I learned how to make a version of this dish from Carla Lalli Music (I say as if she taught me personally. She absolutely didn’t. It was an Instagram story, but doesn’t that sometimes feel like someone’s teaching you and just you?). Anyway, this has become a regular pasta in our house. Carla used zucchini (check out her saved stories to see her Zuke Pasta. Her version is a little different than mine). I’ve tried it with different veggies, anything from zucchini and carrots in the summer to cabbage in the winter. Now that summer temperatures are here, I decided to buy some zucchini again and I really think this might be my favorite combination for this dish. It’s kind of like a very simple and basic veggie ragu, which is my favorite kind of quick veggie pasta to make. And I will hopefully have three zucchini plants in my garden this year, so I have a feeling, if all goes to plan, this will be on the menu a lot this summer.
Now once again many people might not consider this to be a recipe because I’m not going to give you measurements. But you really don’t need exact measurements for this pasta. The quantities vary depending on what I have on hand, and it always comes out just right. So let go of perfection and cook this like my Nonna would have. Eyeball everything.
Begin by heating a few drizzles of extra virgin olive oil over medium low heat. Add about half of an onion (diced) and let cook for about 5 minutes. Add 3 to 4 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced, a healthy pinch of red pepper flakes, another pinch of dried oregano, and generous pinch of kosher salt, and several grinds of black pepper. Sauté for another minute.
Meanwhile grate the zucchini and carrots with a box grater. I usually grate about 1 ½ to 2 zucchini, depending on how big they are, and one or two medium carrots. It’s going to look like a lot but it will cook down. Add the zucchini and carrots to the pan and turn the heat up slightly. Let them cook, stirring occasionally, until it has cooked down significantly and started to caramelize.
Once the veggies have cooked down, add about a ¼ cup of tomato paste (I absolutely eyeball this) and about a half a cup of white wine. Stir and let it cook down for several minutes until the paste has darkened.
While this is cooking, boil your pasta (I cook a pound). Any short pasta shape will do, but ridges will really make a difference. Be sure to save about 1 ½ cups of pasta water. You may not use it all.
Add about a half cup of the pasta water to the veggie and tomato mixture. Taste and add salt or red pepper flakes, if need be.
Once the pasta is al dente, drain and add the steaming hot pasta right to the pan with the sauce. Add a little more pasta water and stir it all together. If the pasta seems dry, add a little more pasta water. Sometimes I add a handful of pecorino cheese too.
Let the pasta cook for another minute (not too long!) and then dump it all into a large serving bowl. You can serve it with fresh herbs and/or pecorino cheese on top. Enjoy!
No need to measure. Eyeball everything. But here's sort of/kind of measurements for those who want them. Begin by heating a few drizzles of extra virgin olive oil over medium low heat. Add about half of an onion (diced) and let cook for about 5 minutes. Add 3 to 4 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced, a healthy pinch of red pepper flakes, another pinch of dried oregano, and generous pinch of kosher salt, and several grinds of black pepper. Sauté for another minute. Meanwhile grate the zucchini and carrots with a box grater. I usually grate about 1 ½ to 2 zucchini, depending on how big they are, and two medium carrots. It’s going to look like a lot but it will cook down. Add the zucchini and carrots to the pan and turn the heat up slightly. Let them cook, stirring occasionally, until it has cooked down significantly and started to caramelize. Once the veggies have cooked down, add about a ¼ cup of tomato paste (I absolutely eyeball this) and about a half a cup of white wine. Stir and let it cook down for several minutes until the paste has darkened. While this is cooking, boil your pasta. Any short pasta shape will do, but ridges will really make a difference. Be sure to save about 1 ½ cups of pasta water. You may not use it all. Add about a half cup of the pasta water to the veggie and tomato mixture. Taste and add salt or red pepper flakes, if need be. Once the pasta is al dente, drain and add the steaming hot pasta right to the pan with the sauce. Add a little more pasta water and stir it all together. If the pasta seems dry, add a little more pasta water. Sometimes I add a handful of pecorino cheese too. Let the pasta cook for another minute (not too long!) and then dump it all into a large serving bowl. You can serve it with fresh herbs and/or pecorino cheese on top. Enjoy! Tortiglioni with Zucchini and Carrots
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