Are you looking for an idea for lunch or dinner? Then I can help you by suggesting you try this vegetarian main course: country style pasta. A light and very simple recipe, made very appetizing by the aged ricotta cheese added at the end. It is also quite quick to prepare, making it perfect when you don’t have much time or want to avoid spending too long at the stove. Take pen and paper, note down the ingredients, and let me know what you think once you’ve tasted it.
Other vegetable main courses:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4 people
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer, and Autumn
Ingredients for country style pasta
Of course, you can increase or decrease the quantities of various ingredients as you like, depending on your personal taste.
If you prefer, you can replace the aged ricotta with Pecorino Romano. You will get an even more flavorful dish.
- 12 oz short pasta (any shape you like)
- 5.3 oz carrots (net weight)
- 5.3 oz zucchini (net weight)
- 1 shallot
- 1.8 oz green olives
- 1.8 oz aged ricotta (+ extra for garnish)
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt
- black pepper
- A few leaves basil (optional)
Tools
- 1 Pan
- 1 Pot
- Grater with large holes
Preparation of country style pasta
Trim the zucchini and scrape the carrots. Then wash them, pat them dry with kitchen paper, and cut them into cubes. To do this easily, first cut them into matchsticks: I show you HERE how to proceed.
Chop the green olives coarsely with a knife or mezzaluna.
Peel the shallot and chop it finely. I used a manual pull chopper that I find really convenient. If you want to buy it, you can find it by clicking HERE.
Use a grater with large holes to shred the aged ricotta into julienne strips.
In a large pan, heat a couple of tablespoons of oil before adding the shallot. Let it sizzle for a moment, then add the zucchini and carrots.
Cook for 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Then add the green olives, a couple of generous pinches of salt, and a generous grind of black pepper and continue cooking for another 4/5 minutes. The cooking time, admittedly, depends a lot on the size of your vegetables. So adjust by eye. Once cooked, the zucchini and carrots should be tender but still crunchy. They should not turn to mush.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta in plenty of salted boiling water, drain it al dente, and transfer it directly into the pan with the sauce. Add the grated aged ricotta and mix well to combine all the ingredients. Let it flavor for a moment over the flame.
Serve the country style pasta in individual plates, garnishing it with more aged ricotta and, if you like, with basil leaves torn by hand. Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper and serve immediately. Enjoy! Paola
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