Pasta with Zucchini, Herbs, and Garlic

North Dakota is basically one massive wheat field. Ok, there is sunflower, canola, barley, soybeans, and a lot of pasture and hay for cows, but wheat is the (*ahem*) bread and butter. Considering this, I usually reach for the ND flour and pasta at the store, my grocery dollar casting a vote for the local guy.

But then I found protein pasta.


I try to get protein in every meal. Maybe I'm a little OCD to have food rules like that, but it works for me, even though it can be a struggle. I’m not a daily meat eater, despite the freezer full of organic, free-range, doesn’t-get-more-natural-than-this wild game and fish. I’m not usually a milk drinker, either. You can only eat so many eggs (fifty, to be exact – or at least that’s one of the many things I’ve learned from Paul Newman). With a husband that doesn’t really enjoy beans, I guess that leaves peanut butter.

I eat a lot of peanut butter.

I’m not usually into gimmicky foods like this, foods that didn’t exist in my grandmother’s day, but the idea of protein pasta was too appealing to pass up. Unfortunately I couldn’t find it under my beloved Dakota Growers Pasta label, so I picked up a couple boxes of Barilla Plus, cooked it up, tossed it with olive oil, garlic, zucchini, herbs, and parm…and it was good. Very good. Like I-think-I’m-converted-to-this-stuff good.

Or maybe it was the recipe that made it so yummy. Hmmm, I’ll have to investigate further. In the meantime, here’s a quick dish to use some of those zucchini that you have coming out of your ears. Use the small sweet zucchini - save the big ones the size of your forearm for the shredder and bake up some classic zucchini bread or chocolate zucchini cake.

Pasta with Zucchini, Herbs, and Garlic
Adapted from Fine Cooking mag and infinitely adaptable to whatever you have on hand. Well-salted pasta water and a heavy hand with the olive oil are key. If I were more patient, I would've cooked the zucchini longer to brown it, but c'est la vie.

3/4 lb. rotini
1/4 cup EVOO
3 small to medium zucchini, sliced lengthwise then cut into half-moons
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 Tbls. fresh chopped basil
2 Tbls. fresh chopped lemon basil
2 Tbls. fresh chopped parsley
2 Tbls. fresh chopped mint
1/3 cup grated Parmesean cheese
Kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper

Boil pasta according to package instructions in salted water until al dente.

Heat oil (don't skimp!) in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add zucchini, cook until just tender (about 5 minutes), then add garlic and cook until softened, another 2 minutes. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.

In large serving bowl, toss drained pasta, zucchini mixture, fresh herbs, and Parm cheese. Season with additional salt and pepper and serve.