Putting Summer Produce to Work: Gnocchi with Summer Vegetables

Taste: ***
Difficulty: Easy
Cleanup: Quick

I made this very easy vegetarian pasta dish last night.  What a wonderful way to put summer produce to work!

The great thing about this dish is that the ratio of vegetables to gnocchi allows the vegetable to take center stage rather than the gnocchi.

If you want to use a different mix of veggies, just use the same technique as in the recipe — sautee the vegetables until crisp-tender, reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water, drain gnocchi, add gnocchi to pan with vegetables, add the reserved pasta water, remove from heat, and add butter, cheese, basil and lemon juice.

Just a couple of notes on the dish.  I used 1 zucchini and 1 summer squash along with the grape tomatoes.  And, I increased the amount cheese to about 1/4 cup.

Hope you enjoy this easy vegetarian meal!

Gnocchi with Summer Vegetables
Everyday Food

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 zucchini or summer squash, or one of each (about 2 pounds total), quartered and sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1 package (15 to 16 ounces) frozen gnocchi
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
2 tablespoons grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1 tablespoon butter
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add squash and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until squash is crisp-tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until juicy, about 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook gnocchi according to package instructions. Reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid, drain gnocchi and transfer to skillet. Toss gnocchi, adding enough cooking liquid to create a sauce. Remove from heat and stir in basil, cheese, butter, and lemon juice.

Serves 4.