Passatelli with zucchini pesto
- Lactose Free
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Prep time: 35 min
- Cook time: 5 min
- Serving: 4
- Cost: Low
PRESENTATION
Passatelli al pesto di zucchine? It's like a love letter from Emilia Romagna, Marche, and Umbria with all those seasonal goodies. You get these unique passatelli noodles, made with breadcrumbs and Parmigiano—super tender and just melt-in-your-mouth stuff. Traditionally, yeah, they're in broth, but this version with pesto di zucchine? I mean, it’s moist and packed with flavor, but not heavy. And look, the green zucchini, crispy tomatoes, and pasta bring out those Italian colors—red, white, and green—just like in many ricetta tradizionale emiliana dishes. Pretty fun way to shake up your pasta game while keeping that homemade vibe, right?
Passatelli sometimes get compared to gnocchi or other pasta fresca italiana, but they're really, really their own thing. So soft, with that Parmigiano hint shining through the veggie sauce. For sure, this dish works perfectly for a family dinner or just a chill meal with friends. It's special but not trying too hard. When zucchini are at their peak, passatelli al pesto di zucchine really pops. And, you know, you might see variations from town to town—like with pine nuts or different herbs in the pesto.
There's something seriously satisfying about scooping up those golden passatelli with the colorful, tangy pesto. Makes this ricetta passatelli a fantastic choice for a primi piatti estivi. If you're up for exploring cucina regionale italiana or just love pasta with a twist, this dish is a delicious way to try something traditional yet fresh. You might find yourself craving passatelli con verdure all year. Really. But they're super sweet and ripe when zucchini are in season. This dish doesn’t just show off Italian pasta's versatility but also celebrates the beauty of regional ingredients and culinary traditions. Really good stuff.
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INGREDIENTS
- Ingredients for passatelli
- Meat broth 4 ¼ cups (1 l)
- Parmigiano Reggiano PDO cheese 4.25 oz (120 g)
- Breadcrumbs 1 cup (120 g)
- Eggs 3
- Lemon peel ½
- Nutmeg to taste
- Fine salt to taste
- for the zucchini pesto
- Zucchini 2 ¾ cups (350 g)
- Parmigiano Reggiano PDO cheese 1.1 oz (30 g)
- Pine nuts 2 tbsp (30 g)
- Sun-dried tomatoes in oil 1 ½ tbsp (20 g)
- Basil 2 tsp (10 g)
- Garlic 1 clove
- Parsley 1 sprig
- Extra virgin olive oil 1 ½ tbsp (20 g)
- Fine salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
How to prepare Passatelli with zucchini pesto
To make the passatelli with zucchini pesto, start with the pesto. For more details on this preparation, consult the Zucchini pesto recipe: wash the zucchini, remove the ends, and, with the help of a grater, shred them 1. Place the grated zucchini in a colander and lightly salt them so they lose excess liquid 2. Meanwhile, in a blender, place the basil leaves, parsley, peeled garlic clove, pine nuts, extra virgin olive oil 3, grated Parmesan and Pecorino cheese.
Blend everything and add a drizzle of oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Add the zucchini to the mixture 4 along with another drizzle of oil 5 as needed to make the pesto creamy, and complete with a final blend. The pesto should be smooth and homogeneous 6.
Cut the sun-dried tomatoes into strips, rehydrate them in hot water, then rinse them to remove excess salt, drain them, and add them to the pesto 7 (if using sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drain and dry them before adding to the pesto). Mix with a wooden spoon to obtain a homogeneous sauce 8 that you will set aside. Now focus on the passatelli. For cooking, prepare a Beef Broth following our recipe. For the passatelli dough, you can follow the classic Passatelli in broth recipe. Place the eggs in a bowl, add the salt 9
and beat them with a whisk or fork. Incorporate the grated Parmesan 10, breadcrumbs, and season with grated nutmeg 11 and grated lemon zest 12,
knead the mixture by hand 13 until it is compact 14, then form a dough ball 15 and let it rest for 5 minutes.
After the resting time, take the dough ball, bring the meat broth to a boil, and form the passatelli with the appropriate tool (passatelli iron) or with a potato masher with large holes. Squeeze the dough and let the passatelli fall directly into the pot with the hot broth 16, cook for a few minutes until the passatelli float to the surface. At that point, remove them with a slotted spoon and transfer them to the bowl with the pesto 17, gently mix with a spoon to season them with the sauce. Your passatelli with zucchini pesto are ready 18 enjoy them hot!