Quarantine has brought with it lots of things. Homeschooling, some solitude, a husband that is home all the time, a few pounds, and this pasta recipe that was born out of not ordering our groceries in time. The days-long wait for curbside pick-up had me thrown there for a bit but I think I have since mastered it. On one of those nights of not knowing what to make for dinner, I threw this pasta together and it was so yummy that I have made it again since. Incredibly fast and super light and fresh, it is just screaming springtime with a hungry quarantined family. Hope you try it and enjoy!

Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 lb pappardelle
• 3 small zucchini or yellow squash
• 4-5 cups baby spinach torn
• 6 tbs olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 lemon zested and juiced
• 2 tbs butter
• 1/3 cup finely grated parmesan
• salt and pepper to taste
• parsley

Directions

• Boil pappardelle in pot of heavily salted water. Pappardelle has a tendency to stick together after being taken out of the water so make sure that you don’t do this too early or ahead of time.
• Slice zucchini very thinly with a mandolin or by hand. They should be almost transparent and floppy.
• Heat 2 tbs olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
• Cook the zucchini in the skillet and season with salt and pepper. They should cook quickly because they are so thin so only a few minutes.
• Remove the zucchini from the heat and transfer to a bowl until later.
• In the same skillet, heat 4 tbs of olive oil over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
• Pour in the wine and bring to a simmer, allowing it to reduce by about 1/3.
• Stir in lemon juice, lemon zest, 2 tbs of butter, salt and pepper to taste, and stir until the butter has melted.
• Reduce the heat to low and to the skillet, add the pappardelle and the spinach and toss to combine with the sauce. Cook until the spinach starts to silt, about 3 minutes or so.
• Transfer pappardelle and spinach mixture to a pasta bowl. Add the zucchini and the parmesan and toss to combine.
• Top with rough chopped parsley and a bit more parmesan if you like.
• Enjoy!

Check out more of my recipes here.