Healthy Creamy Pasta With Squash, Carrots & Walnuts
Created by Kchurchill5 on October 13, 2015
- Servings: 5
- Prep Time: 5-10m
- Cook Time: 10-15m
- Recipe #21296
Ingredients
- 8 ounces fresh pasta (fresh spaghetti, or vermicelli, dry can be substituted, but fresh is best with this recipe)
- VEGETABLES AND SAUCE
- 2 zucchini, grated (skin on)
- 4 pounds yellow squash (yellow squash, skin on, grated)
- 1 small carrot, grated
- 2 shallots, thin sliced
- 2 cloves of garlic, grated
- 1 lemon (1/2 zested, 1 1/2-2 tablespoons juice), depending on taste
- 1/2 cup pecorino romano cheese, grated (parmesan can be substituted)
- 2 tablespoons ricotta cheese
- 1/3 cup walnuts (fine chopped)
- 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
- 1 tablespoon basil, chopped
- 1 tablespoon mint, chopped
- Pinch red pepper flakes
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- Garnish
- Extra herbs, chopped
- Olive oil
How to Make
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Step 1: Vegetables ... I usually grate my vegetables by hand; but, the food processor works great for this.
How to Make
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Step 2: Add the olive oil to a saute pan, and bring to medium high heat. Add the carrots, red pepper flakes, a pinch of salt and pepper; and, saute 2 minutes. Then add the zucchini, yellow squash, garlic, and shallot, and cook another 2 minutes. That is it - you do NOT want to over cook the vegetables - they should be crisp but tender. Remove from the heat, transfer to small bowl, add the lemon juice and zest, herbs; and, toss to combine. Cover with foil to keep warm.
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Step 3: Pasta ... Cook the pasta according to package directions, in plenty of salted water. You can use dry pasta; however, fresh pasta is really best in this recipe. And, fresh pasta is really quick cooking, so keep an eye on it. Once the pasta is done; drain, return to the pot; but reserve a cup of the cooking water.
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Step 4: Finish ... Add the cooked vegetables to the drained pasta, along with the ricotta, pecorino cheese; walnuts, and, toss to combine. The heat of the pasta and vegetables, is enough to heat up the cheese. I like to add a little of the reserved pasta water to loosen up the sauce and make it creamy. Make sure to re-season with salt and pepper, if necessary.
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Step 5: Serve and ENJOY! ... Transfer to a serving bowl; drizzle with a little olive oil and a few extra herbs. The vegetables will have a little crispness to them, which is what you want. It is a really nice, delicious; yet easy dish to prepare. Again, it is a great main 'meatless' dish; or, a great side dish.