Penne with Zucchini and Ricotta

It’s been a busy, but fun few days since we last posted! Between race recovery, work and spending the weekend with a few of G’s high school friends who drove over from Phoenix, healthy meal prep took somewhat of a backseat until tonight. I wanted to make a pasta dish + veggies without adding chicken (think of it as Meatless Monday, on Tuesday). I saw a penne/broccoli/ricotta recipe on Pinterest yesterday and decided to modify it by subbing in a different vegetable and low-fat ricotta. We have broccoli a lot, so why not zucchini?

Warning: This dish looks and tastes extremely healthy, which can be a turn-off for some people. I added extra ground black pepper and some Parmesan cheese to give it a bit more flavor.

Penne with Zucchini and Ricotta

Ingredients: 

• 1 tbs olive oil
• Pinch chili flakes or crushed red pepper (I used the latter)
• 2 medium zucchini, sliced into half moons
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper (I added more to taste)
• 1/2 pound penne rigate
• 1/3 cup low-fat ricotta
• 1/4 cup grated/shredded Parmesan

Directions:

1. Heat a skillet over medium heat, add the oil and the chili flakes or crushed red pepper. Let sizzle for a few seconds. Add the  zucchini and season with salt and pepper.
2. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the zucchini are tender. In the meantime, bring a pot of salted water to a boil, and cook the penne according to instructions for al dente. Drain, reserving about 1/3 cup of the pasta cooking liquid. (You probably won’t use it all.)

   

   I love it when I can multi-task during dinner prep!

3. Toss penne in the skillet with the zucchini, lowering the heat to a simmer. Add the ricotta and a bit of the water at a time, until desired consistency is reached. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and serve immediately.

The finished product (served with my not-so-healthy, but incredibly delicious garlic cheese bread).

Here’s the nutritional breakdown per serving (makes about 4 servings):

Calories: 310

Fat:  3.35 g

Protein:  10.65 g

Carbs:  46.5 g

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In other news, we’re gearing up to run the Surf City Marathon together on Sunday! We haven’t raced together in a couple of months, so it will be nice travel up to Huntington Beach for a mini getaway. This is also the third of three Beach Cities Challenge races we’ll complete, and we’re excited to see what the special challenge medal looks like!

Take care,

C

How about you? Are you racing this weekend? Let us know where so we can cheer you on!