This pasta skillet reminds me of the inside of my car.
Not because my car is full of noodles, brown butter and vegetables — though that would be something — but because my car is a chaotic mess.
Huge mess.
Despite being a type A person who likes things neat and orderly, there are two areas where I consistently fail: my car and my bedroom.
I still cringe thinking about my college dorm room. It wasn’t dirty so much as mountainous — piles of clothes stacked next to my desk chair until I finally forced myself to clean. It took forever. If only I had put things away after using them.
At home, my bedroom has fallen into the same state sometimes: clothes covering the floor, wrinkled outfits left behind after trying on too many options. You know the drill — five minutes before leaving, you rip through your closet, try on a dozen outfits, and leave the mess because you’re already running late. You come home exhausted, and the cycle repeats.
My current bedroom occasionally gets cluttered after travel or busy weeks, which makes me feel guilty because I’ve taken over almost every drawer and closet space, leaving my husband to find room elsewhere. The cleanup is annoying, but it gets done eventually.
But my car is another story. It’s usually only me in there, and I haul my life around: purses, yoga mats, workout headbands, snacks, lip gloss that fell out of my purse, gum wrappers, receipts for coffees I didn’t even like, random printouts never brought inside, and water bottles — lots of water bottles, some empty, some half full.
This drives my husband nuts.
In our first year of marriage, a fight about the state of my car lasted so long we didn’t speak for about 36 hours. We learned to pick our battles, and now we limit the drama. Sometimes I bribe him with a nice dinner and then ask for help cleaning the car, which really means he’ll handle the garage while I clean the kitchen. I blast music loud enough so I don’t hear him from the garage: “Thirteen water bottles? Seriously?”
So the pasta? It’s like my car — a bunch of things thrown together into a glorious mess. But it’s a delicious mess.
I don’t care that this dish has brown butter, parmesan and provolone because it’s also packed with vegetables. That’s the point. Use up summer produce, toss it in brown butter, top it with cheese, and you have a comforting meal that actually includes vegetables.
This recipe is simple and satisfying.
Brown Butter Garden Vegetable Pasta Bake
Yield:
4 to 6
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Ingredients
- 2 cups whole wheat pasta, like rigatoni
- 1 zucchini, chopped
- 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes
- 1 small red onion, chopped
- 2 ears fresh corn, cut off the cob
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 ounces freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 4 ounces freshly grated provolone cheese
- Fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Bring water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
- While the pasta cooks, heat a large oven-safe skillet over medium-low heat. Add olive oil, then add onions, zucchini, corn and tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper and cook 10–15 minutes, tossing occasionally, until the vegetables are softened.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, add the butter and whisk constantly until it foams and turns golden brown with nutty brown bits, about 5–6 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Turn off the heat under the vegetables and add the cooked pasta to the skillet. Drizzle the brown butter over everything and stir in the parmesan to coat evenly. Top with provolone, place the skillet in the oven and bake for about 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted. Serve immediately, garnished with parsley and extra cheese if desired.
Did you make this recipe?
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If only cleaning my car were this simple. Maybe it is — I should stop making excuses.