Zucchini Pappardelle with Roasted Tomatoes and Basil

Do you do things that drive your partner crazy? Little quirks that inevitably buzz around their head like a fly on a hot summer day. That's a rhetorical question by the way…because of course you do. We all do. Just ask Anguel, he'll tell you all about my quirks. Actually, maybe don't. Although, either way, I can definitely guess what's smack dab at the top of the list.

When I see food, my eyes are almost always larger than my stomach. And I'm not just talking about at restaurants (I actually clean up pretty well there). It's especially bad when I'm buying groceries. At the farmers market everything looks so fresh and juicy…I usually just want to stuff everything into my bag and call it a day. Reality hits when I get back home – and Anguel promptly tries to get everything into the fridge. There are exasperated sighs as he tries to tetris his way into fitting the lettuce, kale and sprouts into our tiny crisper drawer. And when the sighs come out, I know it's time to make up for my recklessness by whipping up yummy avocado toast (the key to his heart). And the next week it repeats.

For two people, we sure do go through a lot of produce. But that's not to say I wasn’t intimidated about finding a use for the 3+ pounds of zucchini I bought last weekend. I was. Turns out, making noodles from the zucchini is an awesomely delicious way to go through zucchini like nobody's business. 3 pounds? No problem.

I, like almost everyone else, have been on the spiralizer bandwagon. It can be a very handy tool for sure. But the truth is it sits in our cupboard way too often and only comes out on random occasions…like once in a blue moon when I'm craving curly fries. I envy Ali's commitment to the art of spiralizing anything and everything. Needless to say, I wasn't motivated to break it out this time. For this recipe, I instead went with thinly peeled strips using a regular vegetable peeler. It's still a zoodle (zucchini + noodle), but more like pappardelle than spaghetti. In the end, you can still twirl it on your fork (yay!), but you don't need to fight a hunk of plastic to get there. Sounds like a win in my books, don't you?

For the sauce, I went with a light and summery combination of lemon and olive oil. The oil will infuse with garlic and chili flakes, needing only a couple handfuls of basil and roasted tomatoes to bring it over the edge. It's tempting to keep adding extras to simple dishes like this – so I won't stop you. But this simple version is the one we've turned back to most often. It's easy and delicious. And if you don’t count the salt and pepper, this recipe rings in at 10 ingredients!

I found a few techniques useful in treating the zucchini. First off, you’ll want to marinate the zucchini noodles in a bit of lemon and olive oil. It helps to soften the zucchini before even starting to cook. And since zucchini is made up of 90%+ water, it’s key to strain out the water it releases during cooking. A quick initial saute helps the zucchini sweat out some water (which you’ll strain), before adding the ingredients for the sauce. Then once the noodles are cooked, you’ll transfer them to a serving dish before seasoning them with the last bits of lemon juice, olive oil, zest, salt and pepper. This ensures that you get as much flavor on your plate (not down the drain). If it sounds complicated, it really isn't. I promise. Top with toasted pine nuts and serve either warm or room temperature (both are delish!).