Pasta With Seared Zucchini and Ricotta Salata

Name: Pasta With Seared Zucchini and Ricotta Salata
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 2 to 4 servings
Ingredients: 1/2 teaspoon salt, more as needed; 1/2 pound pasta, preferably farro pasta; 2 small, slim zucchini (about 3/4 pound), trimmed and quartered lengthwise; 2 tablespoons olive oil, more for drizzling; 3 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled; 6 sprigs fresh thyme, more for serving; 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved; 1 lemon, zested and cut into wedges; 2 ounces ricotta salata, more for serving; Freshly ground black pepper

By Melissa Clark

Total Time: 20 minutes
Rating: 5(344)
Comments: Read comments

My favorite summer pasta toppings split the difference between salad and sauce. They should be chunky and filled with plenty of vegetables and herbs like a pasta salad, yet still be thoroughly seasoned and well integrated. Ideally, the pasta-to-vegetable ratio should be about equal; light, bright and fresh is what I’m after. This recipe is an example.

Featured in: Vegetables and Pasta: Summer Love

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Ingredients

Yield:2 to 4 servings

½teaspoon salt, more as needed
½pound pasta, preferably farro pasta
2small, slim zucchini (about ¾ pound), trimmed and quartered lengthwise
2tablespoons olive oil, more for drizzling
3garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
6sprigs fresh thyme, more for serving
1pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1lemon, zested and cut into wedges
2ounces ricotta salata, more for serving
Freshly ground black pepper

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil and cook farro pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain.
Step 2
Meanwhile, cut zucchini into 1½-inch lengths.
Step 3
In a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and let heat for 30 seconds. Add zucchini in one layer and cook without touching or moving for 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and thyme, flip the zucchini and cook 3 more minutes while stirring occasionally.
Step 4
Add tomatoes and ½ teaspoon salt to the skillet and cook for 6 to 7 minutes, or until tomatoes start to break down. Stir in the al dente pasta, lemon zest and crumbled cheese. Season with freshly cracked black pepper and serve garnished with more fresh thyme, ricotta salata and lemon wedges.

Ratings

5 out of 5

344 user ratings

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Comments

Peter S7 years ago

Tried this last night and it was wonderful. Well seared Zucchini added a nice toasted flavor. Ricotta S. was mildly funky, and fine, but I can see Feta or Goat doing nicely, too. Next time I might try sautéing tomatoes separately, longer, to intensify flavor, then adding at the last minute. Longish cooking on zucchini left it squishy with 1 or 2 toasted sides. Maybe higher heat for shorter time? Or possibly dehydrating zucchini by salting and resting on paper towels for an hour before.

Left Coast Cook7 years ago

Yum! Based upon Peter's comment below I prepped the cherry tomatoes first and let them drain in a sieve until I needed them. I also cut the zucchini into eighths (not quarters) lengthwise, which was a smart move -- they cooked more thoroughly, and the greater amount of seared surface area really pumped up the lovely browned-vegetable flavor. Note that prepping the zucchini in wedges like this allows the to lie flat in the skillet. This will also make a great zucchini-only side dish!

Jane7 years ago

This dish has an excellent combination of flavors. The original article (August 6, 2013) suggested that "if you have any extra corn lying around, slice the kernels off an ear and throw them into the pan along with the tomatoes." With the added corn, this was even better! Overall, this is a perfect summer pasta.

Cara9 months ago

Delicious. My zucchini were a big big so I cut them into eight strips. Next time I would cook them a little less, as they started to break down more than I prefer. Tomatoes were the best part, yum! Didn't have ricotta salata so I used provolone. I think parmesan, feta or goat cheese would be best.

Debra10 months ago

Made this with spiral pasta, fresh basil instead of thyme, chopped up fresh tomatoes instead of cherry tomatoes. Sliced the zucchini into smaller wedges (eighths instead of fourths) and they browned nicely. Added corn scraped off two cobs, as someone suggested (thank you),a little of the pasta cooking water and a little white wine (why not) and cooked it down. It was all very tasty. The only thing I'd change is from ricotta to feta or goat cheese, to give it a bit more of a zing.

darby10 months ago

Literally AMAZING. Tasted like New England summer. So quick to throw together. Swapped out ricotta for goat cheese since it’s what I had on hand, added more zucchini and could have doubled the tomatoes as well.

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