Lemony Spaghetti And Zucchini Recipes

LEMONY PASTA WITH ZUCCHINI AND FRESH HERBS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of well-salted water (2 heaping tablespoons kosher salt to about 7 quarts water) to a boil. Add pasta and cook until it is just under al dente, 1 minute less than package directions. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water.
• Meanwhile, prepare the zucchini or other squash: Season chunks with salt and pepper. Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add the squash in one layer (you may need to do this in two batches) and cook undisturbed until it begins to turn golden brown, about 3 minutes. Flip and cook 2 to 3 minutes more. Remove from the pan and set aside. Taste and season again, if necessary.
• Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pan. Add the garlic and red-pepper flakes and cook until the garlic becomes translucent, about 30 seconds. Add the squash back to the pan along with the lemon juice and half the lemon zest. Toss to combine.
• Add the pasta to the skillet, and toss to combine. Add 1/2 cup of the pasta water and the grated cheese, and toss until the cheese emulsifies and is silky. If needed, add an additional 1/4 cup pasta water or more to loosen. Add the fresh herbs and toss again. Top with additional herbs and the remaining lemon zest. Serve in bowls, and pass grated cheese at the table. Season with flaky salt, if desired.

LEMONY COURGETTE LINGUINE

Steps:

• Cook the pasta in a pan of boiling salted water according to the packet instructions, then drain, reserving a mugful of cooking water.
• Meanwhile, slice the courgettes lengthways, then again into long matchsticks with good knife skills or using the julienne cutter on a mandolin (use the guard!).
• Place a large non-stick frying pan on a medium-high heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then add the courgettes.
• Cook for 4 minutes, tossing regularly, while you finely slice the mint leaves, then stir them into the pan.
• Toss the drained pasta into the courgette pan with a splash of reserved cooking water.
• Finely grate in most of the Parmesan and a little lemon zest, squeeze in all the juice, toss well, then taste and season to perfection with sea salt and black pepper.
• Dish up, finely grate over the remaining Parmesan and drizzle with 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil before tucking in.

ZUCCHINI AND LEMON SPAGHETTI

Steps:

• First cook the spaghetti (check the package for specific instructions) by bringing a large saucepan of water to a boil, adding a couple of large pinches of sea salt and then the spaghetti; it should take about 8-10 minutes to cook. Stir every so often so the strands of pasta don't stick together. When the pasta is just cooked (al dente), drain it in a colander, drizzle with a little olive oil and then mix to lightly coat the pasta and prevent the strands from sticking together. Set it aside.
• You can use the same saucepan to make the sauce. Pour in the 3 tablespoons of olive oil and heat over medium heat, then add the zucchini and sauté for 4-5 minutes, before adding the garlic and herbs and mixing well. Sauté for a couple more minutes, to allow all the flavors to come together and the zucchini to cook through.
• Return the cooked spaghetti to the pan and heat through, then mix in the cheese and lemon zest, and season with a little sea salt (you may not need much since the feta cheese is salty) and a good grind of black pepper. Serve, with a little more grated cheese sprinkled over, if you wish.

SPAGHETTI WITH ZUCCHINI, LEMON, AND BASIL

Steps:

• Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to the packet instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water and drain the pasta.
• Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium-low heat, warm 1 tablespoon olive oil, add the shallot and cook until soft, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and chile flakes and cook for 1 minute more.
• Stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and the zucchini, season with salt and pepper, and cook just long enough for the zucchini to soften and absorb some of the flavor from the garlic, shallot, and chile, 4 to 7 minutes.
• Remove from the heat, add the basil leaves and allow the basil to wilt slightly. Add the lemon zest and juice.
• Add the pasta to the skillet. Stir, adding a little pasta water, if necessary to thin the sauce.
• Serve hot, with plenty of grated Parmesan and pine nuts scattered on top.

LEMON ZUCCHINI SPAGHETTI WITH SHRIMP

Steps:

• Season shrimp lightly with salt and pepper.
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp; cook until opaque, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a bowl.
• Cut zucchini into noodles using a spiralizer fitted with the large shredding blade. Chop up into slightly shorter pieces.
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in the same skillet over medium heat. Add zucchini noodles, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook and stir until slightly softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add lemon zest, spinach, and chicken broth. Cook until liquid reduces by 1/4, about 5 minutes. Stir in the shrimp and capers. Cook until shrimp is warmed through, about 1 minute more. Drizzle the remaining olive oil on top.

SPAGHETTI WITH LEMON AND ZUCCHINI

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Season it generously with salt. Add the sliced lemons and blanch for 30 seconds. Using tongs, remove the lemons to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Dry well.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and heat another 30 seconds. Add the shallots and garlic to the skillet and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring often with a wooden spoon, until fragrant and beginning to brown slightly, about 2 minutes. Add the capers, anchovy paste, red pepper flakes and the blanched lemon slices and cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon to dissolve the anchovy paste and brown the lemons, for another 2 minutes. Add the zucchini and remaining teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until parts of the zucchini turn deep brown while some parts remain al dente, about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook for 2 minutes less than package directions, about 8 minutes. Add 1/3 cup pasta water to the skillet with the zucchini and stir to deglaze. Use a pair of tongs to remove the pasta directly to the skillet. Sprinkle the bare pasta with the Parmesan and toss well to coat the pasta with the zucchini sauce. (Some of the zucchini should have gotten rather soft, which helps to create a silky sauce.) Add another 1/2 cup pasta water if needed to maintain the sauce. Top the pasta with the herbs and feta and serve.

THAT ZUCCHINI SPAGHETTI STANLEY TUCCI LOVES (SPAGHETTI ALLA NERANO)

Steps:

• Place sunflower oil in a deep fryer and heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Slice zucchini into 1/8-inch rounds.
• Add some zucchini to the hot oil and deep-fry until lightly browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a single layer on paper towels to drain and repeat to cook remaining zucchini. Let zucchini cool to room temperature.
• Transfer cooled zucchini to a bowl. Cover and refrigerate, 8 hours to overnight.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until it's 2 minutes away from being tender yet firm to the bite, 9 to 10 minutes.
• As you are cooking the spaghetti, heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add zucchini and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until it starts to release juices, soften, and break down, 3 to 5 minutes. Add a couple splashes of the pasta water to the zucchini, but don't overdo it. Break zucchini into small pieces with the edge of a spoon or spatula. Reduce heat to low and toss in basil and butter; stir until butter melts.
• Grab spaghetti with tongs and transfer it right into the sauce; stir until coated. Mix in Pecorino Romano and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheeses. Add a final splash of pasta water and adjust salt if needed.
• Serve with more grated cheese and fresh basil.

LEMONY SPAGHETTI AND ZUCCHINI

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
• Cook the spaghetti according to the package directions; drain, reserving 1 cup cooking water.
• Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini noodles, lemon zest, red pepper flakes and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, tossing gently with tongs, until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Add the pasta and reserved cooking water and toss to combine. Stir in the lemon juice and Parmesan. Season with salt.
• Transfer the spaghetti to a serving bowl. Top with more Parmesan and red pepper flakes and serve with lemon wedges.