Hello my long-lost foodie friends! In my six years of food blogging I have never taken a six-week break from blogging, but life kept happening at a lightning-quick pace. My daughter has flown the coop and gone off to college, I’ve taken a couple of much-needed vacations, and I’m about to wind down my food cart business for the winter. I’ve got one last hurrah at a local pumpkin patch event this weekend which I am looking forward to.
While I’ve done plenty of cooking at home between all this, I couldn’t find the time to get it together to photograph and post for you. And speaking of last hurrahs, my newest recipe comes from the zucchini from the last farmer’s market and pretty much the last of our ripe garden tomatoes. We have a late summer produce season here in Central Oregon, so while this may come to you too late for you in your neck of the woods, feel free to save this for next year’s bounty! And of course you can always use any good-looking store-bought produce when you can find it.
Grated Zucchini and Fresh Tomato Pasta
I have made this sauce three times in the past month, that’s how absolutely delicious and easy it is! Plus it’s versatile, too. It can be completely vegetarian, and truth be told, I wouldn’t miss the meat but I add it in for the hubby. He wants me to make it again with shrimp next time, too, which would be wonderful. The first time I made this I served it over cheese raviolis, and the next two times over garlic and herb pappardelle noodles with chicken. The pappardelle is my favorite! Any kind of pasta would work, but I do love the herb-infused kind with this. You can also use any variety of tomatoes. I used a combination of yellow, purple and red heirloom from our garden.
p.s. to my WordPress friends: I’ll be catching up with you soon! I really do miss reading all your posts. xoxo
Grated Zucchini and Fresh Tomato Pasta
(Serves two, easily doubled or tripled)
4 ounces pappardelle noodles, or other quick-cooking pasta
1 small zucchini
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup diced onion or shallots
1 pound fresh tomatoes
Splash of white wine
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Chopped cooked chicken (optional)
Fresh-grated Parmesan cheese, for serving
Set a pot of water on to boil for the pasta. Meanwhile, using a box grater, grate the zucchini onto a sided plate (I used a pie plate.) Spread out and lightly salt and let rest for a few minutes, then pat dry with paper towels.
In a skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-low, then add the grated zucchini and onions or shallots, stirring occasionally. While the zucchini cooks, grate the tomatoes with the same grater. To grate, core the tomato, then slice a very thin slice off the bottom side. With a flat had, grate the tomato from the cut side until all that’s left is the peel. Discard peel and grate the remaining tomatoes.
When the zucchini and onions are softened, add a splash of wine to the pan. Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste, and the dried Italian herbs. Simmer the sauce on low. Now add your pasta to the boiling water and cook according to package directions. Just before the noodles are ready, add the tablespoon of butter and the cooked chicken, if using, to the sauce. Stir until butter is melted and chicken is heated through. Drain the pasta and add to a serving dish. Pour the sauce over the noodles, and pass with grated Parmesan. A good thick slice of crusty buttered bread is also a must for sopping up the delicious sauce! Enjoy!
Sounds delicious – it’s good to have you back!
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Hi Mad Dog, nice to be back too!
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Welcome back. It sounds like you have been one very busy person. I’m sure you are missing your college student. I much prefer grated zucchini over other ways to cook it. Your dish looks great.
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Thank you so much Darryl, it has been a whirlwind. My daughter texts me often, so that’s good!
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Isn’t it amazing how weeks can FLY BY?
welcome back…. and I absolutely LOVE this pasta… saving to try very soon, it is pure genius!
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Thanks so much Sally! I was shocked when I counted the weeks when I last posted, lol.
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So good to see you! Wow you have been busy xo
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Hi Lynne, good to see you too! xoxo
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xoxo
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Hi KR-missed you! Looks and sounds scrumptious! xoxoxox cccc
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Thanks CCC, I’ve totally missed all of y’all! xoxoxoxo
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Gotto make the $$ while in Season there-we know! xoxoxo ccc
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Woo-hoo she’s back! What a great comeback post, Kathryn. Can’t go wrong with tomato and zucchini. You sound refreshed from your break. I’m glad you got some vacation time. Huge hugs.
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Thanks so much Teagan, I’ve really missed everyone here so much! xoxo
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Looks and sounds DELISH! even though I have already eaten dinner – it makes me hungry! LOL!
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Thanks so much Jodi! You can always make it in the near future my friend! xo
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We missed you, I’m glad you are back.
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Thanks so much Gerlinde, good to be back. 🙂
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Welcome back! You made your grand re-entrance with a bang – LOVE it!
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Yowza, thanks so much Rachel!
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Thanks for the inspiration to try out grated zucchini in a tomato sauce 🙂
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You are most welcome chef!
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So wonderful to see your post! This looks fantastic, Kathryn!
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Thank you so much Tonya! It’s nice to be back. 🙂
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Yum. Pinned!!
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Thank you my dear! xoxo
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This looks amazing! I love the idea of adding shrimp. Nice to see you back! Also, it’s fun to read about all of your lovely events happening!
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Thank you so much! It’s great to be back!
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I love fresh dishes like this. Wonderful stuff, Kathryn. Congrats on getting your child off to college and congrats on a wonderful inaugural food cart season. It’s been a lot of fun watching you live your foodie dreams.
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Thanks so much Adam. I wish I could say I enjoyed watching your life unfold recently. But there’s a LOT of good in your stories, too. Take care. xoxoxo
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Lovely to have you back…yes, good old life has it’s ways of flying by so quickly. Shame, you are going to miss your daughter ! This meal looks absolutely delish, such great flavours! 🙂
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Thanks so much Lynne! Time certainly does fly sometimes…
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Looks good, Kathryn! Our garden gave up the ghost early this year. Summer was too late, to hot and gone too soon. That’s Oregon for ya. I’m so glad you had fun with the cart, though the break for the winter will probably be welcome. Thanks for the delish recipe. Maybe there’s one last zucchini out there. 😀
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Ha ha, thanks Diana! You can always use store-bought, you know!
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What an opportune time for you to share this because I have the ingredients! I am inspired to use this. Will get the garlic pappardelle pasta.
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That’s wonderful Karina! This is such a quick and easy meal, thank you!
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Welcome back too!
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Yes, thanks! xo
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Welcome back and thank you for this nice recipe. Florida’s farmer’s markets will be back in full force by the end of November and this sounds like a great dish to prepare.
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Oh my gosh, I can’t even imagine a November farmer’s market, lol! I bet you get wonderful winter produce from that.
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That is when we start getting the best tomatoes…summer is just too hot here in Florida.
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This sauce sounds marvelous!! That zucchini, the wine, it all sounds so good. Inspired! No wonder you’ve made it so much!
Congrats to your daughter – I bet she’s having a blast. Everything came in late for us and I hated leaving all the tomatoes on the vine in SD, and the gorgeous lettuces and green peppers and herbs. I was just in the car to leave and ran back and dug up the parsley and chives from the garden, lol!! They’re not faring too well as I was a little rough; there was no shovel but I found a hoe in the corner of the garden and hacked away.
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Oh gosh, what a shame to leave it all behind! Hopefully you can revive the herbs. You should try the recipe, it’s so delicious, really!
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It’s on my list!! 🙂
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OMG, I should stop looking through your recipes …. I’m getting so hungry!
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What a sweet comment, thank you Cecilia!
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This looks really good! I just learned how to make homemade pasta, and this might be one of our first sauces. Being in Southeast Texas, we can still get the fresh produce at our local farmers market.
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Oh how nice to still get fresh produce now! I’m a native Texas gal myself, transplanted in Oregon now. Thanks for stopping by!
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As a passionate pasta lover this recipe seems like an ultimate dish which I have to try, Kathryn! Is there any alternative to white wine?
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Chicken or vegetable broth is always an excellent substitute! Mainly you need the liquid to deglaze the pan. Thank you Agness!
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This looks great! It probably tastes especially good with home grown produce.😋
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Thank you so much! It was fantastic. 🙂
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😍
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BLISS !!
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Yes! Thank you!
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Oh yes!!
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Thanks for the link-up!
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