by Daenel
Now, I’m not even gonna pretend that I’m one of those people who minces my own garlic and grates my own Parmesan. I don’t. I use jarred garlic that’s already been minced and I use a lot of it. I’m also not very particular about the measurements. Dump and stir is the only way to go. Add a little and just keep going ’til your eyes roll back in your head and a whispered “Mmmm” escapes your lips. Deal?
I made Tortellini with Squash for my family a few nights ago and we all agreed that it stays in rotation. It’s light, filling and can be eaten steaming hot or at room temperature. If you’re a mother, you know that’s generally the temp of your food by the time you get to eat. So let’s get to it:
Ingredients
1 package tri~color Tortellini
1 Yellow Squash (sliced)
1 Zucchini (sliced)
Minced garlic
Olive Oil
Salt
Freshly Ground Pepper (OK, this is the one thing I do insist upon, there is nothing like freshly ground pepper)
Parmesan Cheese
Directions
1. In a pot of salted water, cook tortellini according to package directions.
2. While the tortellini is cooking, coat the bottom of a saucepan with olive oil and heat on medium high. Add minced garlic and cook until fragrant (about 1 or 2 minutes), add the yellow squash and zucchini. Cook an additional 5 minutes (cook longer if you don’t like crunchy veggies).
3. When tortellini has finished cooking, drain but reserve 1 cup of the cooking water.
4. If you’re fancy, you can pour the tortellini into a bowl but my family is hard core, everything goes back into the cooking pot so…. Return tortellini to the pot, add in the veggie/garlic mixture, stir in reserved liquid to keep pasta from sticking. You may not need all of the liquid but you can keep it on hand to use to reheat the tortellini later if you need to do so.
5. Once you’ve placed the tortellini on a plate, add freshly ground pepper and Parmesan cheese.
If you try it, let me know what you think. I’d also be interested in knowing how you adjust the ingredients/recipe for your family.
