"A light quick pasta dish with lots of delicious summer zucchini and bacon, this could turn into your favorite pasta in a heartbeat. Super casual and easy to make but truly nourishing and refined.
The base for this dish is a simple zucchini and bacon sauce that delivers mega flavors. This sauce is tender, soft with a nice texture of the zucchini. We use two different ways to cut the zucchini, one zucchini is cut in bite-sized pieces. The other one is shredded, eventually it gets jammy and saucy, ideal to coat big pieces of pasta. Also the addition of pasta cooking water rounds out the meat flavor and gives the bacon something to cook down in without drying out.
We finish the dish off with a nice addition of fresh basil and lots of sunflower and pumpkin seeds. Serve with grated parmesan. Two words. Really tasty.
This is one of those meals that everyone can love and everyone can make. If you’re looking for inspiration for a new pasta dinner, than this is it. Shareable deliciousness."
Bacon and Zucchini Pasta with Basil
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Prep time 10mins
Cook time 25mins
Serves or Makes: 4
Recipe Card
ingredients
- 4 cups pasta
- 2 cups thin slices of bacon, cut into thin strips
- 2 zucchini
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 shallot, thinly sliced
- olive oil
- Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1 teaspoon chili flakes
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 bunch of basil, leaves only
- 1/4 cup seeds, a mixture of sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, black sesame and pine nuts
- Grated parmesan, for serving
Method
Step 1
Boil the pasta in salted water until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water.
Step 2
While the pasta is cooking, cut one of the zucchini in bite-size pieces, grate the other zucchini on the large holes of a box grater. Set aside.
Step 3
Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a very large skillet, add the bite-size cut zucchini, season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes until zucchini softens slightly. Take out and set aside.
Step 4
Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in the same pan over heat heat, add bacon and cook for 4-5 minutes until golden. Add grated zucchini, cook for 3 minutes. Add garlic, shallot and lemon juice. Season with salt, lots of black pepper and chili flakes. Add the pasta cooking liquid. Cook until the zucchini is jammy, about 2-3 minutes more. Add the seed mixture and the bite-size zucchini pieces.
Step 5
Transfer pasta to the skillet and stir until sauce coats the pasta. Toss in most of the basil. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve with grated parmesan and the remaining basil. Enjoy!