The Perfect, Please-All Summer Pasta

Mid- to late- summer means harvest time for a bunch of delicious vegetables. When the temperatures start to peak around 100 degrees, I crave less meat and consume more heartier dishes in my daily life. This dish is my favorite dish to cook in the summer- it's colorful, healthy, hearty, and versatile. It pleases your vegetarian friends. Slap some grilled shrimp or a chicken breast and you've got something for meat-lovers. There are no specific measurements or prescriptions for what vegetables to use, so just use my template as a guide. Enjoy!

**Summer Harvest Pasta

-Base flavors:
Diced onion
Minced Garlic
Bell pepper
Red chili flakes
Lemon zest
Olive oil

-Choose your vegetables:
Summer squash
Zucchini
Fresh tomatoes

-Choose your pasta:
Farfalle
Rotini
Linguine
Spaghetti

-Marinara Sauce (optional)

-Flavor enhancers (pick one):
Basil (chiffonade)
Lemon thyme
Parsley
Rosemary

-Cheese:
Mozzarella
Pecorino
Parmesan (-o Reggiano)

Get your pasta water rolling. Don't forget to salt the water!!! While that pot is boiling, dice your vegetables. For the squash and zucchini, make sure that they are cut thick enough to be a little chunky, but not so much that they don't soften enough when you cook them.

After your pasta takes the plunge, get a a big saute pan out. Heat the some olive oil, and red chili flake on medium heat. Add the onions and garlic. Once they just begin to soften, add the peppers and the rest of the vegetables. Salt and pepper. Saute the vegetables until the squash/zucchini are al dente and have just a little crunch left. If you have a jar of marinara hanging around, you can add a few spoonfuls just to add a little moisture to the whole veg mixture.

Combine pasta and vegetables. You can add a little bit of olive oil if you need to loosen up the mixture. Certainly add a featured herb and some grated cheese. Pecorino is a sharp sheep's milk cheese that is a little saltier than parmesan, which is a little nuttier. Either is great. I like to grate them with a vegetable peeler in order to get a larger surface area of flavor. Mozz gives you that gooey, stringy cheese effect with each mouthful. Finish it off with some lemon zest if you've got the fruit on hand. Congrats!- You've got summer in a bowl.