Yellow Squash Pasta + Pesto and Roasted Tomatoes

zucchini pasta with pesto, tomatoes, and olives

This is a total made-from-scraps dinner – and as is often the case, what I end up making when I think I have nothing in the fridge ends up as something I can’t wait to cook again.

 

I had two smallish yellow squash, a couple of tablespoons of store bought pesto, some roasted tomatoes I’d made the week before, and about a handful of Kalamata olives. All of my favorite things, and not far, in terms of theme and taste, from the Tomato, Olive + Ricotta Tart I’d made a couple of weeks before.

 

Y’all don’t need to go out and buy a fancy spiralizer to make these noodle-y strands from your zucchini. You can find a handheld one anywhere — they look like vegetable peelers –and for less than five bucks, usually. That’s what I used here.

 

You can go green instead of yellow here, and it’ll work just fine. The sweet roasted tomatoes were a nice foil to the olives, and the pesto pulled it all together. I felt so virtuous for dessert, I ate the last piece of Raspberry-Hazelnut Cake.

 

Yellow Squash Pasta + Pesto and Roasted Tomatoes

Makes 2 servings

 

  • 2 yellow squash (or green zucchini)
  • 10 Kalamata olives
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • about 1 pint roasted cherry tomatoes*
  • 2 heaping tablespoons storebought pesto
  • 2 tablespoons ricotta
  • red pepper flakes, for serving
  • flat-leaf parsley, for serving

 

  1. With your handheld spiralizer, make long skinny strips out of your yellow squash. Set aside.

 

  1. Chop your Kalamata olives.

 

  1. Put the olive oil in a large skillet and when it’s hot, add the yellow squash, olives, roasted cherry tomatoes, and pesto. Stir this all around and let it warm through, for about 2 minutes. Divide between two plates or shallow bowls, top with ricotta, red pepper flakes and chopped parsley. Eat.

 

*To roast your cherry tomatoes, simply halve them, spread out on a large baking sheet, drizzle with a little olive oil, add some salt and pepper and cook in a low oven (200°F) for an hour or so. Save time: do this in advance and keep in the fridge.

 

 

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