Pasta With Grilled Summer Vegetables Recipes

PASTA WITH ROASTED SUMMER VEGETABLES AND BASIL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Divide squash, tomatoes, onions, and garlic between two large rimmed baking sheets. Drizzle with oil, and season with salt and pepper; toss to coat and then spread evenly. Roast (without tossing) until tender and starting to brown, 30 to 40 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil; add a generous amount of salt. Cook pasta until al dente according to package instructions. Drain, and return to pot.
• Add roasted vegetables, butter, parmesan, and basil to pot; season with salt and pepper, and toss gently with pasta to combine. Reheat over medium-low if necessary before serving.

PASTA WITH CHICKEN, BACON, AND SUMMER VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Place bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until crispy, about 10 minutes. Drain bacon slices on paper towels. Reserve 2 tablespoons bacon grease in the skillet.
• Add onion to the skillet over medium heat. Cook until golden, 5 to 10 minutes. Add mushrooms and garlic and cook until browned, about 10 minutes more. Add grilled chicken and zucchini to the skillet and cook until zucchini are cooked through, yet still firm, 5 to 10 minutes more.
• Remove skillet from heat, add tomatoes, and let sit until tomatoes are warm, about 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add penne and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large serving bowl.
• Combine vegetable mixture with drained pasta. Stir in Parmesan cheese and season with black pepper.

PASTA WITH GRILLED SUMMER VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Light a charcoal fire. Grill the peppers whole until the skin is charred on all sides. Remove and place in a paper bag. Close the bag and let the peppers cool. Cut the peppers in half and remove the seeds. Peel the skin and slice the peppers into thin strips.
• Meanwhile, slice the summer squash and eggplant in thin strips, lengthwise. Brush with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and grill on both sides until lightly browned. Cut plum tomatoes in half and grill skin side down until lightly browned and barely soft. Slice onions in rings, brush with oil and grill until browned.
• Bring six quarts salted water to a boil. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet. Add the tomatoes, garlic and thyme and cook for a few minutes until they start to form a sauce. When the vegetables are cool enough to handle, cut them in thin strips. Add them to the sauce and simmer for about five minutes. Meanwhile, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain and toss with the vegetables. Season and garnish with the basil leaves, snipped into strips with a pair of scissors. Serve the cheese separately.

SUMMER PASTA WITH GRILLED EGGPLANT SAUCE

Steps:

• Prepare a grill for high heat.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the lemon juice to the boiling water and cook the pasta according to the package directions for al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water, drain the pasta and return it to the pot; set aside.
• Pierce the eggplant a few times with a fork or knife. Place on the grill, cover and cook, turning every 8 to 10 minutes, until completely charred all over and the flesh is soft when pressed, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool slightly for 10 minutes.
• While the eggplant cooks, prepare 2 sheets of foil, each 12-by-12-inches, and stack them together. Place the tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper in the center of the foil. Fold over 2 opposite sides of the foil then fold in the remaining sides to create a tight seal. When 15 minutes of cooking time remain for the eggplant, add the foil pack to the grill and cook until juices start to bubble out of the top (this means the tomatoes and garlic are sufficiently cooked without having to open the pack), 13 to 15 minutes.
• Remove the eggplant to a cutting board (keeping any juices that accumulated in the bowl) and squeeze gently to crack the skin and expose the flesh. Use a spoon to remove the flesh, transfer to the large bowl and mash lightly with the spoon or a potato masher (you should have about 1 cup of flesh); discard the skin. Stir in the ricotta and Pecorino Romano until smooth then pour into the pot with the pasta and mix until combined. Fold in the contents of the foil pack (including any juices that accumulated), the basil, parsley, lemon zest, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper; stir until combined, adding the reserved pasta water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to thin out the sauce if needed. Serve with more basil, parsley, Pecorino Romano and crushed red pepper flakes if using.