Zucchini and Tomato Pasta
A quick and easy vegetarian meal that requires minimal prep work yet yields a tasty pasta dish. Great for those last-minute dinners and so easily modifiable for any vegetables you have sitting around in the fridge. Try using whole wheat pasta instead of white pasta to increase your daily intake of fibre. Heating the cherry tomatoes also increases the lycopene content of the meal, and acting as a phytochemical, lycopene has been considered to be a potential agent for prevention of some types of cancers, particularly prostate cancer.
Ingredients:
| Pasta (any type i.e. spaghetti) | 140 g | 140 g |
| Zucchini, roughly chopped | 1 large | 1 large |
| Cherry tomatoes, halved | 200 g | 10 tomatoes |
| Olive Oil | 15 mL | 1 Tbsp |
| Salt | pinch | pinch |
| Black pepper | pinch | pinch |
| Thyme (dried) | 7 mL | ½ Tbsp |
| Oregano (dried) | 5 mL | 1 tsp |
Directions:
- Bring a large pot of water to boil.
- Meanwhile, chop the zucchini and cherry tomatoes.
- Once the water is boiling, add the pasta and cook according to directions on the package.
- Reduce heat to a rolling boil.
- In a frying pan, heat the olive oil on medium heat and add the zucchini.
- Season with salt, pepper, and herbs until the zucchini have softened, approximately 7 minutes.
- Add the halved cherry tomatoes to the zucchini and stir.
- Once the pasta is ‘al dente’, drain and add directly to the zucchini.
- Toss all ingredients together to evenly coat the pasta.
- Serve immediately.
Makes 2 servings (1 serving = 340g).
