recipe is adapted from Cooking Light and makes the most of summer squash. I added some lemon juice to the dish to brighten it up a bit, but in general kept the recipe in tact.
Ingredients:
- 1 medium zucchini (about 8 ounces)
- 1 medium yellow summer squash (about 8 ounces)
- 8 ounces uncooked fettuccine (I used spinach fettuccine)
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
- 1 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
- 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh tarragon
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- the juice of 1 lemon
- freshly chopped parsley, for garnish
Using a vegetable peeler, shave the zucchini and yellow squash into thin strips and place in a colander.
Add water to a large pasta pot. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cook the pasta according to package directions.
When there is 2 minutes left on the cook time for the pasta, add the red onion. (This helps remove some of the “bite” in the red onion.)
Drain the pasta mixture over the squash in the colander.
Add a pan over medium-high heat. Add the milk and flour and bring to a boil. Cook for 1 minute or until it begins to thicken, stirring constantly.
Add the cream and cook for another minute. Add the tarragon, salt, and pepper, stirring to combine.
Add the pasta mixture, stirring to coat. Remove from heat and squeeze a lemon over the entire mixture, tossing to coat. Top with freshly chopped parsley.
This is a wonderfully simple meal. The summer squash retains some crunch which is a good contrast to the creamy pasta.
Serve with a simple side salad (we went for an arugula/spinach mixture).
Great! and I can make this plant-based: make sauce with almond or soy milk (I like cornstarch instead of flour); if I can’t find tarragon, use fresh thyme or parsley; maybe throw in a few tiny peas for good measure? Love to use my CA daughter’s Meyer lemons for the finish!
JL in MA, changing our lifestyle to plant-based