Fresh Pasta with Beets and Patty Pan Squash

Saturday morning I awoke without alarm at 5:30 am. I’m normally an early riser, but it was Saturday and the sun had yet to climb the horizon. I hesitated confused until I remembered the reasoning behind my abrupt morning rise. We had a full day ahead. We had to make it to the farmers’ market to ensure ample choice in fresh pasta and it was the Southern Grounds Festival with the Wood Brothers, Brett Dennen, and Steel Pulse.

I poked my head around Marion Square and picked up some choice eats like patty pan squash, tiny tear drop red beets, Brussels sprouts, Nutty Goodness raw granola, and the fresh pasta I spoke of before. And then we managed to make it to the gates by 11 am and even caught a glimpse of Dennen himself, as kind as you would have expected he would be. For the blossoming vegan/vegetarian, food choices were limited and the mesh of heavy southern foods with bohemian style seemed a bit counterintuitive.

Needless to say I was excited to get home to cook. I went for deep red beets once again this week and then got the opportunity to sample patty pan squash, sweet delicate, and ideal atop fresh pasta. It’s a really funky idea when you’re cooking at home to try and combine fresh pasta of matching flavor to the vegetables that you mix with it, like fresh beets with beet pasta.

Just because you’re cooking up pasta doesn’t mean you need the parmesan cheese. I’m not saying it’s not a delicious addition, but not crucial. Here’s what I do instead:

Fresh Pasta with Beets and Patty Pan Squash

1 cup chopped patty pan squash
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp organic olive oil, separated
Sea salt to taste
1-2 oz serving fresh pasta of your choice (buy at the farmers’ market or make your own)

Method

1. Bring large pot of water to a boil.

2. At the same time, heat up 1 tbsp olive oil in a medium skillet. Add in garlic and cook until fragrant. Add in patty pan squash and cook for about 5 minutes.

3. When the water pot comes to a slow boil, add in pasta. Stay over the pasta and use a wooden spoon to separate it. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes and drain.

4. Add pasta to the skillet with patty pan squash and combine. Add remaining 1 tbsp olive oil and sea salt to taste and serve.

*With the beet pasta–wash, peel and roast the beets for about 15 minutes, or until a fork easily punctures the skin. Add beets to a skillet with cooked pasta, olive oil, and sea salt and combine.

Like this? Follow my Twitter feed.

Follow me on Facebook.

More Seasonal Recipes
Spiraled Beet Risotto
Autumn Greens with Butternut Squash, Purple Potatoes, and Sunflower Seeds, in a Red Wine Vinaigrette
Roasted Purple Potato, Butternut Squash, and Smoked Garlic Pizza with Dollops of Local Goat Cheese