Pasta Primavera with Garden Zucchini and Herbs
I think it’s safe to say that I wouldn’t have survived the week (in terms of meal planning) without my garden. Every meal I made was with ingredients I already had in the house, or was growing in the garden. Coming back from a trip alone is a lot more work than I anticipated. The “re-entry” into reality, as my dad put it, has been nothing short of exhausting. I’ve been playing catch-up during an already busy week (hosting Garden Club and having scheduled 2 appointments across town).
Wednesday I had no clue what to make for dinner. I don’t like not having a plan for meals, even if it’s just a list of a few dishes that I plan to make in the next couple weeks. I hadn’t been to the store (still) and didn’t want to spend the time doing shopping either. I remembered a friend with a garden mentioning that she had made a delicious pasta primavera using squash from her garden, so I decided that would be our plan since we had an abundance of garden zucchini in the fridge. I also used green onion, parsley, and basil from our garden. I really enjoyed it, but next time I’d prefer the sauce doubled (the sauce is doubled in the recipe below). If you don’t have frozen peas you could use yellow squash instead. For a vegetarian dish, substitute the chicken with additional peas, zucchini, and yellow squash.
Pasta Primavera with Garden Zucchini and Herbs
This primavera is a great way to use up languishing squash in your fridge. Any green veggies really make this a pretty dish and if you are vegetarian just omit the chicken and add more veggies!
Ingredients
- 2 cups zucchini, sliced in half moons
- 10 oz. cooked penne, I used whole wheat
- 1 Tbs olive oil
- 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breast
- 1 cup frozen peas or yellow squash
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 c white wine
- 2/3 c heavy cream
- 2 Tbs lemon juice
- 1/2 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
- 1/3 c fresh basil, thinly sliced
- 1/4 c fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/4 c green onions
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cut the chicken crosswise into 1/4-inch-wide strips; sauté 5 minutes.
- Add zucchini, salt, pepper, and garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Stir in wine, making sure to scrape all the browned bits from the pan.
- Allow to simmer until slightly thickened. Stir in cream, peas, and juice; cook 1 minute. Add pasta and cheese; stir well to coat.
- Remove from heat; stir in basil, parsley, and green onion.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 456Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 71mgSodium: 602mgCarbohydrates: 48gFiber: 8gSugar: 5gProtein: 26g
GoodLifeEats.com offers recipe nutritional information as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although GoodLifeEats.com makes every effort to provide accurate information, these figures are only estimates.
Kevin says
What a nice looking fresh pasta dish!
Krista.S says
This looks delicious! I've actually been looking for a good recipe to use up some leftover squash and zucchini – and I think I've found it! Thanks for posting! And the picture is beautiful too!
Jennifer says
I love the garden inspired dish! There is nothing more great in the summer than savoring the produce from your own garden!
Ashley says
Yum! I don't know if there is a pasta dish I wouldn't like. I like using whole wheat pasta too.
Katie @ goodLife {eats} says
Pili – I would have preferred using yellow squash for the peas, but I did not plant any. My neighbor grows it, but he wasn't home.
Pili says
Sounds like a wonderful pasta dish! Though I think I'd subsitute the peas for something other, not a big fan of peas!