The Occasional Gourmet: Summer Squash Conchiglie (Pasta)

Love Love Love this pasta! It was light and hearty at the same time, creamy and slightly salty from the parmesan cheese and the best part, it was super easy to make! This is a vegetarian version with mascarpone and parmesan cheeses, however, you could easily make it vegan. I would suggest adding a little coconut milk or a couple tablespoons of maple syrup to give the sauce a little sweetness if you are going to remove the cheese. The salty parmesan cheese on top was a definite must so if you are going to do without, sprinkle a little garlic salt on top to help balance the flavors.

Summer Squash Conchiglie

Prep Time: 10 Min

Cook Time: 40 Min

Ingredients

- 2 yellow squash, chopped

- 3 zucchini (2 chopped, 1 peeled into ribbons)

- 3 carrots (2 chopped, 1 peeled into ribbons)

- 1/2 onion, chopped

- 1 garlic clove, minced

- 1 cup of vegetable broth

- 3/4 package of Conchiglie (or you can substitute penne or pappardelle)

- 3 tablespoons of mascarpone cheese

- 3/4 cup of parmesan cheese, and additional for topping

- 2 cups of spinach

- 1/4 cup of pumpkin (optional)

- garlic salt

- olive oil

- basil

- salt/pepper to taste

Directions

- In a large pan, saute the squash, chopped zucchini, chopped carrots, onion, garlic and 3/4 cup of vegetable broth on medium heat for about 15-20 minutes until tender. I added the pumpkin because I had some left in the fridge but it is optional.

- In a blender, process the vegetable mixture with the remaining 1/4 cup of vegetable broth

- Put vegetable sauce back in large pan and add mascarpone, parmesan cheese and a pinch of basil. Simmer on low.

- In a pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta according to directions

- In a small pan, saute the carrot and zucchini ribbons with a little olive oil and a dash of garlic salt. Saute for about 5 minutes until almost tender on medium heat.