Vegetarian Penne

Mid-July and hot in a way that Chicago gets in summer — not gentle, not inviting, just direct and uncompromising. The kind of heat where the Aldi parking lot shimmers and you go in the morning or not at all. I have been cooking things that do not require the oven: cold noodles with peanut sauce, salads that are actually filling, the occasional scrambled eggs because eggs do not care what temperature it is outside.

The peanut noodles this week were a project. I have a peanut sauce I have been making for years — natural peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, a little honey, garlic, ginger, some chili flakes — and this week I made a bigger batch than usual and kept it in a jar in the fridge. Tossed it with cold soba noodles, cucumber, shredded red cabbage, green onion, sesame seeds. Ryan ate it cold from the fridge on Tuesday night standing up and said it was one of his favorite things I have made this summer. High praise given the summer also included ribs.

Wedding planning update: Patty has a binder. This was inevitable. The binder has tabs. There is a tab for flowers, a tab for food (which she and I are co-managing), a tab for music, and a tab labeled simply "other" which Ryan looked at and said he was not going to ask. The food tab has a preliminary menu that includes Babcia Rose pierogi as a given, a question mark next to "ham or chicken," and a note in Patty writing that says "check on kielbasa." I am marrying into the right family. I already knew that but the binder confirms it.

The food magazine column did not pan out — they wanted something more in the vein of current events commentary tied to recipes, which is not what I do, and I said so politely and they said thanks and we parted ways. I do not regret it. The blog is mine in a specific way and I want to keep it that way. I turned down a column for my Tuesday blog. That is a strange sentence to be able to say.

The peanut noodles started as a fridge project and became the dish Ryan keeps talking about, which is its own kind of kitchen victory. That logic — make a big batch, keep it cold, eat it standing up if necessary — is exactly how this vegetarian penne works too. It’s the kind of recipe I reach for when the heat is doing what July does and the oven is simply not an option: bright, loaded with vegetables, and genuinely better after it’s had a few minutes to sit and come together.

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

Ingredients

12 oz penne pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced
1 medium yellow squash, halved lengthwise and sliced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into strips
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for pasta water
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, torn

Instructions

Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the penne and cook according to package directions until al dente, about 10–11 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water before draining. Drain and set aside.
Sauté the vegetables. While the pasta cooks, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini, yellow squash, and red bell pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly golden at the edges, about 6–8 minutes.
Add garlic and tomatoes. Add the minced garlic to the skillet and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Stir in the drained diced tomatoes, red pepper flakes, oregano, salt, and black pepper. Cook for 2–3 minutes until the tomatoes have melded with the vegetables.
Toss with pasta. Add the drained penne to the skillet. Toss everything together over medium heat, adding splashes of reserved pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce and help it cling to the noodles.
Finish and serve. Remove from heat. Stir in the Parmesan and torn basil. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve immediately with extra Parmesan on the side, or let cool and serve at room temperature.

Nutrition (per serving)

Vegetarian Penne — The Noodle Logic of a Hot July