Pasta with Lotsa Lotsa Zucchini Primavera

The zucchini plants are takin' over the world. I love um, I really do. That's why we planted ONE sweet little plant. One cute little obedient zucchini plant. I planned to pluck one dainty little squash each day, never allowing any zucchini to grow bigger than my index finger, since they taste so much sweeter when they are little. Ha! Zuchinni plants are takin' over the world. Once you turn your back, they morph into baseball bats. (Hey-now that's an idea. Zucchini-Tomato baseball. Hey, batteh batteh.) How about you? Are your zucchini plants takin' over the world yet, or are they still whispering rebellion and choosing a leader? Don't wait, raze them down while they are still organizing and gobble them up for dinner.

I'll be sharing recipe ideas for zuchinni submission all week long-from desserts, to dinners, to appetizers. And why don't you share some ideas with me? After all, we're all in this fight together. Humankind vs. Zucchini!

Post Edit:My sister-in-law just came by with a great big bag of -you guessed it-zucchini!

Notes: All right, so pasta primavera usually involves spring-not summer-vegetables, but so what. I'm in the middle of a summer vegetable battle here. And you know what? Zucchini tastes absolutely divine with pasta. It's the time of year when everyone in the Northern Hemisphere should be getting zucchini for free-or at least for very, very, cheap.

Pasta with Lotsa Lotsa Zucchini Primavera

Estimated Cost: $8.00 for 6 generous servings (or cheaper-every vegetable but the broccoli came from my own garden)

1 lb pasta (I used angel hair)

3 tablespoons butter

1 large onion, minced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2-4 carrots

1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips

1 small bunch broccoli, cut into bite sized pieces

2 medium zucchini, sliced

3/4 cup peas (not thawed, if frozen)

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup vegetable or chicken broth

1 cup shredded parmesan cheese

zest and juice of one lemon

Begin cooking pasta according to package directions. Heat butter in large frying pan over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, and garlic, and red bell pepper. Cook for five minutes. Stir in broccoli and zucchini. Cook until all vegetables are tender crisp. Add peas and turn off the heat. Drain pasta and keep warm. In pasta pot, bring cream and broth to a boil. Add cheese, and lemon juice and zest and season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss pasta with vegetable and cream sauce. Serve, passing more cheese on the side.
All Week Long:

Zucchini Cookies, Zucchini Cake, Zucchini Fritters, and Zucchini Lasagna