Last week’s squash – both yellow and zucchini – ended up in a no-recipe pasta dish. I roasted all the squash together and cooked some frozen tortellini. Then tossed everything together. It’s the kind of thing my husband considers comfort food and an awful lot of squash was consumed with no complaint. It was a shortcut dinner (with leftovers for at least two days) on a day when I didn’t really have lots of time to cook.
Today I have a little fancier version from Hetty Lui McKinnon. We have some leftover ricotta here from testing Osteria 832’s lemon ricotta pancakes (best pancakes ever) so that’s probably another reason this recipe appeals to me.
Ingredients:
4-5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 small onion, finely diced 2 pounds yellow squash or zucchini, trimmed and chopped into 1/2-inch dice 8 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped sea salt and black pepper 1 poundshort pasta such as large spirals, shells or rigatoni 1/4 cup lemon juice, plus more to serve 1 teaspoon red chilli flakes, plus more to serve 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese Zest of 1 large lemon 2-3 tablespoon toasted pine nuts handful of basil leaves, torn
Preparation:
Place a large pot or dutch oven on medium-high flame and heat until it is hot, about 1 minute. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, along with the onion and stir for 1 minute until fragrant and starting to soften. Toss in the squash and garlic and season with about 2 teaspoons of sea salt and a big pinch of black pepper. Cook for 12-15 minutes, stirring often, until squash has broken down.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and add the pasta. Cook for 3 minutes less than package instructions – for example, my pasta package instructions said to cook 9-11 minutes and I cooked for 6 minutes – until the pasta is softened but not quite al dente.
After 12-15 minutes, the zucchini the flesh will have mostly ‘melted’. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for another 5 minutes, until thick and jammy.
When the pasta is ready, using a slotted spoon or spider ladle, drag the pasta into the pot with the zucchini, add 2 cups of the pasta cooking water, lemon juice, chilli flakes and season with another 1 teaspoon of sea salt. Toss for 2-3 minutes, until the pasta is coated with the jammy zucchini sauce. Add half the ricotta, lemon zest and another 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil, and toss again to distribute evenly. Taste to make sure you are happy with the flavour – add more sea salt and black pepper, if needed.
To serve, top with remaining ricotta, pine nuts and basil leaves and squeeze over more lemon juice. Serve warm or at room temperature.