AT THE WATER’S EDGE:

It’s that time of year again: zucchini season.  Last year was my first attempt to garden and grow vegetables, and zucchini was one of the veggies I chose.  The plants did not grow as well as I’d hoped, and while I did get a fair amount of zucchini, it wasn’t the overabundance that I actually kind of hoped for.  This year, I planted more and they are starting to grow!  I picked four zucchinis so far this week and have another three or four on the vine.  I have a feeling that I may get more overloaded this year than last.  The trick then becomes: what to do with all that squash!  I will be looking up some fun and creative recipes and freezing some for later in the year, but I used my first zucchini of the season tonight in a pasta dish.  I think I had made something like this before…and I had some leftover cooked ground turkey meat from last night’s dinner (turkey tacos), so I decided to try it again.  Here’s what I did:

– 1 zucchini, diced

– 2 cups rotini pasta

– 1 jar spaghetti sauce

– ½ lb. ground turkey

– 1 Tbsp. butter

– Italian Seasoning

– Parmesan cheese, grated

– Fresh basil leaves

Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside.  Cook turkey in a skillet until browned and cooked through.  Season to taste, if you like, with salt, pepper and garlic.  Melt butter in a small skillet and add zucchini.  Sprinkle with Italian seasoning and cook until tender.  Toss zucchini and meat in with pasta.  Add pasta sauce and heat on low and stir until thoroughly heated through.  Sprinkle pasta with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and fresh basil.

This recipe is actually great for those who don’t like zucchini, as you really can’t even taste it.  Tom is not a huge zucchini fan, so my other challenge this year will be to find recipes that even he will eat and enjoy!