Creamy Pasta With Roasted Zucchini, Almonds and Basil
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 2medium zucchini, cut into ½-inch cubes (about 3 cups)
- 1½tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ¾teaspoon kosher salt
- Pepper, to taste
- 2tablespoons slivered almonds
- ⅓cup heavy cream
- 1sprig basil, with leaves and stem
- 3tablespoons goat cheese
- ½teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
- 6ounces whole-wheat spaghetti or linguine
Nutritional analysis per serving (2 servings)
657 calories; 36 grams fat; 14 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 15 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 72 grams carbohydrates; 11 grams dietary fiber; 9 grams sugars; 20 grams protein; 816 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Heat oven to 500 degrees. Toss the zucchini and oil with ½ teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. Arrange zucchini on a baking sheet in a single layer. Roast, tossing occasionally, until golden and tender, 20 to 30 minutes.
- Step 2
Meanwhile, toast the almonds in a skillet over medium heat until golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl.
- Step 3
Simmer the cream and basil sprig in a small saucepan over medium heat until reduced to ¼ cup, about 7 minutes. Whisk in the goat cheese until the sauce is smooth. Remove from heat; stir in lemon zest and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cover and keep warm.
- Step 4
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain well. Toss the pasta with the cream sauce. Serve topped with the zucchini and almonds.
Private Notes
Comments
I really shy away from turning on the oven in summer, so sautéed the zucchini in same skillet I used to toast almonds. Very nice flavor and almonds essential for texture.
This is a unique and refreshing dish but, I agree with the comments about the proportions of vegetable to pasta and basil/lemon to sauce. Specificity would help here because the variation in basil sprigs size and leaf count alters the intensity of the infusion. after letting the sauce sit, I removed the cooked basil and added julienned fresh basil when I tossed the pasta. lastly, I doubled the amounts on both lemon zest and almonds.
I replaced the zucchini with butternut squash pieces and it was delicious. It would make a great vegetarian addition to the Thanksgiving table.
This was really good. I used fresh ricotta because I didn't have goat cheese, but I look forward to trying it that way in the future. Great way to cook the zucchini, much less greasy than sauteeing in a skillet as I normally do. Amount of pasta is more like 3 servings than 2 IMO.
A keeper especially when the garden zucchini starts coming. I didn't have heavy cream. Substituted low fat milk, increased the amount to 1/2 cup. I added 2 beaten eggs after tempering, cooked this "custard" 2 minutes then added cheese. I had whole wheat rotini instead of spaghetti.
We love this recipe and have made this several times. However, roasting 1/2-inch zucchini cubes at 500 degrees for half an hour will totally obliterate them. At that temperature, 15 minutes is plenty.
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