Penne with Fried Zucchini Blossoms & Heirloom Tomatoes
Penne with Fried Zucchini Blossoms & Heirloom Tomatoes
1 hours total
- Classic Blue Box
- Dairy/Cream
- Expert
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Gatherings
- No Meat
- Short
- Spring Recipes
- Summer Recipes
- Tomato
- Weekend
- Weeknight
Take advantage of fresh seasonal produce with this delicious zucchini pasta recipe.
This Penne pasta recipe with fresh zucchini, zucchini blossoms and heirloom tomatoes comes from our very own Chef Lorenzo Boni! Summer is the season for tasty, wonderful summer veggies to take full advantage of in the kitchen. For this recipe, zucchinis are picked when they are still small so that there is a lot more flavor. With the heirloom tomatoes, a variety of colors are chosen when they are ripe, but still firm. When choosing zucchini blossoms, they have to be fresh, and in full bloom for maximum flavor. When adding zucchini blossoms to a recipe, adding them at the very end of the cooking process preserves their integrity. To have some additional fun with this recipe, Chef Lorenzo decided to garnish the pasta with a deep fried crispy zucchini blossom. Click this link to see the video reel on our Barilla US Instagram channel. Buon appetito!
Chef Lorenzo Boni Recipes
Chef Lorenzo's Recipe Collection
Ingredients
Serves 8
Ingredients for the Pasta:
1 | Box Barilla® Penne pasta |
5 | Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided |
½ | Cup yellow onion, chopped |
1 | Pound small zucchini, sliced in rondels as thin as possible |
3 | Medium size heirloom tomatoes, diced |
½ | Cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated |
8 | Deep fried zucchini blossoms |
Fresh basil leaves for garnish | |
To taste | Salt and black pepper |
Ingredients for deep fried zucchini blossoms:
7 | Ounces AP (all purpose) flour |
20 | Zucchini blossoms, cleaned and sliced |
1 | Egg |
1 | 1/3 cup sparkling water |
1 | Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil |
1 | Quart vegetable oil for frying |
To taste | Sea salt and black pepper |
Disclaimer
Individuals with allergies or specific dietary concerns should verify that the ingredients they utilize for the recipes comply with their restrictions.
Method
Step 1
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, cook pasta according to package directions.
Step 2
Meanwhile in a skillet sauté onion with 3 tablespoons olive oil for several minutes, until translucent and cooked through.
Step 3
Add zucchini, salt and pepper and braise over medium heat until soft and slightly browned, about 15 minutes.
Step 4
Add tomatoes, freshly drained pasta reserving ½ pasta cup cooking water.
Step 5
Turn off heat, finish with zucchini blossoms, cheese and remaining olive oil.
Step 6
Serve garnished with a deep-fried zucchini blossom (recipe below) and basil leaves.
Step 7
Mix flour to salt, pepper and egg using a whisk, little by little add sparkling water to make a creamy, coating mixture. Stir in olive oil.
Step 8
Dip zucchini blossoms in coating mixture and deep fry immediately.
Penne Pasta
It takes only 11 minutes to express your emotions preparing a beautiful dish of Penne for the people you care for the most.
One of the most famous Italian pasta shapes and loved across Italy, Penne, which means "pen" in Italian, gets its name from its shape. The tube-shape with angled ends was inspired by the quill of an old style ink pen.
Barilla® Penne is made with non-GMO ingredients. For more information, please read our position.
- Shape Short pasta
- Cook time 11–12 mins
- Pack size 16 oz.
- Range Classic Blue Box