Vegetable Ribbon Pasta

My husband’s father and three sisters are all vegetarian, so this is a great dish to serve when the family is over for a casual dinner. It’s filling, full of veggies, and the addition of pine nuts makes it seem more luxurious than it really is. It’s also a great way to use up your surplus of end-of-summer tomatoes and zucchini. The sauce is a good base for really any vegetables you like; I’ve made it with asparagus and tomato, as well as cubed squash and zucchini.

A side note: when toasting pine nuts, keep a close eye on the pan. The minute you turn away is the minute they start to burn – without fail.

Vegetable Ribbon Pasta

Serves 6

½ cup pine nuts, toasted (2 Tbsp. reserved)

3 medium carrots, scrubbed and peeled

1 medium yellow squash

1 medium zucchini

3 Tbsp. unsalted butter

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

8 oz mascarpone

¼ cup parmesan or pecorino cheese (2 Tbsp. reserved)

1 box linguine

1. Toast the pine nuts over medium heat in a small pan

2. Use a potato peeler to make “ribbons” from the zucchini, squash, and carrots

3. In a large pan with deep sides and a lid, melt the butter and olive oil over medium high heat

4. Add the zucchini, squash and carrot ribbons and toss to coat

5. Season with salt and pepper and allow the vegetables to cook for 4-5 minutes, tossing periodically to brown them slightly

6. Add the tomatoes, mascarpone, pine nuts and parmesan or pecorino cheese and turn off the heat

7. Stir everything to combine and to allow the mascarpone to melt; cover with a lid

8. Meanwhile, cook the linguine according to the “al dente” instructions on the box, in plenty of salted water

9. When the pasta is cooked, drain and add to the vegetable sauce and toss to coat

10. Serve with a sprinkle of extra cheese and pine nuts on top

Enjoy!

 

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Tags: Pasta, Vegetarian