Last week I posted a classic Roman pasta dish that I added zucchini to – it was fabulous and inspired this second riff on a classic: adding spiralized zucchini to spaghetti cacio pepe.After a quick sauté of the zucchini in olive oil, cheese, pepper, the cooked pasta, and a bit of the pasta cooking water are added to create a simple, yet classically flavored sauce.These pasta dishes don’t hold up well for leftovers, so I’m serving up the recipes in 2 serving portions, but scale them as needed for a larger family.

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Spaghetti Cacio Pepe with Zucchini
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Entree
Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • 4 ounces spaghetti or bucatini
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium zucchini, spiralized or julienned
  • ½ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
  • 1-2 teaspoons black pepper
  • Salt
Instructions
  1. Cook the pasta until al dente then drain, reserving some of the pasta cooking water to make the sauce.
  2. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium high heat and then sauté the zucchini for 1-2 minutes until just barely softened. Add the pasta, cheese, and pepper to taste to the skillet along with some pasta cooking water and stir together to make a light sauce.
  3. Season with salt to taste and serve immediately.