At a recent playdate, one mom noticed a “cooking” style change in my menu for the week, which I always keep posted to my refrigerator. Yep, meals have gotten much simpler at our home. No longer having the stamina for much prep work (eight months pregnant and all), a frozen pizza and salad or black bean burgers and pretzels have replaced the more gourmet meals of my kitchen’s past. When I do happen to whip up something that hasn’t come from a box, my husband and toddler eat ravenously and with gratitude.
This happened over the weekend, when by chance I happened to have the ingredients and energy to make a very simple yet tasty pasta dish. I even happened to have a fresh veggie for the side. Because it was so eagerly devoured by everyone and so quick to make, I thought I’d pass it on to you. Just keep in mind, it tastes more complex than it is, so no need to let the fam’ in on our little secret!
Farfalle with Yogurt and Zucchini, recipe courtesy of Food and Wine Magazine
To serve my family of three, I halved the recipe. Light sour cream can be a substitute for the greek yogurt if that’s what you have on hand. And, to make light work of shredding the zucchini, use the shredder on your food processor. Toss in some shredded rotisserie chicken if you’d like to add a little more protein.
Ingredients:
1 pound farfalle
4 medium zucchini (about 1 1/2 pounds), coarsely shredded
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving
Freshly grated nutmeg
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Directions:
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the farfalle until al dente; about 1 minute before the farfalle is done, add the shredded zucchini to the pot. Drain the farfalle and zucchini, reserving 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water.
Meanwhile, in a large, deep skillet, melt the butter. Remove from the heat. Stir in the Greek yogurt and the 1 cup of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and season the yogurt sauce with freshly grated nutmeg, salt and pepper.
Add the farfalle, zucchini and reserved pasta water to the saucepan and cook over low heat, tossing, until the sauce coats the pasta; transfer to warmed bowls and serve with the extra cheese.
Serve with Caramelized Green Beans if you’d like!
Enjoy!
P.S. As always, we appreciate your vote at:
Hmmm…they used frozen yogurt instead of cheese sauce. Sounds interesting.
Sounds and looks delicious!
Custom Patches
Love it
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YUMmommy – make sure to use GREEK yogurt (a thicker plain yogurt found near the sour cream and breakfast yogurts), not frozen yogurt. Not sure what the mix-up would do to the recipe!