Zucchini Tomato Sauce

When it comes to my garden, my motto is “eat what’s blooming.”  So, with my zucchini in full bloom, I came up with a little comfort sauce for my pasta.  Now I prefer roasted zucchini, but since I’ve already had that three times this month, I decided to try something new.  While making pasta and red sauce for the family, I decided to have mine with zucchini.  Mind you, I’m the only one in the family who cares for zucchini, but we have an entire bed of the stuff because I am the head gardener which means I get a say in what grows where.  Leadership has its privileges.

Anyhoo, this sauce is easy and delicious and can be expounded upon exponentially (can you tell my daughter is learning algebra?).  The ingredients are zucchini, garlic, tomatoes, basil and parsley.

Olive oil and butter, too, but I can’t grow those in the garden.  The basil I used is cinnamon basil, but plain old sweet basil is also delicious (yes, I’ve made this twice, now).

Translated:  three out of five ingredients were fresh from my fall garden.  Come spring/summer, I’ll be able to grab all five from out back.  Cool, isn’t it?  It’s how I look at food these days.  What’s for dinner?  What’s in the garden. 🙂

First step, sauté the zucchini in olive oil and butter.  I use both, because I enjoy the flavor of butter and like the way it browns.  This step takes about 5 – 10 minutes, turning the zucchini cubes every few minutes to evenly brown.  You’ll get better results if you lay the zucchini out in flat layer.

Once browned and soft, add garlic and sauté another minute.  You don’t want to burn the garlic as it will turn bitter.  Turn heat to low and add tomato sauce, parsley, basil, salt and pepper to taste and you’re good to go.

Voilá!  A lovely zucchini tomato sauce.  At this point you can simmer, allowing flavors to mingle, or serve immediately.  I served it over pasta with fresh Parmesan, but thought it tasted delightful completely on its own.

For variations, I’d try sun-dried tomato sauce as I think it would give it a more intense flavor.  Sautéed onions would also be a nice addition.  Whichever way you choose, this is simple, easy and a great way to use some of that zucchini in your garden.  For full details, go to my recipe section.