One-Pot Lemon Pasta with Squash
The following recipe and photography were provided by local blogger Carolyn Hodges of The Dinner Shift.
Full of bright, fresh flavors like lemon, herbs and seasonal squash, this one-pot pasta is the ultimate supper.
I love to cook, but I don’t love spending hours in the kitchen, especially when we’re in back-to-school mode. This dish is the perfect dinner solution for busy weeknights because everything cooks in one pan, including the fusilloni pasta.
Cooking the pasta in just the right amount of chicken (or vegetable) stock infuses it with flavor and creates a sauce. For a protein bump, feel free to fold in leftover grilled chicken, cooked shrimp or a can of drained chickpeas before serving.
One-Pot Lemon Pasta with Squash
Cook time: 20min Prep time: 5min Total time: 25min
Servings: 4-6
Ingredients
- 3 ½ Tbsp. olive oil, divided
- 1 ½ - 2 lbs. summer squash, like zucchini, yellow squash or patty pan, cubed
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- Salt and pepper
- 32 oz. Heinen’s low sodium chicken culinary or vegetable stock
- 2 cups water, add more if needed
- 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
- ½ tsp. sea salt
- 16 oz. Heinen’s artisan organic fusilloni pasta
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- ½ cup Heinen’s grated Parmesan cheese
- A generous handful of chopped fresh herbs, like Italian parsley and/or basil
Instructions
- Heat 1 ½ Tbsp. of the olive oil in a large, heavy pot or pan over medium heat.
- Add the cubed squash and sauté for 5-6 minutes, or until it begins to brown around the edges (it should be fork-tender, but not mushy).
- Stir in the garlic and season with salt and pepper. Transfer the squash to a bowl, then return the pot to the burner.
- Add the stock, water, remaining 2 Tbsp. olive oil, butter, sea salt and pasta. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and continue to cook, uncovered, for 15 minutes, or until pasta is tender and most of the liquid has absorbed.
- Stir the pasta every 3-4 minutes to keep it from sticking together or to the bottom of the pan. If you find the liquid absorbs before the pasta is al dente, add a small amount of water and continue cooking.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the lemon zest, cooked squash and Parmesan cheese. Add lemon juice to taste, starting with 1-2 tablespoons.
- Season pasta to taste with additional salt and pepper, then fold in the fresh herbs.
Sooo delicious! I used Orzo because that’s what I had. YUM
Karen, orzo sounds amazing with this dish! We are glad you enjoyed it.