My first ripe zucchini of the season! Because it was “Pasta Friday” at our house, that’s what was for dinner! I like to cook with what I have on hand, using bits of this and that — whatever I find in the fridge or pantry that needs to be eaten. I’ve gotten very good at this, which is the Good News. The Bad News is that we probably won’t ever get to have it again, no matter how good it may taste.
Whole Wheat Fusilli with Zucchini and Bacon
Ingredients
whole wheat fusilli pasta
small amount of olive oil
few slices uncured bacon
1 zucchini (it was pretty large; we let it sneak up on us)
small amount of thinly sliced red onion
1 large clove garlic
small amount of crushed red pepper flakes
couple Tbls basil pesto
few sprigs of fresh thyme
1 Tbl cream cheese
small amount of cottage cheese
small amount of chardonnay
kosher salt & freshly ground pepper
small amount of pasta water
grated Parmesan cheese
Yes, I realize this is a long list of ingredients. But, I was trying to use up leftovers, and a few of these things had to go! I always keep uncured bacon in the freezer, because I find that a very small amount of bacon can pack a lot of flavor into a simple dish. I thaw it just enough to whack off a bit — I probably used maybe 1/6 of the pound package for this dish. The basil had been in the fridge, as had the cottage cheese, so I knew it was time to use them up. I only had a tablespoon or so of the cream cheese — I’m not even sure what that was leftover from, but I knew it would add a bit of creaminess to the pasta, as would the small amount of cottage cheese. I was right! This was delicious.
Instructions
- Chop up the bacon and brown it in a small amount of olive oil. Add the red onion and the garlic to the pan, and then add the zucchini (quartered lengthwise and then sliced). Season with salt & pepper, and a small amount of crushed red pepper flakes for desired heat. Be careful not to overcook the zucchini!
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package directions (less 1 minute of the cooking time).
- Remove the zucchini and bacon from the pan, into a small bowl, and mix in the pesto. Set it aside. Deglaze the pan with the chardonnay. Add the cottage cheese and the cream cheese to the wine in the pan, stirring until smooth.
- Add a small amount (several ladles) of the starchy pasta water to the cheese mixture, and continue stirring until a nice sauce begins to form. Add the cooked pasta, and continue cooking and stirring for another minute or so, until the sauce comes together.
- Return the zucchini mixture to the sauce and pasta combination in the pan. Stir to combine. Add the fresh thyme and a small amount of Parmesan cheese.
- Serve it forth! We like it with an extra sprinkle of Parmesan cheese on top. This was a lovely beginning to a much-anticipated zucchini season.
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Serving suggestion: We served this with a tossed salad of freshly-harvested leaf lettuce, red onion, chopped celery and sliced cucumber, dressed simply with olive oil & wine vinegar and topped with sliced pickled beets, bleu cheese and garlic-stuffed olives.