Seasonal Produce Meal: Zucchini Ribbon Pasta with Tomatoes, Basil and Lemon

Today's entry for Vegan MoFo asked us to make a meal with seasonal local produce. Sounds great to me! One of my friends has been all about the zucchini pasta lately, so I took a little inspiration from her and decided to try my hand at making my own dish.



My friend uses a spiralizer, which is awesome. In lieu of that, however, you can make great ribbons with your vegetable peeler! You simply fry up those ribbons in the sauté pan with some garlic, cherry tomatoes, basil and a splash of lemon, and you've got a delicious, super-simple meal!



Zucchini Ribbon Pasta with Tomatoes, Basil and Lemon
What You'll Need:
2 zucchinis, peeled into ribbons (as pictured) with a vegetable peeler
1 tbsp olive oil
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 c. basil, loosely packed, finely chopped
1 tsp lemon juice
zest 1 lemon (1 tsp)
1 tsp white balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

What You'll Need to Do:

Preheat a pan over medium heat. Add your olive oil and garlic and sauté until just fragrant and golden, about 1-2 minutes. Add your zucchini and tomatoes and toss in the garlic oil, continuing to toss as you fry. Sprinkle in some salt and pepper. Add half of your basil after a minute or so.You'll want to fry until the ribbons begin to relax, just about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat, and toss in your lemon and vinegar. Add salt and pepper to taste.




Tips and Tricks:
This recipe makes enough for one person. That's the easiest amount to squeeze into one regular size sauté pan. If you have a larger pan, you can easily double the recipe. Otherwise, if you double the recipe, you'll want to fry up half of your zucchini (with the garlic and oil, as described above) first, remove it from the pan, and then follow the rest of the recipe, tossing in your first batch of zucchini along with the rest of the ingredients, at the end.