Author Notes: Fresh mint and light green Italian Zucchini get fresh and intimate in this creamy pasta dish. Note: no cream was used in the making of this vegan dish and all creaminess comes from puree-ing the veggies. —Nissrine @ Harmony à la Carte
Makes: 2-4
Ingredients
-
225
grams Spaghetti
-
3
Medium Light Green Italian Zucchini
-
1/4
cup Fresh Mint, chopped + 1 Tbsp
-
1/2
tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
-
2
tablespoons Shallots, roughly diced
-
1
Clove of Garlic
-
pinches Sea Salt
-
Fresh Ground Pepper, to taste
Directions
- Bring a pot of water to boil, add coarse sea salt, stir and add pasta. Cook according to package directions until al dente.
- Meanwhile, chop mint and set aside.
- Sauté diced shallots in olive oil and a pinch of salt until transluscent, about 2-3 minutes. Add pressed garlic and sauté for another 2 minutes.
- Quarter zucchini lengthwise, and slice horizontally into small bite size triangles and add to onion and garlic mixture with 1/2 cup of water. Steam sauté for about 10 minutes until zucchini is softened.
- Remove about 1/4 cup of the zucchini mixture and set aside. Transfer the rest to a large deep dish mixing bowl or hand blender container/jar.
- Add chopped mint and purée with an immersion blender until smooth and creamy.
- Transfer zucchini & mint cream to the same pan where you sautéed the shallots, garlic and zucchini. Add 1/4 cup of pasta cooking water and heat mixture on low.
- Add strained pasta and the zucchini mixture (set aside in step 5) to the cream and toss to combine and heat through.
- Serve hot and enjoy (and don’t forget to wipe the plates and pan clean with some fresh crusty bread) – Buon appetito!