It’s been a busy week in Maine with extra work days and an ambitious recipe. I’ve been craving pasta, specifically pappardelle, and knew it was time to make it. So I decided to pair it with fresh zucchini and summer squash, which my mom’s friend gifted us from her garden. My goal was to make a pasta with zucchini and summer squash that honored the colors, textures, and shapes of the yellow and green vegetable ribbons. And that tasted delicious.

Pasta with Zucchini and Summer Squash

Making homemade pasta during a packed week is ambitious for me, so I had other recipes in mind as backups. I worked an extra shift this week at the cooking store, so I knew my body and mind would feel the change. I wanted to sleep in on Thursday, visit the farmers market, and relax. But of course, working in a cooking store constantly inspires me to cook new things. I dreamed of bringing pasta leftovers to work Friday and slurping down lemony, garlicky pasta with zucchini and summer squash. When Thursday came around I was tired, but still felt like I could tackle a harder recipe.

Kneading pasta dough is not one of my favorite things to do. If there was a machine that could knead pasta dough for me, like a small, high-powered stand mixer, I would use it all the time. The other hard part is the patience required to roll it all out, flour it, and cut it. To make matters more complicated, after photographing the yellow and green zucchini and summer squash, I decided to make two different pasta doughs. One verdant from blended basil leaves (left over from my basil panna cotta) and the other a classic egg yolk dough. I imagined delicate draped ribbons of green and yellow pasta with shaved ribbons of complementary vegetables. 

Fresh Vegetables

Before I started I picked up some things from the farmers market. It was brutally sunny and very busy. I even overheard a vendor saying that the day was her third best of all time for sales. The vegetable stand with the wicker baskets and golden retrievers was filled with people scanning graffiti eggplants, big fennel bulbs, and bowls of fresh peaches. So I made my way to the fresh bread first, buying a chocolate croissant and a bagel. I could feel the radiant warmth through the paper bag. Next I walked by a wave of searing sausages and buttered bread at the breakfast sandwich station and admired a swath of fresh flower bouquets. I decided to wait in line for zucchini flowers after spotting the bright orange and green leaves from afar. 

They would be perfect for garnishing my pasta. I even considered plucking the leaves and laminating them in the pasta dough itself. But I worried that would ruin the texture of the pasta and mask the freshness of the zucchini leaves. I could stuff them, and fry them, like my Italian zucchini fritters from last summer, but I wanted to paint the vibrant orange and green of the flowers, not a delicate, pale yellow batter. It stayed in the back of my mind as I drove home. I made a quick breakfast of a toasted bagel and scallion cream cheese and then got to work on my pasta with zucchini and summer squash. 

Homemade Pasta Dough

The first thing I did was crack eggs and measure my flour into two bowls. I realized I could make a vibrant yellow dough, summer squash-colored, with just the yolks. And I could use the whites to blend with the basil. I ended up with a slightly brown-green liquid because the basil had begun to oxidize, but I carried on anyway. I kneaded the green dough on the counter vigorously, feeling my wrists groan in protest. After a week of carrying toasters, blenders, and cast iron up and down stairs. I carried on until the dough was elastic and cohesive. The green color was a little better. Next I mixed my egg yolks (and another egg) with flour.

It kneaded a little easier than the first dough, which helped my hands. And finally I wrapped them, stacked them, and placed them in the fridge to chill. The counter was coated in clumps of eggy green flour and white dust, so I spent a few minutes cleaning and tidying. I placed my old cutting board on the dining room table so I could make space for the pasta. I clamped the stainless steel, flour-caked pasta roller to the corner of the counter and gave it a quick crank. The shrill squeaking reminded me I still need to oil it. I retrieved my zucchini and summer squash and did a little brainstorming.

Pappardelle

I really like the contrast of fresh vegetables with warm, chewy pasta. And I imagined a light, summery sauce with lemon, butter, and garlic. So I decided to just peel my zucchini and summer squash in long ribbons, after taking off some of the rough skins. And I set them aside while I worked on my pasta dough. With a flick of flour on the counter I started cutting my dough in half and rolling each piece patiently, flattening them in my hand first and coating them in flour. I worked my way through the thickness settings, from 1 to 6, until I had long sheets of translucent dough. Both yellow and green.

All that was left to do was cut it. Which I love doing. You flour the sheets and roll them into logs. Then, you cut wide noodles and unfurl them. Pappardelle reminds me of wide rice noodles, which I’m very fond of. Pad see Ew is probably my favorite Southeast Asian dish, which I fell in love with after coming home from Thailand. So any kind of wide, chewy noodle is my favorite. I laminated my yellow dough a little through the pasta machine to give it more of a chew and left my green dough alone, since it was already firm. And before I knew it I had nests of yellow and green strands of pasta resting on a plate. I was tired, but too excited to stop.

Lemony Garlic Sauce

It was 2 or 3 and I still hadn’t eaten lunch, so I hustled a little. Pretending I was back in a restaurant, or the cafe, timing myself for fun. Something about making a quick pan sauce and shaking it around with fresh pasta, parmesan, and a little butter or oil is so satisfying. So I boiled a big pot of water and cooked a portion of sauce for each bundle of pasta. Four in total. The sauce was made of butter, lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil. Right before adding my pasta I sautéed my zucchini and squash ribbons to infuse them with the flavor.

And then I hoisted in my cooked noodles, after about a minute in the water, shaking the pan to coat. I also threw in a handful of grated parmesan cheese and sprinkled a bit of flaky sea salt on top. Finally I garnished my pasta with zucchini and summer squash with black pepper and a zucchini flower. Not stuffed or sautéed, but raw and vibrant in color. I ate a big plate for lunch. 

A Delicious, Fresh Pasta Dish

And I was blown away by how good it was. Dancing back and forth from the basil and egg yolk pastas provided sweetness and freshness and a tender, delicate chew. The sautéed summer squash and zucchini ribbons were still tender with a beautiful garlicky, lemony flavor. I added some fresh, raw vegetable ribbons on top too. Then I mixed the creamy, fresh pasta strands with the orange zucchini flowers, which added a slight crunch and earthiness. I couldn’t put my plate down. And I was so excited to have three portions left to eat during the week.

My mom ate one plate for dinner and remarked that she could eat it every day. So I was damn proud of my efforts. There’s not much more that I love for a meal in the summer than fresh pasta with lemon and garlic. The vegetables and zucchini flowers add so much depth, texture, and freshness. And my pappardelle craving was satiated. The flat, wide noodles were so satisfying to twirl and chew.

Leftover Pasta

But going forward, as the heat wanes and we creep closer to fall, I’m starting to dream of a rich, slow-cooked bolognese sauce. Fresh shaved parmesan and extra carrots in the mirepoix. Fresh pepper on top and wide, chewy noodles. Curled up in front of the TV after a long day. Something chocolatey for dessert. For now I’ll be working a few extra shifts until my birthday. I’ll have a week off to cook, bake, and sleep in. Who knows what recipe I’ll come up with!

Thanks so much for reading, as always. Be sure to check out my Etsy shop for 100’s of recipe cards and art prints. And make sure to use code THEFORKEDRING for 25% off. Take care!

Print Pin

Pasta with Zucchini and Summer Squash

Homemade pappardelle with fresh vegetables and lemon garlic sauce

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword lemon pasta, pasta, zucchini

Prep Time 2 hours hours

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author theforkedring

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups 00 flour
• 1/2 cup fresh basil
• 3 whole eggs
• 1 medium zucchini
• 1 medium summer squash
• 12 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 8 cloves fresh garlic
• 2 whole lemons
• 1 cup fresh grated Parmesan
• Salt + pepper for garnish

Instructions

• Divide flour into two medium bowls (3/4 cup in each). In one bowl, add 2 egg yolks and 1 whole egg.
• Combine eggs with flour until a dough begins to form. Transfer to a clean work surface and knead for 8-10 minutes, until elastic and cohesive. Wrap dough and place in fridge to chill.
• Mix basil in a high-powered blender with 2 egg whites until fully combined. Add to the second bowl of flour and once again mix into a dough.
• Place green dough on counter and knead for 8-10 minutes until elastic and cohesive. Wrap dough and place in fridge to chill with the other dough for at least 30 minutes.
• When the doughs are rested, remove one from the fridge and prepare a pasta roller. Cut dough in half and coat in flour.
• Roll dough through the pasta machine from setting 1 to 6, ending with a long, rectangular sheet of pasta dough. Flour the sheet generously with flour and roll into a log.
• Cut pasta log into 4 equal wide sections, unfurling the past strands into long noodles. Coat in flour and wrap in a nest until ready to cook. Repeat process with rest of pasta doughs.
• Peel outer layers of hard skin from the zucchini and squash and cut into thin ribbons with a potato peeler or mandolin. Set aside and cover.
• Heat a large pot with about 6 quarts of water until boiling. Add a large pinch of table salt and cook 1/4 of your pasta at a time (using both green and yellow noodles) for 1 minute.
• Meanwhile, heat a sauté pan over medium heat. Melt 4 tbsp unsalted butter and add 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 cloves of chopped fresh garlic, and sauté as the pasta cooks.
• Just before adding the pasta, add 1/4 of your zucchini and squash ribbons. Then, add your cooked pasta, the juice of 1/2 lemon, and 1/4 cup grated parmesan.
• Shake the pan to coat pasta in the sauce and transfer to a large plate. Garnish with extra olive oil, flaky sea salt, and fresh cracked black pepper.

Notes

• If garnishing with zucchini flowers, make sure to remove the stem from inside the flower before consuming.
• A sprinkle of extra fresh cheese on top never hurt anyone!