Pasta all’Ortolana

Carbonara meets primavera in this vegetarian pasta all’ortolana which is filled with zucchini and tossed with an egg-based sauce that is thick, creamy, and completely indulgent.

When I woke up this morning my blog was in some sort of WordPress update limbo, showing the dreaded “White Screen of Death”, so that pretty much took years off my life.

I have no idea how/what/why fixed it (or if it’s even fixed?!?! may just be an illusion), but now it seems to be working so let’s just cross our fingers and hope it was some sort of short-lived glitch.

For a long time my blogging mantra has been “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix (or update) it” resulting in a total backlog of wordpress updates that I (reluctantly) allowed my host to do this weekend. Why that resulted in my site white-screening and then randomly working again, WE WILL NEVER KNOW.

Oh how I hate the technical side of blogging. It’s like some sort of coding black hole that I know nothing about.

Well now that we’re starting off the week already DESPERATELY in need of a plate of comfort food…let’s talk pasta!!

This is the perfect vehicle for using up all of your zucchini but also for satisfying those alfredo meets carbonara cravings.

What’s pretty magical about this is that is has all of the flavor and feel of a carbonara sauce but without any of the meat! Its sauce is made of eggs, egg yolks, and lots of cheese that are tossed with the hot pasta and vegetables to form a thick, silky, creamy sauce. I recommend a noodle-y kind of pasta shape for this (spaghetti, linguine, fettuccine, tagliatelle) because it holds the sauce beautifully and allows you to slurp down your pasta – always a win.

Pasta all'Ortolana

 

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Carbonara meets primavera in this vegetarian pasta all'ortolana which is filled with zucchini and tossed with an egg-based sauce that is thick, creamy, and completely indulgent.

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 lb spaghetti
• salt and black pepper
• 1 lb zucchini
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
• 2 eggs + 4 egg yolks
• 1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
• ½ cup finely grated pecorino cheese
• basil, torn

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and reserve ½ cup of the cooking water. Set aside.
2. Meanwhile, trim the zucchini and cut the flesh into strips. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and saute the zucchini and onion together over medium high heat until golden. Add in the garlic and cook for another minute.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, and cheeses. Season to taste with black pepper.
4. Pour the reserved pasta water into the pan with the zucchini. Add the spaghetti to the pan and mix to combine. Working quickly, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the egg and cheese mixture, tossing continuously so that the eggs don't scramble but heat enough to form a sauce. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Garnish with basil before serving.

Notes

Recipe from Simple

3.5.3208