Simple Summer Pasta with Tomatoes, Zucchini and Parmesan

First week of summer and the house is already a zoo. Amber is babysitting the younger kids two days a week while I am on the road and Dave is at the truck stop, which makes Amber thirteen-going-on-thirty and gives her authority that she wields with a seriousness that would be funny if it were not also exactly what this family needs. She makes the kids lunch. She enforces screen time limits. She breaks up fights between Justin and Tyler with the calm authority of a hostage negotiator.

Gayle takes the kids two days a week and Dave covers the fifth day with creative scheduling and the occasional strategic use of a neighbor. The machinery is running. It creaks and it groans and it requires constant adjustment, but it runs, and that is all you can ask of a system built from love and logistical desperation.

I started a new thing this week: freezer meals. I spent Sunday afternoon making five freezer-ready dinners that Dave or Amber can pull out and heat up when I am on the road. Tater tot casserole, hamburger soup, chicken and rice casserole, sloppy joe mixture, and a big pan of enchiladas. Each one goes in a gallon ziplock bag, labeled with the name and reheating instructions, stacked in the freezer like a library of future dinners. This is my answer to the problem of feeding four kids when I am two hundred miles away: I cook in advance. I plan ahead. I refuse to let distance be an excuse for bad food.

The enchiladas are new to the rotation. Flour tortillas filled with shredded chicken, cream cheese, green chiles, and jack cheese, rolled and placed in a pan, covered with enchilada sauce and more cheese, wrapped in foil, frozen. Pull out, bake from frozen at 350 for forty-five minutes. The kids ate the test batch in twelve minutes and asked for more, which means the enchiladas have earned a permanent place in the freezer meal lineup.

The garden is thriving. The tomatoes are knee-high. The peppers have small green fruits. The lettuce is producing faster than we can eat it. Josie is the self-appointed garden manager and she takes the job seriously, watering every morning, pulling weeds she identifies by instinct rather than knowledge, and talking to the plants because she believes it helps and I do not have the heart or the science to argue.

The enchiladas go in the freezer, the tater tot casserole goes in the freezer, and then Sunday afternoon is over and I have flour on my shirt and a deep, satisfied feeling that the week is at least partially handled — but Josie’s garden keeps producing faster than any casserole dish can keep up with. Those tomatoes she waters every morning, the zucchini quietly swelling on the vine — they deserve a dinner of their own, something fast and fresh that Dave or Amber can throw together on a light night when the freezer meals feel like overkill. This simple summer pasta is exactly that: garden tomatoes, zucchini, a handful of Parmesan, and a pot of boiling water standing between a hungry household and a real meal on the table.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

12 oz penne or rigatoni pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium zucchini, diced into 1/2-inch pieces
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved (or 2 medium garden tomatoes, chopped)
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for pasta water
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/3 cup reserved pasta water
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, torn (optional)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Instructions

Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Before draining, scoop out 1/3 cup of pasta water and set aside. Drain pasta and set aside.
Sauté the zucchini. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add zucchini and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4–5 minutes until golden on the edges and just tender. Season with salt and pepper.
Add garlic and tomatoes. Reduce heat to medium. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add tomatoes and cook for 4–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they begin to break down and release their juices.
Build the sauce. Add the reserved pasta water and butter to the skillet. Stir and let it simmer for 1–2 minutes until slightly thickened.
Combine and finish. Add the drained pasta to the skillet and toss well to coat. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup of the Parmesan until melted and creamy. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.
Serve. Divide into bowls. Top with remaining Parmesan and fresh basil if using. Serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Simple Summer Pasta with Tomatoes, Zucchini and Parmesan — From the Garden, For the Family