My husband just came back from a two week long bicycle tour through BC. The day before he left, he wanted to make sure that he carbo-loaded up his meals. He wanted a large bowl full of pasta because he knew that everything he ate that day would affect him the next. He was on a mantra of "eating for tomorrow" and because pasta = power he was happy when I whipped up this lunch. I was happy because for me, pasta = easy.
So while this meal was intended to be a straight-up carbo load, it's also pretty to look at. It uses up the some of the fantastic summer produce that I had laying around: summer squash and sun gold tomatoes and there's a touch of heavy cream to help guild the lily (but only a splash to keep this dish virtuous!) Flavour-wise, this pasta dish was delicious and I loved the hint of lemon that the zest provided. It tastes like summer and that's a good thing, since it's now September and we better get our fill of what's left while we can.
Linguine with Summer Squash and Sun Gold Tomatoes
250 g linguine
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 summer squash, thinly sliced
6 sun gold tomatoes (or any other cherry tomato), cut in half
salt & pepper
zest from 1 lemon
2 tablespoons heavy cream (optional)
3 tablespoons parmesan cheese + additional for serving (optional)
Prepare pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat up olive oil and add in onion and garlic. After a few minutes, add in the summer squash and toss about for 1 minute. Add in the tomatoes along with a sprinkle of salt and a good grinding of pepper.
When pasta is ready, strain leaving a couple of tablespoons worth of pasta water inside the pot. I never use a strainer for pasta and instead just use the lid to strain out most of the water. Pasta water helps to add a bit of starch to the sauce which results in more robust sauce. Add the pasta and a bit of the water into the skillet and toss with the vegetables over medium heat. Add in the cream and the lemon zest along with the parmesan cheese, giving everything a good toss. Divide into two bowls and sprinkle with more fresh pepper and parmesan.
