Parents Need to Eat Too author and blogger Debbie Koenig created this dish one not-so-leisurely evening when she was staring down the clock and found withering grape tomatoes and zucchini in the fridge. (You can also use asparagus instead of zucchini.)

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

  • 2 pints grape or cherry tomatoes
  • 2 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • One 12- to 14.5-ounce box whole-grain pasta
  • Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

Directions


Preheat oven to 500°.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Combine tomatoes, zucchini, garlic, and olive oil in a rectangular baking dish. Put the dish in the oven before the water boils. Roast, giving the dish a shake every 5 minutes, until most of the tomatoes have burst, 12 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, when the water boils, add the pasta and cook according to package directions, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water.

If you’re lucky, the tomatoes will burst before the pasta’s done. If not, drain the pasta and put the colander over the pasta pot, then put the pot’s lid on top of the pasta to keep it warm.

When the tomatoes have burst, pour a few tablespoons of the reserved cooking water into the baking dish and stir it around, to get all the good stuff off the bottom and sides. Pour the pasta back into the pot, dump in the sauce, and stir. If it seems too dry, add the rest of the reserved cooking water.

Serve topped with the grated Parmesan cheese.

From Parents Need To Eat Too (William Morrow Paperbacks), by Debbie Koenig.

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