Summertime Pasta, Take II: Farfalle with Zucchini & Tomato

Did you miss Summer Pasta Part I? Don't worry, you can find it here. Or here. Or here. Or here. (sorry, that was just for fun)

But Part II can certainly stand on it's own, and maybe I'm even doing it a disservice by making it a sequel. Ah, well. Moving on.

My review of this recipe... Make. This. Tonight.

It has a light cream sauce! It has a light cream sauce! It has a light cream sauce! I want to shout, from the Alp-mountain tops.

Seriously though, the words "light, cream and sauce" do not go together. It defies logic, and if nothing else, should prompt you to see what it's all about. FYI- I'm not referring to 'light' in calories (although, I think it would do pretty well in that department also), I'm referring to 'light' - not heavy. We're not fans of your typical thick, full after 4 bites, cream sauces. But this recipe, it crosses boundaries people. We're talking, new frontiers.

Speaking of frontiers, as with the first summertime pasta, this one comes from the lovely Pioneer Woman. I changed up some of her measurements and didn't use 'arrowroot', because, who has arrowroot? (If you do, I'm very impressed)

Farfalle with Zucchini & Tomato
adapted from The Pioneer Woman

1 box farfalle pasta (approximately 4 cups uncooked)
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 small yellow onion, diced
2 large zucchini, quartered and cut into bit sized pieces
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes (these are delicious in the pasta, so don't skimp), halved
1 clove of garlic, diced
1/2 cup heavy cream (I know - I used the word 'heavy', just trust me)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped (I didn't have fresh, and used dried. In that case, use 1/4 tablespoon)
2 tablespoons chives, chopped
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese


Cook the pasta. While the pasta is cooking, if you haven't already done so, cut your veggies.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over med-high heat. Put zucchini in the pan and allow to brown. Stir occasionally to avoid burning. Make sure the zucchini is nice and brown, then remove from heat and put aside. If you stir only occasionally, you will avoid overcooking the zucchini.

To the same pan, add 2 tablespoons olive oil over med-high heat. Add the garlic and onions, and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, and turn the heat down to medium. Allow to cook until you see the tomatoes starting to soften, approximately 3 minutes.

Add 2/3 cup white wine, and try to whisk or scrape the flavorful bits off the bottom of the pan. When you're done scraping, add cream. Allow to cook until the sauce starts to become thick, 4-5 minutes.

Add the zucchini, and 1/2-3/4 cup of your pasta water to help thin out the sauce. Now add salt and pepper. (Yes, I actually used salt in this recipe, which, I usually prefer to skip - but Tim noticed and said something! So I recommend it)

Place cooked pasta in a large serving bowl and sprinkle with your fresh herbs. Pour the sauce over your pasta, and mix well. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese, and serve.

Guten appetit!