Pasta with caramelized zucchini and stracciatella: The Simple Recipe That Will Transform Your Summer Dinners!
Food lovers, do you know those hot summer evenings when you don’t feel like cooking, but you want to eat something amazing? Well, I have the perfect solution for you: pasta with caramelized zucchini and stracciatella! This is not just a regular first course, it is a sensory experience that will make you fall in love at first bite. Forget the usual boiled zucchini, here we turn them into true stars: we cook them slowly in a pan until they become sweet, soft, and irresistible.
Their sweetness blends divinely with the freshness and creaminess of the stracciatella, creating a contrast of flavors and textures that is pure magic. A dish that tastes of sun, garden, and happiness, perfect for a quick but tasty lunch, or an elegant but stress-free dinner. Simplicity is the key to true goodness, and this recipe is the clear proof of that.
The Secret of Caramelized Zucchini and the Freshness of Stracciatella
The true strength of this pasta with caramelized zucchini and stracciatella lies in its balance of flavors. The secret ingredient? Maple syrup and brown sugar. The zucchini, which are sliced thinly and cooked slowly in a pan with a drizzle of oil, a hint of garlic, maple syrup, and brown sugar. In this way, they lose their water and concentrate the flavor, becoming sweet and almost “caramelized.” It is a step that takes a little time but makes all the difference!
Once the zucchini are ready, we mix them with the freshly drained pasta, and that’s it. But the real explosion of flavor happens at the last minute when we add the fresh stracciatella, raw. Its soft, milky texture melts slightly with the heat of the pasta, creating an enveloping cream that hugs every single shape. A touch of fresh basil for fragrance, and your masterpiece is ready to be savored.
Below are more easy pasta recipes:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 2 People
- Cooking methods: Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer, and Fall
- Energy 442.97 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 43.24 (g) of which sugars 9.56 (g)
- Proteins 15.45 (g)
- Fat 24.63 (g) of which saturated 1.64 (g)of which unsaturated 0.77 (g)
- Fibers 3.89 (g)
- Sodium 980.08 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 670 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 6 oz pasta
- 3 zucchini (small)
- 4.4 oz stracciatella
- 1 lemon (zest)
- 5 leaves basil
- 1 clove garlic (small)
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- to taste salt
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- to taste pepper
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 sprig parsley
Tools
- Pan Lagostina Cucina Mediterranea Non-stick Aluminum Pan Ø 9.5 inches, Induction Pot, Gas and Oven, Titanium Easy Coating, Ergonomic Bakelite Handle
- Vegetable Slicer Mandoline for Vegetables, Multifunctional Vegetable Slicer, Manual Vegetable Slicer with 7 Interchangeable Stainless Steel Blades, Vegetable Chopper for Onion, Carrot, Potato, and Cucumber
- Colander Barazzoni Colander 8.7 inches Stainless Steel 18/10 The Special Colander
Steps for pasta with caramelized zucchini and stracciatella
Start by washing the zucchini, trimming them, and slicing them very thinly. Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan, with the peeled garlic clove, and let the zucchini brown with the maple syrup and brown sugar until they are well caramelized and soft. Add a pinch of salt halfway through cooking.
Meanwhile, boil the pasta in plenty of salted water, then drain it, transfer it to the zucchini pan, add the basil and chopped parsley, some lemon zest, and a few dollops of stracciatella. Mix well. Once the pasta is plated, add the stracciatella and a sprinkle of pepper. Serve
Tips, notes, variations for Pasta with caramelized zucchini and stracciatella
Zucchini: If you have time, you can cook the zucchini uncovered to dry and brown them even more, the result will be fantastic.
Cheese: For an even richer version, you can add a handful of grated Parmesan cheese when serving.
Variations: You can enrich the dish with some crumbled prosciutto or a few toasted pine nuts.
