The last couple of days have been kind of flops in the kitchen – I made some roasted potatoes with red potatoes, but they turned out kind of meh, and then I tried to make a Peas & Carrots dish with mint and orange, and it was a big flop too. However, I think that I’d gladly take those two flops if afterwards, I get to have this pasta dish.

When I received zucchini in my FFTY box – I originally thought I would make a soup of some kind with them, but then I saw this post over at Ezra Pound Cake – and I just knew that I had to make my own version. I did change things up a little bit – and I added a few other things. I think that the results came out delicious, and Mr. Man called it “the best pasta I’ve ever had.”

When I went to Costco last week, they had Paneer Cheese – and although I understand Paneer is pretty easy to make, I haven’t progressed to cheese making (yet), so I went ahead and picked some up to play with. I gotta say, I’m really loving it. It has such a great, firm texture, and was a great way to add a little protein to this dish. Overall, this pasta was so incredible and so simple and easy to make that I can’t believe I’ve never made it before. The only thing I might do different the next time I make this, however, would be to maybe add a dash of lemon juice or vinegar to give it a little bit of tang – although it’s just delish without, too.

Ingredients:

• 4 Zucchini (about 2lbs); cut in to 2″ long by 1″ thick pieces
• 8 oz Cherry Tomatoes
• 1 onion; diced
• 5 cloves garlic; minced
• Olive Oil
• 14 oz Whole Wheat Spaghetti (I used thin spaghetti)
• Salted Water for boiling the Pasta
• 8 oz Paneer; cut in to 1/2″ cubes
• 4 oz Serrano Ham (optional); coarsely chopped
• 1 stick Butter
• 1/2 cup Italian Parsley
• Kosher Salt

Method:

• Preheat Oven to 350°
• Place the cherry tomatoes; onions, garlic and Zucchini in a roasting pan
• Drizzle the veggies with the Olive Oil and sprinkle with kosher salt
• Toss to combine
• Roast for 45 minutes, or until tender and beginning to carmelize
• In a large pot of salted water, cook the Pasta to Al Dente and drain
• To the still hot pasta pot, add the stick of butter
• Return the pasta to the pan
• Add the roasted vegetables, parsley, serrano ham (if applicable), paneer and kosher salt to taste
• Toss to combine