My coworker Larry, who has the greenest thumb and can grow so many fruits and vegetables, mentioned to me that since zucchini (also called courgette) are coming in now, I should do a recipe on my blog with them. This dish is my favorite way to eat zucchini and I’ve been making it for years. Everyone that I’ve made this dish for has loved it to no end. It’s quick, everything in it is now in season, and it’s tasty without being overly complicated.

I use dry pasta in this recipe because it’s better at soaking up the sauce that’s created from all the vegetables, white wine, and olive oil compared to fresh made pasta. Plus you only need half a box and it’s more than enough.

If you have one of those kitchen gadgets that makes zucchini into noodles, then you’re more than welcomed to use that to save time. But I don’t have one of those, so I cut my squash into strips or sticks. You want to make sure they’re about the same size so they cook evenly. I also chop them into a size that’s roughly the same as the noodles keeping in mind that they will cook down and shrink as the water comes out of them. Why do I cut them this way instead of rounds or diced? It mixes together with the noodles better this way, in my opinion. This is the most time consuming portion of the recipe. Everything else is a breeze.

While you get your noodles boiling in some salted water, you start cooking the rest of your stuff – starting with olive oil, minced garlic, and sliced shallots. You only want to cook them for a little bit because they’ll continue to cook with the rest of the ingredients.

Then you add in the zucchini, plus some salt and pepper, letting it all cook together for about five minutes. Be gentle as they’re easy to snap  and break at this point. Once they cook a little bit, they won’t be so fragile. Some of them breaking isn’t the end of the world, though, so don’t stress it too much. I like my zucchini with a little bit of crunch to them still, but if you prefer them softer, feel free to cook them to your preference.

Then you add in your tomato, herbs, lemon zest and juice, as well as the wine and let it cook for a couple of minutes to get the uncooked wine taste out of the sauce. If you want it spicy, this is where you would add in dried red pepper flakes.

You want to cook your noodles a little under al dente because they will continue to cook in the sauce with your zucchini. Add in the noodles straight from the boiling water and mix it with everything else, letting it cook for a few minutes. Add more salt and pepper to taste, then you’re done!

Lemony Zucchini Fettuccine

Ingredients:

• ½ pound dry fettuccine
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 shallots, sliced
• 2 medium sized zucchini, cut into strips
• 1 vine ripe tomato, diced
• the zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme (½ teaspoon if using dried)
• 3 to 5 Italian basil leaves, sliced to ribbons
• 1/3 cup white wine
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
• salt and black pepper to taste

Steps:

1. Slice and prep all the ingredients.
2. Bring a pot of salted water to a rapid boil and add in the noodles, cooking for about 8 to 9 minutes.
3. While the noodles are cooking, heat up the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add garlic and shallots, cooking for about 2 minutes.
4. Put the zucchini in the pan, adding a pinch or two of salt and some black pepper, cooking for 5 minutes while gently moving them around to cook evenly.
5. Lower the heat under the pan to low. Add the thyme, basil, diced tomato, lemon zest, lemon juice, red pepper flakes (if using), and white wine into the pan. Stir together and let simmer for about two minutes.
6. Using tongs, remove noodles that are cooked just under al dente from the boiling water and add it to the pan with the rest of the ingredients. Toss gently to combine everything and ensuring that the noodles are coated in the sauce. Cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes. Add salt and black pepper to taste.

As is, the recipe is vegan friendly.

If you want, you can top it off with shredded, shaved, or grated Parmesan cheese. If you don’t like any of the ingredients, you can leave them out or substitute them for something you do like.

This is a perfect as a main dish or it can be served as a side dish to roast chicken or pan seared fish or baked pork chops.