summer spaghetti with a kick

summer means swimsuits (ugh), sandals, cute sleeveless dresses, brightly painted toenails, icy cold cocktails on the patio and meals packed with vegetables in every color of the rainbow.

you get serious summer bonus points if you use fresh, local produce! now is the best time to hit up your farmers market or local natural/organic store to shop for produce that was grown locally.

these little gems from comanche creek farms are so sweet and juicy, all they need is a little heat, garlic and olive oil in a skillet to make a simple and bright sauce for your summer spaghetti.

 this delicious, healthy and simple dinner comes together in about 20 minutes- begin your chopping and then put the water on for the pasta. while the pasta cooks, saute your zucchini and yellow squash for 5 minutes, then add the tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. add the garlic, turn off the heat and cook for about 1 minute, stirring constantly. toss in the drained pasta, add cheese and parsley. 

doneski.

 summer spaghetti

serves 6-8

1 lb. whole wheat spaghetti

4T olive oil

3 zucchini, diced

2 yellow squash

3 cups cherry tomatoes

3-4 cloves garlic, pressed or finely chopped

1/4 cup fresh flat leaf parsley (or basil)

1/4 cup parmigiano-reggiano

pinch or two red pepper flakes

s + p

press or chop the garlic and chop the parsley or basil.

start dicing the zucchini and yellow squash. i use a small dice so they cook in a few minutes. halve the tomatoes. (i chop the veggies while the water comes to a boil because my old stovetop is slow)

put the water on for the pasta.

while the water is coming to a boil, put olive oil in a skillet and heat over medium. add all the squash, 1/4 tsp salt and few grinds of pepper, stir, and saute for about 5-7 minutes.

the water should be boiling now, so throw the pasta in there and cook according to package.

 while the pasta cooks, continue sauteing the zucchini, adding the tomatoes and pinch or two (or 3 like me) of red pepper flakes. cook for about 3-4 minutes, just until the tomatoes soften a little bit and release some of their juices. add garlic, stir, turn off heat (so the garlic won't burn) and cook garlic for 1 minute, stirring. add the cooked pasta, parm and parsley or basil and toss, toss, toss. 

taste and add more cheese, pepper, salt as desired.

you could also add some freshly squeezed lemon juice at the end, just before you toss it all together. want to pack some more veggies in there? dice up some eggplant, red/yellow/orange bell peppers and saute those with the zucchini.