Cavatelli w/ Sun-dried Tomatoes & Summer Squash

Late yesterday afternoon, the DC Metro Area had a thunderstorm that knocked down several trees and caused some flooding in various locations. That being said, traffic was atrocious; it took us 1.5 hours to drive about 10 miles. Once we finally got home, we were both hungry and not in the mood to cook something elaborate or that would take a long time. I had a large yellow squash that I diced into small cubes. I sauteed it in olive oil with some red pepper flakes. I then added some sliced garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, and pine nuts. I decided to go with Cavatelli pasta because it cooks quickly; its frozen and literally cooks in a couple minutes. This recipe was quick and delicious; perfect for an evening when traffic was anything but easy.

Ingredients:

• 1 large yellow squash, diced into small cubes
• 2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/2 c sun-dried tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, sliced
• 1 tbsp pine nuts
• 5 fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
• parmesan cheese to sprinkle
• salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a large stock pot, fill with water and heat until water comes to a boil.
2. While water is heating, heat olive oil over medium heat and add red pepper flakes and squash.  Saute the squash for about 5 minutes or until slightly softened.
3. Add the sliced garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, and pine nuts to the pan and saute for another 3 minutes.
4. Season squash mix with salt and pepper.
5. Meanwhile, once the water comes to a boil, add the cavatelli and cook until the cavatelli becomes al dente and starts floating on the surface.
6. Drain the cavatelli and add to the sauteed squash mix. Add 1 more tbsp of olive oil and salt and pepper.
7. Serve cavatelli immediately and top with basil and parmesan cheese.

Advertisement