Main dishes

Carrot and zucchini shells

12 min Cook
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Carrot and zucchini shells

Carrot and zucchini are a great classic of pasta dishes, especially in spring. However, may I say “boring”? To make this plate a little more interesting, I used a base of ginger and garlic paste, infused with dill and tarragon in the cooking oil, and then I splashed a spoon of fresh ricotta on top of it, to soften the zingy flavor. If you want your taste buds to dance, this is the right revisited classic to try.

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Carrot and zucchini shells

Carrot and zucchini shells

corinthian
Ginger, garlic, and carrot are the winning combination for this revisited pasta classic recipe. We used colored shells here, but you can use other types of short pasta: the secret is in the sauce!
prep time
8 min
cooking time
12 min
servings
2
total time
20 minutes

Equipment

  • Garlic grater (optional)

  • Pasta pot

  • Brazer or skillet

  • Knife

Ingredients

  • 160 g shell pasta (or other short type pasta)

  • 4.5 l water

  • 1 pinch of rock salt

  • 1 zucchini

  • 4 small carrots (or 1 large)

  • 1 garlic clove

  • 1 cm (1/4 in) piece of fresh ginger root

  • 1/8 teaspoon dill

  • 1 pinch of tarragon leaves

  • 1 vegetable stock cube or 1 teaspoon powder

  • 2 tablespoons ricotta cheese (optional)

Instructions

1

Prep the vegetables

Peel the carrots, chop off the ends, and dice them into small pieces. Rinse well the zucchini, chop off the ends, and dice it as small as you can. Rinse the ginger root. Peel the garlic.
2

Prepare the base paste

With the help of a grater, reduce the ginger and the garlic into a paste.
3

Make the soffritto

Make a soffritto by heating the olive oil in the brazer to medium heat. Add the ginger-garlic paste and stir it throughout the bottom of the pan. Stir in the dill and tarragon and wait for their fragrance to be released. Add the diced carrot and zucchini, stir them to coat with the oil. Add a little water and crumble the vegetable stock cube on top. Close with a lid and continue to cook on medium-low until the pasta is ready.
4

Cook the pasta

Bring the water to the boil in a pasta pot. When the water bubbles, add the rock salt and the pasta. Continue to cook over high heat following the instructions on the pasta package (~10-12 minutes for al dente). When the pasta is ready, take off the heat and drain the water.
5

Mix the pasta with the sauce

Pour the pasta directly into the brazier with the carrot and zucchini: even if there is a little water left, the pasta will absorb it. Fold the pasta with the vegetables so that they're evenly distributed, then take off the heat.
6

Serve

Transfer the pasta to the serving dishes and top with a tablespoon of fresh ricotta cheese if desired. Buon appetito!
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